A/N: Warning in advance for abuse. This is not a very happy story, but I promise it gets better in the future. This is also my first story, so if it isn't any good, I apologize for that.

This is a Homestuck fanfiction! All of the characters belong to Andrew Hussie, but I came up with the storyline. I also added some things in there about the ancestors at the very end, but this story is not at all about them.

If you have not read Homestuck yet, I seriously recommend doing so! I also did intend for the characters to be slightly OOC, but it's not super noticeable. They're all human, and this is not following the original storyline.

Rated M for abuse, violence, and other intense subjects.

Matesprit Pairing: TerezixKarkat

Moirail Pairing: TerezixKarkatxSollux or however you want to interpret it.

Enjoy ~SE :]

Karkat Vantas

"Terezi? Are you okay? Oh my god. Shit. Fuck. What the fuck happened to her?" I seethed to Vriska, standing in front of the hospital bed that my best friend lay in. She had her eyes shut, and there was a thick white bandage wrapped around her head, soaked in blood. Tears were streaming down her face and she opened her eyes when I started yelling.

"Karkat, is that you? Karkat I can't see you. I can't see anything. I'm scared Karkles." Terezi muttered, her voice sounding so innocent and helpless. I ran to her side and took her hand to show her that I was there.

"I'm here. I'm not going to leave you here. I'll stay here with you." I ran my thumb over her fingers, just under the place where her knuckles were covered in blood. "VRISKA SERKET. YOU FUCKING BLINDED HER." I stood, shouting at the devious girl who sat casually in a chair meant for guests. "YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME. TOO FUCKING FAR."

"Karkat, I think it would be best if you calmed down right now." Rose, Terezi's mother said, opening the door into the hospital bedroom. Her face was stained with tears. "May I talk to you in the hallway?" She added. I sighed, letting go of Terezi's hand as I followed Rose outside. When the door was shut, she turned to face me.

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to shout." I looked down at my shoes as Kanaya, Terezi's stepmother joined Rose to come stare down at me.

"That wasn't what we pulled you out here for." Rose murmured. "Karkat, you've been there for Terezi forever, and you're like family to us." She paused and I nodded. "So we thought it would be best to tell you about her condition."

"At this moment, Terezi isn't in the best circumstances. Her doctor has just told us of how badly damaged her vision is. When Vriska pushed her through a window, one of the shards of glass went directly and deeply into her head. It severed the nerves connected to her eyes." Kanaya said, looking sadly at her adoptive daughter through the window.

"Karkat, there's nothing they can do. She's permanently blind."

I wanted to stay to be there to comfort Terezi, but I knew I had to get home before my stepdad, Ivan. Shit, I thought, it's already four. I ran outside, quickly unhooking my bike from the meter I had chained it up to. I hopped onto it, peddling as fast as I could in the direction of my house. Thank god I lived in the suburbs, where there weren't many cars out. I pulled into the driveway, not seeing my stepdad's car in the driveway. Then, as I was passing by the garage door, I saw his orange Ford Pinto, shoved into the tiny space.

I let out a huge breath, anticipating what was to come. I knew how much he hated it when I was late. When I didn't get back in time, not only was I jeopardizing myself, but my mom. I opened the door quietly, hoping he wouldn't notice when I slipped in. Suddenly, I was being grabbed by the throat.

There stood my stepfather, his belt in his hand.

"Boy, what shit are you trying to pull?" He growled, shaking me roughly. "You come late and expect me to get my own fucking beer?" His grip on my through tightened as I looked up at him emotionlessly.

"What, tell me, what is too important that you cannot come and help your family?" Ivan, set me on my feet and pat his fat stomach. "And you haven't started dinner. You little shithead. What do you expect me to eat?"

"I'm sorry, okay? I was late because my frien-" I tried to explain, but was quickly cut off by Ivan's loud guffaw of a laugh.

"You think I care, don't you?" He laughed again. "Turn around boy, and take your shirt off." I turned obediently and pulled the cheap cotton tee shirt over my head.

And then he started lashing me with the belt.

I woke up in a pool of my own blood.

Oh god, I thought, gingerly pulling myself up. I hobbled into the bathroom to inspect the damage. He had knocked me out again, probably getting too caught up in his irrational anger. I turned on the light, noticing how tight my wrist was as I flicked it up. There was definitely bruising there, probably from when he had held my hands behind my back… Don't think about it. It will just hurt more.

There was some severe bruising on my neck and cheekbones, but my chest was surprisingly untouched. And my back, oh my back. It was covered in bloody marks and purple lines that ran from my shoulders to my hips. Blood had run down my back, soaking in the waist of my pants.

Ivan usually got home before me. Most nights started like this. When my mother had first married that creep, it was her who was beaten. She was so fragile and weak and broke so easily. The smallest things that she did would set him off. When I was about fourteen, two years after she had married him, I had defended her.

On that first night, he was extremely angry. I thought he was going to kill her. So I dove in front of her, telling her to go to her room quickly. She didn't protest, or defend me. Ever since my dad died, my real dad, she didn't seem to realize I existed anymore. So Ivan had lashed me, with the leather strip from his closet full of torture devices. I had cried out in pain and suffering, my skin breaking easily at the first hit. It wasn't until he had started punching me that I had shut up. I couldn't remember if I couldn't breathe, or if I just got smart. Either way, it was how I learned that the more noise I made, the longer the beatings were.

Now that I was seventeen, I could take it. I had been toughened. My mother probably would have been dead if it weren't for me. From that day forward, Ivan decided that if I weren't home at 4:30, he wouldn't beat me. He would go after my mother.

I remember one day, one day when I had decided to have just a little bit of fun with my friends. I took one day to myself and came home to find my mother bruised on the floor, blood flowing from a cut above her eye. I had told her to go upstairs, to go to her room, to get away from that fucking bastard. The nerve he had hitting a lady like my mom.

I looked back in the mirror, wiping the blood from my nose. I pulled the make-up that I had out of the cabinet. I used it to cover up the bruises before I went to school. Ivan hated to see his dirty work too. I quickly coated my face and my neck before I went out to order a pizza. I didn't have any time to make dinner. I pulled on a clean shirt from the pile I kept under the sink for this exact situation.

That night was probably terrible for Terezi.

"Kk are you okay? You haven't been sthmiling much in thethe patht weekth." Sollux asked me, looking at me from across the lunch table. "Ith thith about Terezi?" He lisped. Sollux had had braces for three years and never really got over his lisp. I didn't really have any problem with it, but he did get teased a lot when no one was around. He didn't really like talking about his speech impediment, because he thought it weakened him.

"Yeah. I'm just worried about her. It's been about a month and she hasn't even tried to talk to me." I said, half lying. What had me at a loss of words were my stepfathers beatings. That was always what had me behind socially. But of course, Terezi was on my mind. We had been best friends since 2nd grade, when I was being teased and Terezi was the one to come and beat the bullies up. That said a lot about me, that I had to be saved by a girl who was tinier than I was.

Now that she was blind, I didn't know what I would do. Terezi was pretty unreadable, so I couldn't tell if she was going to struggle through this to an unbearable point. I sighed and stood up from my seat at the bench. Sollux looked at me raised an eyebrow.

"What'th up? Where are you going?" He asked, taking a bite of his peanut butter and honey sandwich.

"I'm skipping class. I'm going to go see Terezi." I decided. There were only two more periods in the day and I was a senior anyway, so not that much mattered.

"What about her momsth?" Sollux asked, throwing the rest of his sandwich away.

"They won't care." I packed up my books and slung my backpack over my shoulder.

"What are you planning to do, bike there? Come on I'll drive your thorry asth." I watched as my friend led me over toward the parking lot. He got into his yellow convertible car, sitting in the driver's seat. He waved for me to come into the car, rolling his eyes when my face spread into a wide grin.

"Thanks fuckass." I said affectionately.

"Yeah, I know I'm great." Sollux drove the familiar path to Terezi's house. He probably knew the way like the back of his hand. Terezi, Sollux, and I were basically like a trio. Most of the time inseparable. It hardly made sense because our personalities were all so different. Sollux was the tall, lanky, popular kind of computer geek. Terezi was basically the bubbly weird girl, who liked to execute her dolls. I was just a cranky, crabby jerk, difficult to get along with. But Sollux and Terezi had their way of getting around my tough, insensitive shell. I was like a crab. Hard and sharp on the outside, but all mushy on the inside.

"Can I come, kk?" Sollux asked me, looking nervously at me, as if it were my decision.

"I'm sure that Terezi would want to see you too, shithead." I rolled my eyes.

"Love you too, bro." He said sarcastically. I pulled myself out of the car, walking in the direction of Terezi's house. I stood on the porch, waiting for Sollux to lock his beloved car and join me. I knocked on the door tentatively. Kanaya answered the door, smiling when she saw the pair of us.

"Mr. Captor, I was wondering when we'd be seeing you around." Kanaya said, her curious yellow eyes sizing us up. "How have you been?"

"I've been fine-" I cut my best friend off quickly.

"How's T?" I asked, my words rushed, anxious to see her.

"She's doing quite a bit much better than before. The wound on her head has almost completely healed, and she has seemed to have… adjusted to the idea of losing her sight." She smiled at my concern.

"Aren't you boys supposed to be in school?" Rose called from the other room. "Just let them in, Darling. They want to see Terezi." Kanaya stepped aside and allowed Sollux and I to pass. I started moving toward the room I knew to be Terezi's when Rose caught my arm as I passed her chair. "She's been asking for you."

I nodded solemnly, understanding Roses request. She was saying, don't leave her. Don't let Terezi be caught up in the darkness. I knew that because of her inability to see, she would be more off track than ever.

I followed Sollux up to her bedroom, leaving the two doting mothers behind. He took the steep stairs two at a time, obviously anxious to see her. I sighed and moved at my own pace, a little less enthusiastic. I was afraid of what I'd see. I knew already that what I had seen in the hospital was worse than how she'd be now.

I braced myself and turned the corner into her room. It was a lot different than how I'd seen it last. It was almost completely covered in color. The walls had been painted red, and purple, and even some parts were orange. It was all messily done, obviously by Terezi. On the walls hung colorful metal scales that she had collected ever since she was little. The floor was covered with colorful carpets and there were three boxes of chalk scattered across the floor, her blind drawings covering the one blank wall. It was dimly lit, but I guess it made sense. She didn't really need the light anymore.

"Terezi?" I asked, cautiously approaching her. She was hugging Sollux tightly, her arms wrapped around his neck. Covering her eyes were now a pair of red tinted, pointed glasses. When she heard my voice, she looked up from where she had been burying her nose in Sollux's neck. She didn't look directly at me, but it was close enough. Her face was so… blank. I sighed to myself. Fuck, she's messed up.

"Karkat?" She murmured, untangling herself from the hug. Her eyes were wide open behind her glasses, but I couldn't see her pupils anymore. She stepped away from Sollux and walked directly toward me, shocking me.

"Can you… see me?" I asked, confused about how she knew exactly where I was.

"No, I can't see you dumbass." She smirked, still not meeting my eyes directly. There was the Terezi I was hoping to see. I quickly wrapped my arms around her tiny waist, slightly lifting her up as I hugged her. I clung to her like a lifeline, my eyes dampening.

She would never get to have normal human experiences. She would never be able to get around very easily. She would never be able to see people's facial expressions. She would never get to look at the stars or watch the sunset. She was stuck. Stuck staring out fake red glasses with empty, pupil-lacking eyes.

"Karkles, are you crying?" She asked, chuckling deviously. "You know it really isn't that bad."

"I'm not fucking crying." I snapped.

"Sureeeeee." She rested her head on my chest. "It's okay, I cried too." She paused and pulled away a bit so she could touch my face. "But I've figured out a way to see."

"What?" Sollux asked, sitting down on her bed.

"I can smell." She grinned aimlessly, moving over to sit next to Sollux on her bed. She didn't falter in her step, and was amazingly able to get exactly where she wanted to go without any hesitation.

"What do you mean you can smell?" I asked incredulously, sitting next to the both of them.

"I can smell and taste the colors. Karkat, they're all different flavors. And it's all soo good." She grinned, leaning back against her bed. "I think it's weird sometimes, but it helps me. I can see with my tongue and my nose."

"That is one of the thupidetht thingth I've ever heard." Sollux said bluntly. Terezi started laughing.

"So? It's how I get around." Everyone paused for a second, and then we all broke out into laughter. "Not that way!"

"I've missed you, T." I admitted, leaning my head against her shoulder.

"I'm coming back to school in a week." She blurted.

"What?" Sollux's eyes widened.

"I'm okay. I can handle schoolwork." Terezi grinned aimlessly.

"I don't think it's schoolwork you'll have trouble with." I responded. "Terezi, you're fucking blind. Do you think you'll be able to deal with this shit?" The angrier I got, the more I swore. I was angry at Terezi for being so strong. Or maybe I was just jealous. I was jealous that she could take something like being blind in such little stress. When I was weak enough to run and cower from my stepfather.

"Well, I'm thorry I have to leave but I have to be back at thchool before 7th period. I have a test." Sollux said, breaking the heavy silence.

"It's okay, Sollux, you can go." Terezi said, smiling in his general direction. It was good enough for him. He patted her head and strode out of the room. It had been a few minutes of silence as I looked around Terezi's room. Then she spoke. "I'm not pressing charges against Vriska." She said.

"What!" I exclaimed. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"She didn't do anything wrong." Terezi stared off into blank space, her face nearly emotionless.

"SHE BLINDED YOU." I enunciated each word carefully, making sure she understood me.

"No she didn't. A shard of glass from a window blinded me." She said, her jaw clenching.

"But what made you fall out of the window?" I asked her, glaring at her. It's not like she could tell.

"Gravity?" She offered.

"Vriska pushed you out of the window. She deserves to pay for that!" I growled.

"It's not like we're low on money." Terezi turned to where she thought I was, which was pretty accurate.

"She's a bitch, T. Spiderbitch. She needs to be punished. Don't you even feel a little bit angry at her?" I stood and then kneeled down in front of her. She put one of her hands on my shoulder.

"She's my friend, Karkat." Even though her face was emotionless, her voice was laced with a tone of pain that made my heart wrench. "Or, at least she was at some point."

"I give up on you." I sighed incredulously. "I give up."

"Karkles, if I pushed you out of a window and you were permanently blinded, would you hate me forever?" She asked. I looked at her for a second, and seriously considered her question. I don't think there would be anything that Terezi could ever do to make me hate her. I sighed and rested one of my hands on her knee. She continued to stare off into space above my head.

"No." I paused as she blinked, slower than I had ever seen anyone blink. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. I didn't talk to her." She let out a deep sigh. "Karkat, I'm okay, alright? You don't have to protect me from Vriska."

"I know. I'm sorry. I just don't like you being hurt." I looked over at Terezi's wall clock. I had to leave soon, now if I wanted to get home before Ivan. "T, I have to go."

"Why?"

"I… I just have to go." I stood and began walking out of her room. "Bye Terezi. I'll come over sometime. Maybe during lunch or something."

"Bye." She murmured, lying back on her bed. I exited the room and walked down the long staircase. I saw Rose as I was walking toward the door. She had a book in her hand titled 'Being Legally Blind: Observations for Parents of Visually Impaired Children'.

"Goodbye Karkat." Were her only words as I stopped in front of her.

"You know, Terezi isn't a child anymore." I said, suddenly angry with the book.

"I was aware of that." She didn't look up, but continued reading.

"Look, I know you don't like me. You think I'm a bad influence on T or whatever but I just wanted you to know, you aren't getting rid of me any time soon." I growled.

"Karkat, I do not have anything against you. I just want what's best for Terezi. Right now, I believe it is best if you do stay around." She finally glanced up at me, her magenta eyes piercing up into mine. "Just don't hurt her."

"I would never." And with that, I turned and stormed out of the house. I ran out to the sidewalk and then cursed. I didn't have my bike. I was at a loss of decisions to make at that point and broke off into a run toward my house.

I knew what was coming at this point. Ivan would be waiting. I prepared myself for the upcoming beating. Usually, I just made myself as angry as possible. The twisted and sick thing about Ivan, was that he didn't have any anger issues, or any sort of condition that gave him a good excuse for beating me. He just enjoyed watching me suffer, and bleed. Sometimes he would make me watch him as he carelessly took swings at me, and I could see a maniacal grin spread across his face. If I showed any sort of emotion, the smile grew, enjoying my pain.

I got to my block and my confidence grew. I felt the anger and sickness boiling up inside my chest. I pushed open the door to my house, glaring inside. But I didn't make it very far. Coming out of the darkness was Ivan, a maroon suitcase in one of his fists.

"Tell me boy," he said calmly, "what do I not tolerate in this household?"

"Me." I scoffed under my breath. He put the suitcase on the back of the couch and worked on unbuckling it.

"What was that!" He growled.

"Lateness!" I shouted. "Y-you don't, t-tolerate lateness." There went my confidence.

"And we both know very well that in my house, when you do something wrong, you get punished." I turned my head away from him, not looking as he chose his weapon. "You will Suffer from your choices." He was right. I would always suffer from Ivan's tormenting.

I was the Sufferer.