Warnings: Sadstuck, Humanstuck, Surprise Ending, Out Of Character, NOT A SONG FIC

Pairings: GamKar, KarGam; Gamzee/Karkat, Karkat/Gamzee

Summary: He watched Gamzee's chest rise and fall. It was so shaky. It worried him. Was his breathing getting worse? No, Gamzee will be fine. Karkat told himself, only 6% sure that it wasn't a lie. His friend was going to be fine, and they'd be able to hang out again without it being sad. [Not a songfic.]

._[TaKe Me SOMEWHERE NICE]_.

"Wake up, Gamzee," a voice whispered, his murmur soft and low. Gamzee opened his eyes. The light burned his eyes. He rolled his eyes everywhere, trying his hardest to focus on the someone in his room, who had previously woken him up. The room spun, his mind felt blank. His care-taker's words jumbled, then they sped up, then he flat out couldn't hear them.

One of the only things he could hear was his name, and he could hardly hear that. "Gamzee," the voice called out, and he could barely feel them grip his shoulders and shake him ever-so-slightly. His brain twinged, making him yelp and smack his companion across the face. Finally, after what felt like hours to Gamzee, he could focus.

"Gamzee, it's me!" He heard the voice say. Gamzee blinked twice, finally being able to see who woke him up. Their light skin and black hair finally allowed him to realize it was his friend, Karkat. When he smacked him, it seemed to have left a bruise. His black eyes had bags under them - but they always did.

He heard Karkat sigh, and saw him rub his cheek. "You aren't getting any better, are you?" The Cancer asked, his eyes focusing on the floor. Could he not stand to see him like this? He didn't sound hopeful. He didn't sound like anything. His voice was hoarse. Karkat was scared, Gamzee could tell.

Gamzee attempted to speak, "It's motherfuckin' fine, brother." His voice came out slurred, incoherent. He didn't like the way he sounded. He groaned, sitting up the best he could. His back was numb, he couldn't feel anything. His eyes hurt. "...I just... I gotta pee." He murmured, climbing out of bed the best he could.

He wobbled, his legs hurt, he couldn't stand the pain. Nonetheless, he had to pee. Karkat was watching him carefully. The moment he took a step forward, he collapsed onto the floor. "Gamzee!" Karkat barked, running toward the Capricorn. He held the other up, one walking him to the bathroom. "You need help standing up?" He asked, mentally stabbing himself repeatedly for asking such a stupid question.

"I'm good," Gamzee replied, wobbling his way into the bathroom, surprisingly not falling over this time. Minutes later, the sick teen somehow wobbled his way out of the bathroom, his breath staggered. Karkat noticed this, wanting to ask if everything was alright, but not wanting him to speak. Despite his horrible condition, the Capricorn gave him a small, weak smile, his whole body shaking. Karkat glaced at his friend before looking back down.

"...We need to get you to a hospital, now."

._[TAKE ME SOMEWHERE NICE]_.

The doctor sighed, flipping through his chart. "It... it seems that your friend here has multiple sclerosis, but... it's normally found in women. And they're usually a few years older than your friend..." Karkat clenched his fists, beginning to shake a bit from anger. That's usually how he'd handle this situation. "Will... will Gamzee make it, Dr. Handel?" He growled, his fists clenching tighter.

"If this has affected his heart or his breathing, then... possibly not." Handel replied, walking out. "I'll be right back, I need to look over some of the things you had mentioned." Karkat seated himself next to his friend, just like before. How could this happen to Gamzee? It wasn't like all of that shitty pudding would do this to him. It was illogical... right?

He watched Gamzee's chest rise and fall. It was so shaky. It worried him. Was his breathing getting worse? No, Gamzee will be fine. Karkat told himself, only 6% sure that it wasn't a lie. His friend was going to be fine, and they'd be able to hang out again without it being sad.

The doctor walked back inside of the room, still eyeing his charts. Karkat stood fast, turning to the man. "What did you find out?! Tell me!" He growled, ignoring the fact that he could wake the patient up. He didn't care - he needed to know if it was going to be fatal. "We can't be too sure, Mr. Vantas. We don't have any known cures for this at the time, there are only therapies out to help slow the process, so... it appears we just have to wait and see."

Then Karkat snapped.

"Wait and see?! Wait and see patients die every fucking day, and you expect me to sit here and let my best fucking friend die?! I want to know if he'll fucking be alright! Gamzee isn't eating, he's sleeping all day, he can hardly breath! When he does take a shower I have to stand in there with him and make sure he doesn't faint or die or fall! You expect me to just sit here and allow my friend to be in pain?! No! Hell no, you god damn Fuckass! You've got to be kidding me..." He screamed out, kicking stuff that seemed useless over. Tears filled his eyes, and he didn't know what to do. "I can't let my friend fucking die... Gamzee's my best friend. He's like my brother. I can't..." He paused in mid-sentence when he heard the male in the bed move.

"Gamzee!" He shouted, standing next to him. He waited for a moment to allow him to speak. Gamzee's make-upless face looked so emotionless. His eyes were wide and buzzing around everywhere. His breathing began to speed up, then he twitched hard, making a loud yelp. He calmed down after a few minutes, looking dead at Karkat. "...Who are you?" He murmured, tilting his head to the side. Karkat stepped back, eyes wide.

"Y-you... Don't remember me?" He asked, his voice cracking. This was not happening. It was not happening. There was no way Gamzee had forgotten his best friend, the one who always looked out for him when he needed someone to. "Gamzee, for fuck's sake, we've been friends since we were three! I used to push you on the swing when you didn't know how! You cried about your father leaving you and your family, you even thought about disappearing, but I stopped you! I was the one who helped you in your time of need! You and I used to go hang out at the sea, because you loved those dumb ass sea goats so much! I bought you a toy of that stupid mythical creature at the carnival because you wanted it! I was the one to hug you and keep you going when you were made fun of for wearing your juggalo clown make up to school in the eighth grade, and I told you that you looked really cool in it! We went to tons of movies together, we've suffered so many heartbreaks with girls, we've had fights and make-ups, but we were always there for each other! You don't remember any of that, Gamzee? You said it was a miracle that you've had a friend like me! It's me, your best friend, the one who's always been there for you, Karkat Vantas!"

Gamzee stared at the blankets he sat in, not really focused on it. "...I'm sorry, Mr. Vanitias," he murmured, looking up at the other after looking all around the room. "I don't remember any of that. You don't seem familiar to me at all." The Cancer sighed, staring at the floor. "...Right. Sorry. Let's go home." The doctor put a comforting hand on his shoulder, asking, "Are you sure you want to take him out?" Karkat frowned, shaking his hand off. "Yeah, we're going. Give me my bill," he ordered, picking the limp-as-a-noodle Gamzee up. "I'll have you pay on your way out."

._[TaKe Me SoMeWhErE nIcE]_.

The knocking on the door woke Karkat up the next morning. He still remembered how horrible the day before was. How Gamzee, his best friend since forever, forgot all of their great times. He was just a stranger to him now. When he opened the door, it was Tavros Nitram and Terezi Pyrope, two of he and Gamzee's friends. He swallowed hard, grumbling, "What do you two want?"

Tavros was first to speak. "I... I thought Gamzee would be here." The boy's short mohawk shifted a bit as he did, his brown eyes darting everywhere, everywhere but Karkat's rather intimidating face. Terezi was next to speak, pushing her red glasses up, her blue lipstick moving with her lips to a smile. "What are you doing here, Karkar?" She grinned, crossing her arms. She couldn't see him, but she sure could tell by the sound of his voice who it was.

Karkat turned to look back at the hall, trying to make everything as silent as possible so he could hear if Gamzee was awake. "...Gamzee's sick. I'm taking care of him." Both the Latino and the girl gasped, trying to sneak their ways past the boy. "No - neither of you can come in. Actually, I'll be taking him to the bath soon. So, no, you can't come in. Just... leave, okay?" He grumbled, beginning to close the door. Terezi whined, "But I want to see Gamz!" Tavros nodded, his bull necklace shaking everywhere. "Si, si, yo tambien!"

The Cancer rolled his eyes, countering with, "Terezi, you hate Gamzee. Tavros, you hate me. And I hate you. So, no. Get out." He slammed the door shut, locking it on every lock he had. The chain, the handle lock, and of course, the... middle one. Whatever it was fucking called.

"Gamzee," Karkat murmured, walking back into the juggalo's room. "It's time for a bath." The ill male smiled weakly, sitting up. "Okay... Karkit, right?" He murmured, his voice still slurred. The Cancer shook his head, surprisingly smiling at the attempt. "Close. It's Karkat. Let's go," he murmured, lifting Gamzee up bridal style. Even before he got sick, he was surprisingly easy to lift.

Karkat put the skinnier male down on the toilet top, turning the knob to a warm, but not too warm, temperature. Dr. Handel said that hot baths could trigger or worsen the attacks, so he'd best not make the bath water too hot. "You need help?" He asked once he saw the Capricorn's lazy attempt to pull off his shirt. He walked back to the male, pulling his shirt over his head for him. "...Don't tell me you can't get your pants off, too."

Gamzee smiled, shrugging helplessly. "I could try... but... I might end up hurting myself." Karkat rolled his eyes, unbuttoning the other's pants, softly yanking them down, pulling off his socks in the process. "You're taking off your own underwear," he murmured, beginning to pull off his own pants and shirt.

"You're getting in, too?" He murmured, tilting his head to the side. "Really?" Karkat, in turn, simply nodded, and pulled off his own boxers quickly, hopping into the bath water. "Shit! That's pretty fucking cold... I hate sicknesses. Need help?" He asked, holding out his hand. Gamzee shook his head, grabbing the bubble bottle, sliding in across from Karkat. Quickly, he put a cap full of bubble gel under the running faucet, making tons of bubbles explode out.

After moments of silence, Gamzee looked up and asked, "...Hey... you said we were friends, right?" Karkat's eyes lit up. "Do you remember?" He grinned, but frowned when he saw the juggalo shake his head. "Sorry, I don't. But... tell me about us. Mostly, about you. I forgot about who you were.

Karkat was a bit surprised by the request, but he nodded, beginning to talk. "Well, as you hopefully know, I'm Karkat Vantas. Your best friend. I was born July 6th, 1995. That means I'm five months older than you are. That's all you need to know about me," he murmured before noticing that Gamzee's eyes looked blank. "Are you okay?" The Cancer asked, reaching out and holding his chin, making him look up at him. "Y-yeah." He murmured, "I just... I want to remember. I want to remember us, Karkat. You... we were best friends, and I forgot. I don't want to forget. I don't want to..." He cried, shutting his eyes tight.

"Gamzee..." Karkat sighed, pulling the other forward into a hug. "Please, don't cry. I can tell you some of the things we used to do, if you'd like..." He murmured, noticing how distant Gamzee was. He was hardly paying attention, but he didn't care. He loved talking about old times, even if no one cared. "I'd love to hear that," Gamzee murmured, his voice still hoarse. "Tell me anything."

"I remember the time we talked about taking refuge," Karkat began, holding Gamzee tighter. Even if they were naked in a bath, he didn't care. "Your mom yelled at you for doing something weird, you never told me what, and you snuck out to hang out at my house. You climbed in through the window and started screaming and crying about how your mom was a motherfucking bitch. I thought it was absurd, she was so nice to me. You started crying out about how she was unfair and that I was the only one who you could ever trust, with the exception of Tavros. In all honesty, hearing that made me kind of jealous." A smile came to his face when he heard Gamzee's laugh, albiet it was weak. "I sat you down and hugged you, just like this, but not in a bath, and we were wearing clothes. I suggested you should run away, and it really touched my heart when you said you'd go if I went with you. I had to say yes, even if we didn't really do it. We talked for hours about where we'd go. You said you'd want to go to Jurrasic Park, because you figured dinosaurs would be there. You sounded like such an idiot... but I thought it was actually kind of cute. When I asked about the supplies you'd bring, you said you'd bring tons of pudding and Faygo, and blankets. Then... you had to go back home. No matter how much you protested, your mom came in and snatched you away. She swore you'd never come back, but... you did. All the time."

Gamzee's eyes were wide, staring at Karkat. "Really? We did all of that?" He asked, trying his hardest to look up without wincing at the pain he felt in his eyes. "You... really don't remember, do you?" The Cancer questioned in reply, not really answering. The Capricorn shook his head. "...I'm sorry."

._[TAKE ME SOMEWHERE NICE]_.

CRASH!

"Open the door! Let me see Gamzee!" Karkat screamed, reaching out as someone was pulling him back. He screamed Gamzee's name, kicking his feet. "Let me see him! I need to see him!" The halls of the hospital echoed his every word. He slipped out of the grip of the two people who held him back. Running toward the room in which Gamzee was.

Once he made it there, he kicked the door open, running in to hug him. "Gamzee! You're going to be alright!" He screamed, his usually pale face red from the anger boiling in him. He reached out, caressing his friend's usually happy face, which was now gaunt and hardly had any life left. "Don't leave me. Stay with me, Gam. Please, stay with me..."

"I'll be alright. I'll be alright, Karkat... I wish I could remember what we did... everything you told me. Like... like two nights ago when you told me that you and I shared our first kiss, and that... that you never really meant all that mean stuff you told me before... whatever that was..." Gamzee's breath hitched before he began talking again. "Or, when we talked about running away... or where our favourite spot to hang out was... I... I love you, Karkat. I don't want to go," he murmured, his eyes, closing. "..but I have to. My clock's expired... my time's done. It's time for me to go..." Shakily, he leaned up to kiss Karkat before pulling back, plopping down onto the bed. "..but when I die... I'll remember. I'll remember what we did... how long we've known eachother." Karkat's eyes widened, and he whispered, "I... love you, too, Gamzee..." Just before his eyes shut and the beeping ceased, turning into one final, long beep.

"..Goodbye."

._[END]_.

AC: Okay, that was a sure feel. ;_; But either way, what's done is done! So, yeah. ~ How was it? What did you think of it? You know, all that jazz. Sorry if it sucked, I hate (and suck at) making sad stories. I know, the fact that MS isn't very common in men, and people under 20, and it's not always fatal, but... Hey, I wanted to make something sad! .
Also, before you say anything, yes, Karkat is older in my book. They're all 6 sweeps (13 years) old, so... that'd make them the same age unless Gamzee was born in January, but January, to me, is just a weird month to have a birthday... e.e
Anyways... you read it, so, review?