honk
Nepeta Leijon had never been this afraid in her entire life. She was afraid because someone she knew - someone she had thought to be harmless and a good friend until very recently, at that - was trying to kill her, and had very good chances of succeeding. She was frightened because he had just killed her moirail, the only person she could truly count on in this entire fiasco, depriving her from any cover or support here in these dark tunnels. She felt panic because her attempts at avenging him had been taken on a stride, her wrist broken, her claws used - by him, which was the important part, instead of her - to make three deep, bleeding marks into his face, before letting her go.
HONK
And most of all, she was absolutely terrified because Karkat would never know. He would never even learn how she felt about him, how important he was for her, and that, for her, was the worst part. She had been nursing her flush for him for sweeps now, dreaming about the time she would tell him and fantasizing of his passionate response, and she did not wish to die here, ignobly, before he would be told.
honk
She could probably still run. Her wrist hurt, but it did not stop her from simply fleeing Gamzee, hiding somewhere, and calling for help. She could still survive this. Equius would not have wanted for her to give up her life without a fight, rendering his sacrifice pointless (or even more so).
What kind of a lame power was Heart, anyway? What could it ever do?
And so she absconded. She quickly picked up Equius's glasses as she passed by, trying to not look at his face, still smiling at nothingness. Gamzee did not run after her.
HONK
centaursTesticle [CT] began trolling carcinoGeneticist [CG]
CT: :33 karkat!
CG: EQUIUS IS THAT YOU.
CG: WAIT NO.
CG: FUCK. NEPETA GET OFF HIS ACCOUNT. I NEED TO TALK TO HIM
CT: :33 :(( hes dead
CG: WHAT.
CT: :33 i saw it happen
CT: :33 it was gamzee
CT: :33 i tried to avengepounce him
CT: :33 i really did
CT: but
CG: OKAY OKAY I GET IT.
CG: JUST SHUT UP FOR A SECOND. WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
CT: :33 i ran away
CT: :33 i
CT: :33 hold on
centaursTesticle [CT] changed his trollhandle to arsenicCatnip [AC]
AC: :33 okay
AC: :33 karkitty
AC: :33 are you still there
CG: YEAH STILL HERE. ARE YOU OKAY
AC: :33 yeah at the moment
AC: :33 well mostly
AC: :33 im scared
AC: :33 its cold and dark here and i just want to see you again :((
CG: OKAY JUST
JUST HOLD ON FOR A SEC. I'M ON IT.
DON'T GET AWAY FROM WHERE YOU'RE HIDING. JUST KEEP TALKING. I'LL FIND YOU
Karkat had to leave Sollux for Kanaya's care. He could not have him come along, being blind and all that. But he could not leave Nepeta there in the cold, either: she was an insufferable autistic catgirl, and he did not really like her at all, but he still cared about her and he would not have someone else die here.
He had screwed up enough already.
And as instructed by him, Nepeta kept talking. Or writing. Whatever. It helped him find her, and told him that she was still alive instead of being assaulted from behind by a murderous troll or two. Also it helped her feel better, he supposed.
AC: :33 i need you to tell me something
CG: WHAT?
AC: :33 itll make me feel better
AC: :33 i hope
AC: :33 how do you feel about vriska?
CG: WHAT THE FUCK?
CG: WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU ASK ME THAT FOR? HOW DOES THAT MURDEROUS SPIDER BITCH HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS BULLSHIT?
AC: :33 so you dont like her?
CG: WHAT? FUCK NO.
CG: SHE'S HORRIBLE AND EVIL.
CG: SHE'D PROBABLY EAT ME RIGHT AFTER WE FILLED OUR BUCKETS ANYWAY, WHY THE FUCK WOULD I LIKE HER AT ALL?
He did not have a very good feeling on where this discussion was going.
AC: :33 *the kitty is relieved beyond any murrtal compurrhension*
AC: :33 that means its all going to be okay!
CG: WHAT? WHAT'RE YOU GOING ON ABOUT N
CG: OH GOD.
CG: YOU DON'T MEAN
AC: :33 *she makes a dramatic pause as she gathers up the lion courage to finally tell Karkitty what she has been meaning to say for a long while*
AC: :33 karkat kantas
AC: i am
AC: absolutely
AC: furriously
AC: impawssibly much
AC: with all nine of my kittylives
AC: with all four of my kittyhearts
AC: (or thirtysix if you count all hearts of all lives)
AC: both of my eyes seeing you in the dark with my catvision
AC: both of my mouths, stuck in permanent happy cat smile, calling upon you
CG: OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE WILL YOU GET IT OVER WITH ALREADY.
AC: with all seventeen of my
AC: wait
AC: :? what?
CG: YOU COULDN'T MAKE THIS SHIT MORE PAINFULLY OBVIOUS IF YOU TRIED.
CG: I FUCKING KNOW.
CG: I'VE FUCKING KNOWN FOR LIKE FOREVER BECAUSE YOU JUST CAN'T KEEP YOUR "SECRET" FLUSH-CRUSH HIDDEN.
CG: YOU'RE MORE FUCKING OBVIOUS THAN A JUGGALO IN A HIGHBLOOD FUNERAL. EVERY TROLL IN THE BLOCK KNOWS.
AC: :33 but i thought
AC: :OO i thought i was so careful and purrudent to not let you know
CG: WELL IT OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T STICK.
CG: GAH. LOOK.
CG: I'M ALMOST THERE NOW. WE'LL TALK LATER.
Nepeta's heart leapt. He knew! He had always known about it! Or at least "FOREVER", as he said, which honestly could have meant anything, but for her it was probably more than long enough.
She supposed it was obvious in the end. He was the one that knew everything about love among them, after all - even more than Nepeta herself, even if her shipping acumen was unmatchable. These were just the sort of little details that had made her so attracted to him in the first place, though there were of course so many other things.
And so, scant minutes later when Karkat found a hurt, dirty and messy stray cat from some vents, she spent not a millisecond without pouncing on him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trembling heavily, and wept loudly against his shoulder. He hugged her back, pulling her closer, feeling relieved that she was still all right - although the reason he himself was trembling was not only relief, but also fear for what was yet to come: he knew that they were still not off the hook, although it was an entirely different hook but probably much more vicious.
When she kissed him, he had no heart to pull away.
(A/C: Karkat/Nepeta is my saddest ship. However much it may hurt you to read this thing, odds are it hurt me more writing it.)