A/N: So, I am a terrible person: I should not be starting another story, but here I am. I don't know if I should continue this or now, so your guy's opinions?

Oh, and a quick warning: The cover picture is a lie. I will most likely sadstuck this.

Ciao for now!

~Webs

"They didn't hurt you too much, did they?"

"I said I'm fine, fuckass." He mumbles, red eyes watching your pale fingers dance across his arm. You nimbly wrap the bandage around the gash across his upper arm; you wonder if he can even distinguish pain from numbness anymore. It been so long since either of you haven't been hurt.

"How long before you're expected back?" You keep your face blank, dreading his return to his own people.

"I have a couple hours."

"How many of you are out?"

"Just me, Tav and Aradia. They only sent the rustbloods to this sector for today."

"They won't come looking for you?" He shakes his head.

"They won't." You don't say anything else before kissing him, full on the mouth. He doesn't hesitate before kissing back, uninjured hand coming up to wrap around the back of your head to pull you closer. It's been too long since you've seen each other, too long wondering if the other was still alive.

You two pull away after a moment, the troll resting his forehead on yours. "Shit, Dave." He whispers, closing his eyes.

"I know, man. I know." You mumble back, watching him through your shades. The rings under his eyes are darker, you note, gray skin a little too pale to be healthy. For someone so high on the social ladder, he really needs to watch his health more.

He leaves you with a small nuzzle before moving back enough to look you over. You crouch silently, letting him make sure you're in one piece, used to his gaze flicking scrutinizingly over you. It's become routine the last few months, and though you wish it wasn't necessary, you kinda like watching him worry over you; it shows he cares. A lot.

"You're not hurt either, right?" You shake your head.

"I've been lucky around the Grievers. Maybe a bruise here and there, but they've been clean kills." You pause, eyeing his new bandage. "You're lucky it didn't bite you. Why'd you let it get so close to you?" He shrugs.

"Aradia was struggling, and I let my guard slip trying to get hers."

"You're too noble for your own good, you know that, right?" He manages a smile smile.

"I won't apologize for wanting to keep my species alive, Dave."

"Mm, whatever. As long as you're safe." You kiss his cheek, standing and offering down a hand to him. He takes it, pulling himself to his feet and shifting the hand into your other, weaving his gloved fingers with yours. You've always marveled how, in this fucking jacked up world, your two hands can fit so perfectly. Sometimes you reckon there's nothing more perfect than that.

"You're doing it again." You look up, masking your surprise behind your poker face.

"What?"

"You're staring at our hands again. You're always doing that." You smirk.

"I can't help it, man." You bring up his hand, keeping it in yours as you kiss the back of it lightly. "You're just too perfect." You grin as he blushes, him starting to tug you forward down a familiar, crumbling alley.

"Shut up, asshole," he grumbles, you following in his wake.

You catch up to him soon enough, matching paces and taking out one of your swords again. You're on alert again, wary eyes flickering around every darkened empty space of your surroundings, knowing the Grievers could be anywhere. Karkat is just as tense and alert as you are, careful not to miss anything. Like hell if you're going to lose each other.

You both move quickly out of Sector four and into the No Man's land between Sectors four and six. No one from either side would follow you here; they think it's desolate desert for three miles, hidden behind chain-linked fences with plastic slats, revealing nothing of what's inside.

Karkat pulls a key from a chain around his neck, unlocking the only gate within the five-mile stretch of fence. You watch his nimble gray fingers twist the rusted key, then push the gate open, leading you into the almost-rainforest the two of you have created. You grin as you follow him in, closing the gate and latching it behind you.

The young troll immediately goes over to the water spigot, connected to about a hundred hoses, and turns it on, watering the entire garden at once. This is the only place either of you have found running water since the outbreak, and instead of telling either of your respective sides about it, Karkat proposed a garden. You'd laughed at him, of course, until he presented his collection of seeds he'd picked up every now and then. He still does it, even after all available space has been taken up.

Oh, speaking of which... "Hey, Vantas." He looks over at you, hand on the spigot. "Look what I found yesterday." You hold up a packet of daisy seeds that you'd found in Jade's old stuff. Whoops; better not think about Jade.

He stares at you for a long moment, then strides over to you and kisses you on the mouth. You grin, kissing him back, before he pulls away again. "Where'd you find these?"

"'Remember I told you about Jade? All of her garden shit from before... all this?" He nods, grinning.

"You asked, right?" You wince internally.

"'Course. I couldn't tell her why, but she agreed."

"Thank you, Dave."

"No problemo, Señor Vantas." He snorts, releasing you.

"You're so weird, Strider." He takes the sees, inspecting them for a moment, then goes over to a small, steel crate by the spigot, unlocking it with a code and placing the packet inside before closing it again. He won't be able to plant anything for another month or two, and it'd be safer keeping the seeds here than back at his camp.

He straightens and goes about his routine of checking over all of his plants, reverently stroking the leaves. You watch him kneel next to the ferns, a slight smile on his face as he brushes his fingers over them, and can't help but smile as well, just a bit. You think plants are the only thing he loves more than you.

Leaning against the fence, you cross your arms, relaxed and content; Grievers can get in here. They wouldn't even try; not with all the plants. They'd done a pretty good job of killing everywhere they made a nest, ridding much of the planet's surface of green. The creatures stick to previously-populated areas, since they were almost clear of plant life anyway, leaving places like the Rain Forests untouched.

Neither side knows how the Grievers arrived, both blaming the other because what else are they supposed to do? Personally, you think it was an accident. That, or a government conspiracy to diminish the population. You can never tell with governments; especially the one that was in charge when all this started.

Ah, and all those conspiracy theories are probably because of Bro, but what the hell; they're probably true.

"Hey, Dave." You shake yourself back into reality, looking over at Karkat. He's still crouched by the ferns, but he's frowning now.

"Yeah?"

"What if I were to die?"

A/N: So, should I continue?