Like I said before, when I look back on my life, everything is much more like a movie than anything in the real world would ever be. For example, when Nep said she was moving, I imagine that it was freezing as the 9th circle, sometimes with a drizzle for dramatic effect. It was the start of summer, though, so it most certainly wasn't cold. Maybe it was raining, I don't know. I doubt it, though, since I wasn't pissed off and covered in mud at any point. Fuck it. Anyway, I felt like shit, and I'm not particularly good at talking even when was in the best of moods, so all I could think to say was "What the fuck do you mean 'moving'?" like I couldn't figure that one out all by myself.

She didn't call me out for it, though. She was never that kind of girl. "So, you remember my dad, right?" She whimpered the words in such a way that made it sound like the phrase was broken glass cutting its way out of her throat.

"Yeah, I remember," I confirmed, for once managing to keep my words polite and my tone level. To be honest, the thought of that made me more depressed than angry for once. Her dad died last year, the victim of lung cancer caused by working with exposed asbestos during his time with the navy. I'd never actually met him, and only saw him once in passing. Nepeta wanted us to meet when the stars were aligned or some shit to make sure our meeting went off without a hitch, but cancer had other plans so the first time we met was on his way in the ground, surrounded by friends and family and one stranger who was doing his damn best to look like he gave a shit and not like he was some young punk who didn't belong there.

"Well, the custody papurrs are finally done," her voice still quivering but finding a middle ground between content and wildly sobbing, for which I will be eternally grateful. I hate when people cry. It makes me feel like I have to do something to make it better, but I'm a sack of shit and only ever make it worse. "Mewlin's going to be the one that gets me. Her and Purrloz."

She didn't need to say anymore. I knew that Meulin lived a three hour drive away, in the big city, not the middle of nowhere. I knew that there was only two other people that could even fight for custody. Her mom was a huge asshole and her other sibling was a drunk loser, so I didn't even really want her to be with them, even though they both lived in town. That wouldn't stop me from boiling over in a rage, though. I stomped around growling like a fucking moron, shouting at the top of my lungs. "Well, that's fucking horseshit! Why the fuck does SHE get you? Your brother isn't that bad! And somebody should fucking take five seconds to think about your life, but NOOO! Meulin and her big city job and her doucheclown husband matter so much more than you and your friends and…"

I stopped before I could say "me". In my head it was always about me, really, but sometimes I feel like it should be about other people. I'm a fucking saint, aren't I? Suddenly I felt the need to break something, so I fished around in my pocket for a pencil, stabbed myself on the motherfucker, and responded by breaking it in half with a shout of primal rage. Nepeta, who had been watched me stampede across the sidewalk for the better part of five minutes now, broke into a steady stream of titters, and I blushed and did my best to hold steady. I took a deep breath. "So, when are you going?"

"I dunno," she said as her shoulders rose up dramatically, playing up a shrug until it looked more like she was trying to escape her clothes than express unsureness. That made me smile, just a little bit, but she didn't seem to notice and continued on. "No one really tells me anything right now. They purrobably think I'm too childish to handle it."

"Well, no shit." I nearly said, my lips poised to commit relationship murder. I managed to choke it back at the last sentence. It may be obvious to me, you, and anyone else that a short, giggly, hyper girl committed to making herself appear to be a cat isn't exactly a bastion of maturity, but she never wanted to here that. People calling her a kid meant they didn't care enough to notice her for who she was, and I was doing my damndest to avoid landing myself on the list of huge pricks. At least in the eyes of this one girl, I didn't want to be a fuck up.

A sharp gasp brought me out of my reflection/pity party. "Karkitty, you have bruises all over your face!"

She couldn't have really just now bothered to take note of those. I felt myself getting snippy "Did you seriously just notice those now? What, did you think that Gamzee finally managed to convince me to try makeup and the look we decided on was 'domestic abuse victim?' Oh yeah, giant purple welts are so totally me, I don't know why we didn't think of it earlier." It all came out sharp. Way too sharp. Next time I saw my therapist I was going to have to bitch some more about how she still hadn't cured my chronic ailment, the ailment in question being strong urges to shove my own foot in my mouth.

To her credit, Nep didn't even care that I'd just snapped at her. Her deep blue eyes stared into my freakish red ones, occasionally darting around to survey to swollen skin. Suddenly I realized just how close her face was, and wondered if she didn't realize it herself. "Does it hurt?" She whispered, her voice sounding very small and very concerned and oh so sweet. So sweet that I didn't even want to waste time responding. I shook my head so slightly she might not have even noticed, then leaned in and kissed her.

The first thing did was squeal, then her face heated up so much that even with my eyes closed I knew she was blushing furiously. After that, she melted and kissed me back. Nepeta wasn't the best kisser, but I've only kissed one other person before her so I doubt I was much better. And the moment was so perfect, I couldn't NOT kiss her.

After forever she pushed me away firmly. "Hey, no fur-air. You didn't answer me."

"I'm fine," I groaned. "Your home girl Aradia decided to finally introduce herself. I got to hand it to her, she really put her best fist forward. Several times."

"She what?!" Nepeta gasped, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth like she was in anime.

"Hit me. In the face."
"Aradia just came up and started hitting your furace?"

"Well, not really. She asked befur she started," I clarified. She smiled, and I felt like ripping my tongue out and beheading the traitor. "Motherfuck, BEFORE. Prior to. God fucking damn it, stop punning at me, it's contagious."

"No."

"Fuck you."

She laughed like I'd told a joke or something, then gathered herself and continued. "So, she asked befur she hit you? And you just said 'Yeah, go ahead'?"

"Look, if you haven't noticed, I'm fucking family sized bag of shit. I figured I probably pissed her off without realizing it and probably deserved to get punched a few times." I shrugged.

Her hand cupped around her chin as she thought. It looked completely silly, her olive green trench coat combined with the gesture made her look like someone was cosplaying Sherlock Holmes if he was a weeaboo. "Hmm.."

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Thinking, Karkat! Have you nefur seen anyone do the chin thing before?"

I sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Firstly, the chin thing is stupid and no one does that in real life. Secondly, what are you thinking about?"

"Aradia. We were talking about some top secret purrsonal stuff earlier, and I didn't know how she was going to handle it."

Her eyes were stone cold, her face serious. When she was like that, "top secret" meant "if you ask me about it you can go fuck yourself". I knew better than to poke at that bee's nest, so I let it drop, as mind-blowingly irritating as that was. "So, what do you want to do today?" I asked sheepishly. I felt like I sounded creepy, but I needed to change the subject.

Nepeta's disposition took a leap towards the sunshiney. Stars danced in her eyes as she blabbered excitedly about this plan and that plan. Some were mundane, like going back to Kankri's apartment and chilling out, watching TV and playing videos. Others were stupid, like going fishing even though neither of us had a license or a rod. I let her talk for a while, because even though the chatter was endless and incredibly stupid, it was still much better than facing the fact that a time would come I wouldn't hear it every day.

I never heard her decided where we were going, but she took my hand and dragged me along. I went grumpily, but happily.

I didn't want these days to end.