Reunite and Rebuild

by parodySphoria

You soon find yourself holding a cup of too-hot coffee while sat impatiently on the train. You watch the buildings fly past you but you're not really paying attention, chewing absently on your lipring and ignoring the angry flash of your eyes in the window as you wonder what they all look like, now.

3. This Chapter Is Shorter Than Karkat

3

The first thing you are horribly aware of when you open your eyes to the blinding sunlight shining in through the curtains is your throbbing headache. It feels like someone shoved your ears full of packing peanuts and smacked you around with a sledgehammer.

The second thing you are horribly aware of is that you're naked. You look to the side, panicked, and see the other side of the bed empty, the shower running in the next room.

You sit upright, scanning the room for your clothes, peeling your body away from the sheets, breath coming in short bursts as you fight back a panic attack.

This is not how this should have happened.

You shake your head, burying your fingers in your hair and cursing to yourself, taking note of where your belongings are and how easy it would be to get them. You spot your bag by the wall, rushing over to it and pulling out your clean clothes, changing into them immediately and shoving your old ones in in their place. You know your hoodie will be out in the lounge but you don't know if you have time to find where Dave threw it.

"Fuck." You breathe. Closing your eyes. You didn't want this, not this way, not drunk and rushed and-

You stop. You try and clear your thoughts but all you can hear is the shower running. You move out into the lounge quietly, the door blissfully silent as you move to get your converses from by the couch, pulling them on and not bothering with the laces. You look around, not able to see where your hoodie is. Dave will find it. He'll bring it to the next meetup. It's fine. You'll be fine.

You move over to the bathroom door, leaning your ear against it and listening for a voice, anything. You hear nothing, just the unwavering sound of water rushing against tile.

You leave the apartment.

You run down the stairs for three levels before calling the elevator, not wanting the loud noise to alert Dave to the fact you've basically just run away from the visit you promised you'd make. He probably doesn't want to see you after that either. You barely remember what happened. Your lungs burn with the strain of breathing as you ride the elevator down to the ground level, pushing through the doors to the street.

All you know if you have to get home, and you have to get home now.