A/N: There's a slight possibility another chapter will be posted tonight. That only depends on how I feel after I finish the latest Colorblind chapter. Thank you for reading this far. :3 Reviews are greatly appreciated, I always like to hear what people think of my stories whether it be positive or negative. (Though please, let's not get to hating on ships.) Anyways, enjoy this chapter.

When at first I learned to speak, I used all my words to fight

A week had passed by now and Karkat could barely take it. When he called her, he was no longer instantly shot down and sent to her messaging system, telling him to "Leave a message at the beep!" in her cheery tone, a soft flutter of laughter just barely hanging onto the last breath she drew before a loud beep would echo through his ear, and he would fall silent.

No, now he was taunted by the waiting ring, ring, ringing telling him that she's there, she's got her phone turned on, but she's ignoring you. She doesn't want to talk Karkat, she told you not to try and find her. But Karkat kept holding onto that small bit of hope that he had, that she would pick up the phone, that she would tell him she missed him, ask if she could come home... With every soft, rattling ring of the dial tone, that small fragment of hope shrank just slightly.

"Terezi.. Please.." He whimpered softly, copper eyes staring at the phone, tender thumb hovering over the ever-so familiar contact. "Please, I just want to hear your voice again.." He had missed it so much. The soft fluctuation it would give off when she got excited, the way her voice got soft when they would lay in bed together, when the lights were off and the clothes were shed and it was just the graceful flow of their bodies, the sweet nothings whispered back and forth. When they were both off of work, laying out on the sofa eating dinner, she would complain about Karkat's taste in movies and the two would laugh and make jokes about the films.

His thumb was lowered, pressed to Terezi's contact briefly, before it withdrew and Karkat raised the phone up to his ear. Butterflies jostled his stomach, nausea filling him with doubt as he waited, aching each time he got a dial tone instead of her voice.

"Hello?"

His heart stopped. Hands clammy, he opened his jaw slightly, though it was more out of shock, it going slack than him actually making an attempt to say something. He scolded himself mentally, telling himself to "Speak, speak you dumbass!" but still, all that echoed through the phone line was a chocked sobbing sound.

"...Hello?"

"T-terezi?" Karkat asked in a rough, unbelieving tone. She had picked up. She had actually picked up. "Terezi, thank god.."

"Karkat?!" Terezi sounded almost mad, her voice raising an octave, growing slightly harsher in tone and louder in volume as her voice echoed through Karkat's ears. He didn't care that she was mad, that she was yelling at him about calling her after what she had told him. Karkat only cared about the fact that he had heard it again, and closed his eyes to let the sound just soak in. "...Karkat are you even fucking listening to me."

"I just.. Why'd you leave.." Karkat muttered softly, forcing himself to speak once more. He couldn't have her hanging up, he had waited so long for this. To know why, exactly, she had left. Who was doing a better job than him, what Karkat had done wrong in the first place that made her leave.

"I told you Karkat, there's someone else."

"Who... What did I do wrong.." He questioned her. He could hear her sigh in an irritated tone.

"You didn't do anything, Karkat. I just.. I moved on, okay?"

"Why though.. Why'd you have to move on?" His chest was heaving, eyes watering. He could feel it bubbling up inside of his chest, that same anger that tended to stalk him, hunt him like a small mouse. Pounce at the worst times. "Why'd you have to fucking leave me, I thought you were happy."

"Well I wasn't Karkat." Terezi snapped back. He winced, eyes squeezed shut.

"Who the fuck did you leave with."

With him and her, and you and me

"Yo, TZ. Who is that." Karkat seethed at the voice in the background, deep and smooth and calm as ever.

"Him." Was all Terezi had said in response.

"Him? Him?! That's fucking it, I'm just "Him" now?!" He was starting to yell, hand gripping his phone tight in his hand, legs starting to shake. He needed to sit down, he needed to calm down. He needed to do something, anything to keep himself from blowing this phone call, messing everything up.

"Oh my god, Karkat.."

"I want to talk to him." Karkat snapped.

"Who?"

"Who the fuck do you think?! The douche lord in the background, that's your new boyfriend isn't it?" He sneered boyfriend to her, a growl in his tone. He was yelling at himself now as well, hating himself. Calm down, right now Karkat. You're going to blow it, calm down.

"Hello?" The voice was louder now, clearer. Not even the slightest tone of annoyance was in his voice, as if he had perfected the act of holding back his anger since he could feel the emotion.

"Why'd you take her."

"Hey man, I didn't take anything. TZ made her own choices."

"Did you know she wasn't single?!"

"Dude, just let it go."

"How about I tell you to let go of something that you loved more than anything!"

"You know what, fuck you." Dave snapped. A nerve was hit, Karkat feeling triumphant in his ability to make this kid's mask slip. "Don't you fucking tell me to let shit go."

"Then don't fucking tell me that. Do you even fucking know what love is?"

But it's just a waste of time.. Yeah it's such a waste of time.

The sound of the dead phone line sent a hollow feeling through Karkat. Slowly, so very slowly, he slumped down onto the sofa. He was silent for a long time, not thinking of anything, barely daring to take shallow breaths.

"Wow.." He muttered after a few moments of letting the air still, letting everything set in. "Way to go Karkat.." He had let it happen. He had always had some anger problems, he had never been able to control his temper until he went too far, realization being the only thing to bring him down. His hands were shaking again, uncontrollable shudders that would wrack his whole body occasionally. "She's fucking gone now, isn't she.."

He didn't try and convince himself that she was away that night. He didn't try and tell himself anything other than "You fucked up, you pay the price." He let himself wallow, though he didn't go for any beer. He didn't go for anything, no food, no television, nothing more than the deafening silence of the apartment and his place on the sofa.

He didn't sleep. He barely moved from the couch, only allowing himself to shift slightly when he found his body growing too stiff for his or his joint's liking. The only other movements made was the soft shaking of his shoulders, the trembling of his lower lip, the rapid blinking, an attempt to get the tears out of his eyes. After a half hour of failed attempts, he finally caved, a muffled sob breaking the silence of the half empty apartment.