Awakening the following morning was beyond difficult. Karkat's entire body ached from his persistent fight, and his eye had swollen shut. With much effort, Karkat stood, wobbled towards the washroom, and looked at himself in the mirror.
Bruises in the shapes of fingerprints made their way around his collarbone, and Karkat quickly spoke, "Fuck." Good, he could still talk. Karkat had heard sometimes strangulation could silnce it's victims. He ran an absent finger across the bruises, flinching as he did, then sighed. Nothing to traumatic. And who was to thank? Sollux.
"Karkat?" someone knocked on his door. "May I come in?" It was Nepeta. He rushed to the door, not even bothering to put on his shirt.
"Hello, Nepeta." Karkat grinned, weakly. She looked up at him, her lime green eyes were dripping with disappointment. Karkat sighed, he always screwed things up.
"Are you okay?" she mewed, the disapointed glare betrayed with concern. Karkat nodded, "Yeah, I mean, no. Not really. Fuck." He gave her an apologetic looked, and in return, Nepeta hugged him.
"You know," she muttered into his bare shoulder, "I have to fire you. You broke the rules."
"I know." Karkat gritted his teeth, "I can't stay in the room anymore, can I?"
"I'm afraid not..." Nepeta sniffled, pulling away. Karkat noticed how old she looked, now. Though her face was youthful and childish, her eyes were tired and knowing. As cheesy as his thoughts were, he saw how much more mature she was compared to him. "I'll let you use the washing machine, again. It'll be our secret." Nepeta giggled, wiping away her watering eyes with her sleeve. Karkat thanked her, then she was gone.
He packed, then headed to the Diner. He owed Jade a goodbye, at least. She was waiting for him, Jane at her side. "Karkat!" they said in uniscent.
"The one and only," he smiled. The brunettes leaped at him, hugging him tightly.
"She told us, she told us." Jane was crying, "She darn told us you'd be leaving, today!"
"I'm sorry, it's my fault!" wailed Jade.
"Girls, calm down." Karkat chuckled, "It wasn't your fault, and I'm glad we've met. Honestly, you guys are great. Thank you for being so fucking nice to me, I really didn't deserve it."
Jane had let go, "I'll go get you something to eat." She vanished behind the kitchen door, leaving Jade still clinging to the poor teenage boy. "You saved me," she whispered, "It's my fault you got hurt. I'm so fucking stupid, I'm sorry."
"Hey," Karkat said, holding her chin so she'd look at him. "You're not fucking stupid, Harley. You're amazing. Now, take good care of yourself, and stay away from creeps like him, you hear me?"
"Yeah," she nodded, then pulled him back into a hug. "Why do you have to be gay, Karkat? I really like you."
Karkat scoffed, "What's to like?"
"Everthing." Jade mumbled, just as Jane came back from the kitchen. She had made snickerdoodles, a peanut-butter and jam sandwich, and some cookies to stuff into a plastic bag, to which she gave Karkat. "Take care, all right, dear?" she said, pulling her sister away from him. He nodded, reaching for the bag, then said a simple word. "Goodbye."
And that was the last he saw of them, walking back to the motel division without a backwards glance. They knew he was being strong, but Jade couldn't help a little weep.
"Karkat," Nepeta gave him one last hug. Equius was standing awkwardly at her side, looking guilty for having to kick him out. That's when Karkat remembered something, "Did Sollux check out?"
"Not yet. I'll tell him, though." mewed Nepeta, she understood. He kissed her on the cheek, ignoring Equius' clench of fists, and walked out the door.
...
Karkat hadn't made it five miles before Terezi tackled him to the grass. "Karkles, you really think we'd let you escape?" We? Beside her, in his pajamas, was a very pissed off looking Eridan. "Wwhy wwould you leavve Sol like that? He'll wwake up hearbroken! And thanks to you, Terezu ran into a wwall!"
"Er," Karkat said, nervously. "Did you guys...?"
"I saww you leavvin' and Rez followwed me." Eridan huffed, taking Karkat's arm. "Come wwith me."
And so he did.
Eridan shuffled Karkat into the R.V they'd pulled into the parking lot, Terezi following suit. "Stay here until wwe check out, kay, Rez?"
"Got it." she said to the far wall. The recreational vehicle was more like a trailer, comeplete with two beds, and a matress laying aloof on the floor. Karkat couldn't see why they'd checkked into a motel in the first place.
"Gamzee wanted to sleep on a comfortble bed, wheras Sollux wanted to try the food." Terezi answered his unspoken question.
"How did you-?" Karkat began, but was cut off. "Being blind," Terezi sighed, "I've had a lot of time to study the attitude that people project from their breathing, heartbeat, stuff like that. You made a confused exhale through your nose, probably oblivious to it."
"That's fucking cool!" Karkat exclaimed, sitting down next to her on the pull-out bed.
She turned over to him, expression amused. "Oh, yes. I can feel your curiousity." Then she cackled her weird giggle-laugh. "That sounded dirty."
"Aw, gross!" Karkat cried, covering his face. He then remembered she couldn't see his face, and begain to mentally critisise his hands.
Late into their conversation about Terezi's super-senses, the door of the car opened. Gamzee stepped in, carrying a cane and a large backpack. Terezi got up, reached for him, and he pulled her close. "Hey, motherfucker. How's Karkat?"
"He's wonderful," Terezi grinned, "Curious about my Blind girl powers."
"Motherfucing miracles!" Gamzee sang, planting a quick peck to her mouth.
Terezi frowned, "Oh, woe is me! Take advantage of my ability to not forsee your kisses, making each a shitload to take in!"
"So you two are together?" Karkat asked. Gamzee nodded, cradling the shorter girl in his arms. "Motherfucker and I met at the hospital. True love."
"You were mooning over Tavros, at the time." Terezi reminded him, and Gamzee smiled. It wasn't his goofy clown smile, or the smile he gave Terezi, it was a nostalgic smile. A sad one. But his 'Terezi smile' came back, and he planted a kiss on her lips, longer than the last.
Looking away, Karkat saw Feferi climb into the passenger seat at the north of the van. He approached her, wearily, and poked her shoulder. She spun around, and her poofy hair floated as if it were underwater.
"Hallo!" she chirped, actually pronouncing it 'Hall-o.' It was adorable, "I knew Eridan was going to surprise us!"
"Surprithe us with what?" Sollux asked, all but hauling himself through the side door. There was a silence when he saw Karkat, who could only smile and wave like an idiot.
"Well," Sollux broke into a grin, "Nice to thee you'll be joining us!"
"More carpoolers," Eridan muttered, sitting himself at the wheel. "Great."
"Hey, you're the one who dragged me off the street!" Karkat grumbled, sitting down on one of the matresses. The good thing about is that there are seats on the wall of the vehicle, and three seats in the front, leaving the trailer area free to roam. Terezi and Gamzee were sitting on one of the beds, holding hands and grinning.
"Tho, how'd you two meet?" Sollux asked, sitting himself next to Karkat. The raven haired teen shot a questioning glance in Sollux's direction, but the brunet only grinned wider.
"Well, my motherfucking best bro, Tavros, had Cancer all up in his legs." Gamzee started, that sad smile from earlier returning. "He was all motherfucking depessed that he had to pack up and move into the hospital, that's when I met Terezi!"
"My sister Vriska," Terezi picked up from where Gamzee had stopped, "Was in the hospital because she had some disease that's been in my family for years. Basically, our eyes are all fucked up! But I was lucky and only got blinded. Vriska, on the other hand, had a terminal problem, and the disease was seeping all the way through her left eye and into her brain."
Karkat gulped, not wanting to know how badly this story would end. Terezi continued, "Well, Gamzee's friend Tavros just so happened to wheel by my sister, and they fell madly in love."
"Tavros motherfucking wanted to propose to her," Gamzee interupted, "So they went out on a few motherfucking dates, then Tavros' legs gave out. I ended up wheeling he motherfucker everywhere."
"Meanwhile, Vriska was going blind." Terezi didn't miss a beat, "So I was helping her adjust to things, get her used to it, when she decided she wanted to go on another date and see Tavros one last time before she lost her sight completely. That's when I met Gamzee."
"I motherfucking hated Vriska, since she stole Tav-Bro." Gamzee frowned, "But her sister was different. Terezi was sarcastic, and funny, and I thought she was motherfucking hot. But I still loved Tav, so we were only friends for a while."
"And then," Terezi sighed, "Tavros proposed. They were going to die, so he figured 'Why the fuck not?' and they got married. A few weeks after the wedding, which only had Gamzee and I as guests, Tavros' cancer finally reached his heart. While, Vriska had pretty much lost any thought in her brain, and was nearly a vegetable. Tavros requested that they'd be hit with the sedative to put them down at the same time, and so..."
"They did." Gamzee said, gravely. "At the funeral, I motherfucking bawled into her chest, it was great-" Terezi slapped his shoulder, "And I asked her out, right motherfucking there."
"We've been together ever since." concluded Terezi.
A silence hung in the air for a few minutes before Feferi sobbed from the front seat, "Oh my glub! That's so sad!"
Karkat thought he heard Eridan sniffling, but decided against it. "That was a fucking downer."
"No kidding," Sollux mumbled. Terezi didn't seem to care, and aimed to give Gamzee another kiss, but missed and hit a pillow. Gamzee honked in laughter, ruffling her hair again.
"Anyone else got a sob story?" Karkat laughed, wiping his eyes as quickly as he could. Sollux noticed and patted his back. It felt tingly.
"Wwhat about you, Kar?" Eridan asked from the wheel, "Wwhy are you on the run, anyway?"
The younger teen wet quiet, debating if he should tell them or not. They were almost total strangers, but then again, so was John, Dave, Nepeta, Jade, and Sollux. Karkat bit his lip, he'd heard talking about your problems can help, but had always assumed that was bullshit.
"Well," Karkat breathed, "I'm a fucking queer, my mother is homophobe, my Dad is too absent to help, my brother does everything better than me and my Step-mom is too giddy for words. I told my mom, came out of the fucking closet, and she nearly murdered me with verbal abuse. So, I grabbed my life savings, hopped on a bus, then walked for a week without any food."
More silence. And then, Sollux spoke, "You'll fit in nicely around here, KK."
"Yes!" Feferi agreed, "Eridan, Sollux and I are runaways, too!"
"What for?" Terezi looked up from her cuddles with Gamzee.
"Fef and I wwant to get married," Eridan sighed, "Wwe're nineteen, old enough to make our owwn decisions, but Fef's mom hates me!"
"And if she can't accept it, we'll jusy elope!" Feferi pouted, in an adorable way. She was slightly on the chubby side, but was pretty damn cute. Karkat thought he'd barf a rainbow if she acted more precious. Sollux piped up, "I tagged along, becauthe my parents were thmotering me. I needed to be alone. Altho, I wathn't exactly thure I could thay clotheted any longer."
"Join the club," Karkat huffed. Sollux grinned and looped an arm around Karkat's shoulders, more tingly feelings. "Come on, KK. Let'th be clotheted together!"
"Are you asking me out?" Karkat scowled up at the taller boy, though he was blushing rapidly.
"Not yet," Sollux bared his teeth in a wicked grin. That only made Karkat blush further.
Well, fuck.