Gosh, thank you so much for reading! I´m so glad you guys decided to read, follow and favorite my story! This chapter took too long to write , I´m sorry. I had written quite a lot when I decided to rewrite the whole chapter ^^'' I hoped it turned out well and that you´ll enjoy it!~

Karkat slowly opened his eyes. He was sprawled out on his bed, head throbbing in pain. His vision was blurry and he noticed something sticky on his head, something that had poured down and stained his sheets crimson. It took a couple of seconds before he could make the connection; blood. His own blood, to be precise. He remembered being hit by something before passing out completely.

Sitting up was a painful process, his head was spinning and he almost fell back several times. He grabbed some kind of clothing and placed it over his still bleeding wound. There was a grunting sound from across the room.

There he was; passed out on a pile of clothes and books, still holding an empty bottle of Bourbon, it wasn´t a very pleasant view. Another snorting sound. As much as Karkat was filled with disgust, he couldn´t help but notice that he´d tried to get himself together. He had a somewhat clean shirt on, his hair had grown long again but it was clean too and there was a band aid on his chin from shaving. Karkat staggered over and took away his bottle before proceeding to the kitchen.

The kitchen was a bit tidier than the rest of the house. The most of the trash had been collected in big plastic bags and empty bottles were waiting to be recycled. Karkat put his bottle with next to them – they almost looked like bowling pins, waiting to be knocked over. He began searching the cupboards in hope of finding some painkillers. Along some suspicious looking pills he found the familiar package and quickly washed down a pair of them with some water. He leaned against the counter with his back and dragged his hand through his hair. His hand got caught in something sticky. With a sigh he made his way to the bathroom, carelessly kicking away whatever got in front of him. The further away he got from the kitchen, the dirtier the house was. Dusty curtains blocked out the most of the outside light, but he could still see how all kinds of junk was stacked in the corners.

The bathroom lamp flickered when it got switched on. Karkat somehow found a clean towel and was cleaning his face and wound off with it. The damp coldness felt good, his head was spinning and aching much less now. The wound was much smaller as he had estimated it to be at first. It was a small cut; starting just above his left eyebrow and ending at his hairline. Karkat sighed at the relief that he wouldn´t have to go to a hospital and get himself stitched up again, it would have given him a lot of unwanted attention.

Still holding the towel against his forehead he went back to the kitchen. He dragged out one of the worn, wooden chairs and sat down with a thump to clear his mind. His father had obviously made an attempt to make things better. This was one of the biggest efforts he´d made in what, a year? There had to be a really good reason for this.

There was a sound of a bottle hitting the floor somewhere in the house and someone with a groggy voice cursing. After a moment of silence the source of the voice was making its way towards the kitchen. Karkat leaned back on his chair and pinched his nose, waiting for him to arrive.

"I thought…I thought you were some thief" his voice sounded distant, like he was talking in his sleep. Karkat felt his irritation grow in tact with his headache. Of course he wasn´t sober, why would he?

"I think they got there before me, judging by how it looks. What the fuck have you´ve been doing in my room?" he scoffed. "You know, what? Don´t even bother answering that, I don't think I want to know!"

The older man had stopped walking and was lazily leaning against the wall in the doorway.

"Then what do you want to know? You haven´t been here for months, do you know how worried I have been!"

"You knew I had moved to a dorm so don´t fucking play! I came here to get some of my stuff with no intention to talk to you or even see your nasty face!"

"I know but you haven´t replied to neither my calls nor texts! I have been really worried and I am so glad that you´re back, Karkat." He gave his son a sorry smile and took a step forward with his arms out.

"I´m not going to fucking hug you. I´m so done with you and all your bullshitting around all the fucking time and I´m leaving for good. Don´t expect to ever see me again." Karkat´s words cut through the air like a knife. His father´s smile faded and he let down his arms again. Karkat waited for him to reply; some final words before he left this place forever.

"Please, just give me one more chance. I have...things have turned to the better later. I have been sober for two weeks and I will stay like this, I promise."

Karkat let out a snarly laugh.

"You? Sober? Yeah, right! Then why were you passed out after whacking me unconscious?"

His father got a hurt look on his face; "I´m so sorry about that, I had no idea that it was you! As I said, I thought you were an intruder. I´ve been working night-shifts the past week and I was pretty much walking in my sleep. You can´t blame me for that."

"Wait… you have been to work?" This was a huge surprise to Karkat. His father had lived on their savings and on the money his bother sent him every month so that they could keep the house. At least until now.

"It isn´t a high income job, I am going to another job interview today. So please, give me a new chance." He begged his son.

Karkat´s feelings were swirling around inside him. His anger towards his father slowly faded and he felt confused. Maybe there was a chance things would really get better now?

"Okay." He started, looking at his father with furrowed brows, "Last chance." His father´s face lit up in happiness and took a big leap forward, trying to hug his son. But Karkat quickly avoided the gesture; he was glad but far from that much.

"Thank you, thank you so much! I´m sorry I can´t stay any longer now-" he glanced at the kitchen clock "-I´m already late for the interview, wish me luck!" Karkat murmured something while his father hurried out. He could hear him start his car and drive off before fishing out his phone. Sollux had texted him, wondering how things were going. Karkat mindlessly scrolled through his contacts. He wanted to ask someone if this was really happening, if he should get his hopes up. He didn´t have much battery left, only enough for one shorter call. He stopped at one of the oldest numbers he´d been keeping in his contacts and pressed "call". Karkat waited and waited, maybe he was busy?

"Hello?" A deep, male voice answered. Karkat sighed in relief before starting to speak.

"Hey, uncle Peter. It´s me, Karkat."

"Oh hi! How are you, is everything alright?"

He sounded joyful as always. Someone was clattering in the kitchen in the background. Karkat didn´t really know what he wanted to say, he´d hoped the words would come to him as he started speaking, but his mind was blank.

"I..I´m at dad´s"

The clattering ceased and his uncle´s voice got filled with concern.

"Are you okay? I can´t come over but I can ask someone to go and pick you up."

"No, I´m just fine. Nothing has happened." A lie, there was no need to make him worried over small things.

"I talked to dad and he seems like he´s really trying. I was thinking that I should maybe give him another chance. He got himself a job and the house is starting to look better too." There was a pause and his uncle sighed.

"Karkat, I´m not going to lie to you. This is not the first time he has really tried and asked for second chances. We have been in this situation many times before and you have given him more second chances than I can count on my fingers and toes…" he sounded disappointed in his brother and took another pause before continuing.

"How is school going, do you enjoy your dorm?" Karkat was thinking about how his grades had started to rise.

"It´s going really good actually. I don´t need to ask Sol for help so often anymore. And the dorm is neat too. But I haven´t got a job yet, it´s hard as fuck to find anything here."

"Isn´t it better than living with your father?"

"I guess it is" Karkat wondered where this conversation was going. He wanted to talk about his father, not chitchat with his uncle.

"Now, imagine yourself in let´s say.. six months, still living on your own. Don´t worry about a job, I can hear with my colleagues if they have anything for you there. School would continue to go this good, probably even better. You´re a smart kid, Karkat, there is no doubt. You would surround yourself with much better people than your father. I know that he loves you but there is honestly no hope left for him. I too have given him so many chances before but I know that he´ll just fall back into his old self within a month. And you will be stuck with him again."

Karkat just listened silently at his uncle´s words, just humming in reply every now and then.

"You have great potential inside you and I have told you many times before. Just look how far you´ve got within these few months. I think you should really reconsider giving your father a new chance and move back. Don´t worry about him, I´ll continue sending money to him so he won´t be homeless. He is my brother after all." There was a sound of a thud and some clatter, followed by a child´s cry. "Oh dear… I have to go now Karkat. Take care and please think through your decisions, can you promise me that?" Karkat promised and they both hung up. He just stared at the phone´s display for a long while. It showed a "low battery" warning one last time before turning itself off completely.

He was right, after all. Things were going good for his father but a smaller downfall was all that he needed to go back to emptying bottles. But he wasn´t right about Karkat. There was no "great potential" inside of him; he was just a worthless loser. He ran his fingers over the black screen and went back to his old bedroom. While searching through the room for belongings he wanted to keep he ran through all the "what if"´s. What if he did move out for good this time? It´s not that he would never move out, but he could still live here for a couple of years if he wanted to. Would it really be as Peter said; that things could become even better? He picked up the frame from his bed and took out the photograph of his mother and himself as a kid. The last pieces of the shattered glass fell in to his lap and he wondered what she would have said to him. She was the most loving and caring person he´d ever met, always putting others first.

Carefully putting away the picture he made his decision. He wanted to believe that this would be what she wanted. A wave of confidence shot through him; he wouldn't let things get him down, no matter what he´d have to face. He would do anything to avoid becoming like his father.

His heart was racing as he lifted a shaking hand to knock on room 233. Scared for what John´s reaction would be, he finally knocked three times. It felt like an eternity before the door finally opened.

"Karkat!" John gasped. Karkat couldn't form an answer before John was clinging to his neck.

"Where have you been? I´m so, so sorry, I didn´t mean it, I was so confused and I-I..!" his sapphire eyes were dimmed by tears. "I´m so sorry, Karkat."

It felt so good having him close again, feeling the curve of his body against his own. Squeezing him tight, Karkat hid his face in the crook of John´s neck. They just stood there; holding each other closely. John´s sniffling made Karkat´s heart fill with regret.

"No, I´m sorry. I shouldn't have run off like that for several days. I should have just accepted your answer and go on. I cannot possibly blame you for telling me the truth." He felt his heart sink again. "I do understand that you just want to be friends with me, it´s okay."

But it really wasn´t and it took a huge effort to lie to him like this. He´d already hurt him so much, he couldn't stand seeing him this upset.

"Yeah about that.." John started. He wiped off his chin and took a step back so that he could see Karkat. "We need to talk."

"Nanna, can I ask you something?"

John was at his grandma´s home. It was Friday night and the whole house was filled with the delightful smell of freshly baked cookies. They were both sitting in front of the TV, watching some old black and white movie. He needed to come away for some time and his Nanna´s home was one of his favorite places on earth. Even though he´d left right after school it was already getting dark outside when he arrived. He wanted to talk about what had happened before they went to bed.

"Of course darling! What´s troubling your mind?" she gave him a wrinkled and heartwarming smile and he immediately felt more at ease.

"Okay, let´s see. Well, recently one I know told me that they like me more than a friend."

"I see, and how do you feel about this person?"

"That´s the problem, I don´t know Nanna." The old lady came closer, putting a hand on the troubled boy´s shoulder.

"What comes to your mind when you think of this person?"

John closed his eyes and imagined Karkat standing in front of him.

"I actually though they´d be a bully when I first met them. But the more time I spent with them, the more I got to know that they are actually quite a softie. Even though they mock me a lot they never really mean it. I always have a great time with this person, time flies and they have really made me feel comfortable in my new school and with my new friends. Oh and the movie nights we have together are awesome! We had to make up a schedule for our movies because we could never agree on one. They usually fall asleep halfway through, but it´s okay. At least I´m not watching it alone and he is kind of cute when he sleeps, like a curled up cat. He´s actually quite good-looking, to be honest.

But what I like the most with him is that he just accepts how I am. He does make fun of my stuff and my habits but never in a mean way, he´s just..okay with it. And he stands up for me, he almost punched a guy in the face for calling me names!" Eyes still closed, John smiled from ear to ear "He´s a really nice perso-"

John´s eyes opened and he inhaled deeply in panic. He´d gotten so engulfed in describing Karkat he´d completely forgotten to say "they" instead of "he". His Nanna was very accepting and liberal for her age, but he didn´t know how she felt about those things. John peeked over at her seat; she just smiled as loving as usual at him.

"I think he sounds like a lovely person and you seem head over heels for him, boy. Just look at you, you are practically glowing when you talk about him!"

John´s jaw dropped and he hurried over to give her a big, thankful hug. He felt so relieved that this was out and that she´d taken it so good. His sudden joy was soon replaced.

"But Nanna, when he confessed I said I didn´t like him like that…He got upset and I haven´t talked to him since that. I´m afraid I have burned all the bridges..."

"Now listen boy, if this is something that is meant to be this is merely a rough start of something beautiful!" her voice was determined but her grey eyes sparkled out of pure joy and excitement.

"Stop worrying about this now, I´m sure it will work out between the two of you!"

The words "we have to talk" always scared Karkat, but he tried to convince himself that it was a good thing this time. At least John wanted to talk, hopefully they could sort things out and everything would be normal again between them. There was a tiny kitchen with only the most necessary things in it and they were now seated on each side of a small, square table. John smiled nervously and scratched his arm before final breaking the silence.

"I´m glad you´re back, things didn´t end too well last time I saw you.."

"John, I´m really sorry for what I said. I should ha-"

"No, please listen. There was nothing wrong with how you reacted, well maybe except for running off and not make yourself known for several days. " John shook his head "However, what I want to say is that I was taken aback by your confession and I didn´t have time to think through things properly."

"Egbert"

"And I- eh?"

"You´re rambling. Come to the point." Karkat was just as nervous as him, but he wouldn't sit and listen to this all day. He wanted this to be short and as pain-free as possible, like pulling off an old band-aid. John was completely silent and his eyes were darting trough the room before settling on Karkat. He was so nervous he almost shook, what if he´d changed his mind during the days he´d been gone?

"Okay, uh. I needed to give this a little time and I..like you too."

A whale could have come crashing through the roof and that would still have surprised Karkat less than this. His eyes were of the size of the moon and he couldn't believe his ears.

"Wait, what. Really?" John nodded in reply and continued, stuttering in nervousness .

"I want start this off better with you. So I wanted to ask if you, erhm, wanted to go on a date with me. If you still um, like me." Even though he was cherry red up to the tips of his ears, he smiled widely at Karkat.

"How could I possibly not like you, you fucking dumbass?"

John laughed, relieved that Karkat was his old self and even made Karkat crack up a bit. He took John´s hand and looked at him curiously.

"So, where are we going?"

John grinned "That´s a surprise! I wanna make up for being so mean, I promise it will be great!"

"If there´s anyone who should make up for being a huge dick it´s me."

"You can make up by having a good time at our date." His giggles faded and his blue eyes met Karkat´s dark pair. For a moment they both just sat there, gazing at each other until John cut it off by shooting off his chair.

"Okay, then let´s go!"