Karkat pulled into his parking lot just as his clock was switching the display to three in the morning. He was exhausted and utterly drained, both physically and emotionally. He rested his head on the top of the steering wheel and stared blankly at its center. Don't cry. Pull yourself together. Don't cry. Shit. You really could have used a drink tonight yourself.

He choked everything back and sat up, slowly taking in a deep breath and exhaling quickly in a large gust. He opened the door and started walking to his building. It was still dark, although the sky was just beginning to get that disgusting reddish glow of daybreak. He shivered and thought about how he was going to have to spend another night in his bed alone again.

Something flew down over his head and covered up Karkat's mouth. He gasped and the feeling of skin on his lips made him register the foreign object as a person's hand. His attacker's other arm wove around him, clutching his arms to his side in a bear-hug hold. He tried to scream out but his voice was muffled behind the palm. He struggled to escape but the person was too strong. He felt himself get lifted up off of the ground. He was carried, flailing into the small alleyway in between his apartment complex and the neighborly one. The stranger pulled them both in until he had himself backed up against one of the walls, Karkat folded in his arms.

The person dropped their face close to Karkat's and softly whispered into his ear, "Guess who?"

Karkat's eyes widened at the teasing sound of the voice he knew so well. He stopped fighting and went limp against Dave's chest. He stared up and Dave was peering down at him, smiling like the asshole he truly was. "You… SON OF A-," Dave moved fast, putting his hand back over Karkat's mouth and putting a finger to his lips in a silent plea for quiet. Karkat glared at him but listened.

Dave pointed out of the alley and into the parking lot. There were two men, who Karkat presumed had just left the apartment complex, getting into a black van. He spotted a white hat on one of the men's' heads, a maroonish stripe dividing it in half. The trademark was a dead giveaway. It was one of the members from The Felt.

They drove off and Dave removed his hand from Karkat's mouth again, his arms snaking around his waist as he rested his head on one of Karkat's shoulders. He heaved a tired sigh into Karkat's suit. "I've missed this."

The close proximity after not being able to see him. The sound of his voice reverberating throughout his body after not being able to hear him. Karkat leaned back into the touch and his fingers gripped into the fabric of Dave's sleeves as he continued to pull him deeper into the hug. "Where have you been, asshole?" Karkat had tried to sound angry but he was shaking and his voice broke near the end of his question.

"I've been… hiding?"

Karkat snorted. "Yeah, I got that." He pulled away and leaned himself back on the opposite wall, turning to face Dave. He crossed his arms. Dave looked kind of annoyed at the sudden distance he put between them. Good. Fucking karma, bitch. "We need to talk."

"Uh-oh. I don't like conversations that start out with that. Can't we just skip to the part where you admit you missed me and were worried and maybe just sort of make –out a little?"

Karkat's jaw clenched and he felt tears building up in the corners of his eyes. He remained silent, too afraid to speak again or risk having himself completely fall apart.

Dave faltered as he watched Karkat's expression change. A crying Karkat was not a Karkat he wanted to see ever if he could help it. "Or talking's great! We can totally shoot the shit about what I've been up to and what you've been up to. Okay, well I know what you've been up to since I've been trailing you every so often. Gotta keep tabs on you and make sure you're safe and all that without being in the open but I-"

The tears were rolling down Karkat's face without him ever having made a sound. Dave just being there and being Dave was causing this. He finally allowed himself to open his mouth but the only noises that came out were a few choked sobs.

Dave took a step forward and pulled him into his arms, smooshing Karkat into his body. Karkat clutched at his back and cried into him. They stayed like that for a few moments until Karkat could finally form proper, coherent sentences again, "You're a fucking prick."

"The prickliest prick to ever prick," Dave agreed with him.

"You're fucking awful."

"The absolute worst."

"I hate you."

Karkat felt Dave go rigid for a moment. "I know."

When the tears had all but dried up, Karkat picked up his head and stared at Dave. Dave took his face in his hands, brushing a thumb under his eye.

"They're gonna be so fucking swollen tomorrow. Already getting red. This should be a crime. Making you cry. I should be in fucking jail." He leaned down and kissed just under the outer corner of Karkat's eye. "I'm sorry."

Karkat's breath hitched as he felt Dave's lips grace over his skin. He dipped down and gave another one to his forehead. One to his nose. Another to his lips. They were unusually chapped. Dave always took such good care of his appearance. What level of bullshit was he wading through that prevented him from even taking care of himself?

Karkat wove his hands into Dave's hair and pulled him further down into the kiss. Dave took the hint and pushed him back against the wall, hands trailing down his sides and resting on his hips. Karkat shivered with every gentle brush of his fingers. Dave's hands moved under his shirt and up to trace his ribs with his thumbs. Karkat made a needy noise into Dave's mouth. It had really been a long time since they had done anything. Skipping a day was bad enough, but going from getting funky once, maybe twice, a day to chastity tight had been a strain on their will power for sure. Karkat was almost too sensitive to any of the little intimate acts that were being shared between them. In regards to the way Dave was panting into his mouth, he must have been in the same boat.

Dave pushed his knee in between Karkat's legs and Karkat gasped. It barely brushed him down south before he whimpered and felt his whole body shudder in pleasure. His legs gave out and he almost slunk to the floor. Dave held him in place, pinning him between his body and the wall. He freed Karkat's mouth for a moment so they could both catch their breaths. Karkat couldn't remember the last time he had forgotten how to breathe while kissing. It had seemed so natural only weeks ago and now everything felt strangely new and frightening.

Dave chuckled into Karkat's neck, giving him a small peck right where it met his shoulder. "Did you just come without me touching you?"

Instead of replying with a snarky remark, Karkat gave a desperate sounding moan into Dave's ear.

Dave pulled back and stared down at him, his shades askew and wearing the most priceless expression. His surprise soon shifted to something resembling endearment as he took in the state Karkat was in. "You look a mess. God, I kind of wanna make sweet love to you right here and now, voyeurism be damned."

Dave was always the one who suggested risky kinky business like alleyway sex. Karkat would never do something so 'out there'. Karkat would vehemently reject such a notion. Karkat hooked his fingers into the belt loops of Dave's jeans and brought their bodies back together. "Then why don't you do it?"

Dave's eyebrows shot up. Well, gee. You never know how much you could love someone until you're agreeing to have sex with them in an alleyway after not having seen them in a few weeks. Dave grinned, pleased with the acceptance of his offer. He leaned his head down until their foreheads were pressed together. Karkat wanted him to lean further down and kiss him again but he was also afraid to move and break the stillness of the moment. Like if he spoke, Dave would just disappear again into thin air. So they stood together, enjoying each other's existence. "You're too good for me." Dave eventually sighed out. "We are not actually going to have sex in an alley. You called my bluff. Someone could fall and land ass first on some broken glass or some shit and I didn't bring any lube on me."

Karkat huffed, disappointed. He wasn't exactly trying to call Dave's bluff.

"Didn't you have questions for me?" Dave changed the mood, taking out his phone and checking the time. "I can't hang around for much longer. I gotta keep moving."

Questions swirled around in Karkat's head. What should he ask first? What was most important? He decided it would probably be best to go in chronological order, "What happened after I left?"

Dave shrugged. "It kind of happened really fast. I heard someone fucking with the door. Someone was prying it open with a crowbar. I figured that it was probably not you and more than likely The Felt. But before they could even get past the deadbolt, I had already picked up my katana and went out the bedroom window and down the fire escape."

"Where have you been?"

"Mostly everywhere. I was at a friend's place first, until Felt members started snooping around there too. Now I haven't showered in a while and I've been mostly trailing you around and making sure you aren't in danger." He flicked Karkat's nose. "That's for breaking into the Felt mansion, by the way. Almost gave me a heart attack."

Karkat wrinkled his nose. "So that's why you smell kind of ripe. This 'friend wouldn't happen to be named 'Jade' would she?"

"Yeah, I heard all about you meeting her. She thinks you're utterly adorable and kind of a grump but that also makes you cute in a way and she went on and on about you. I was like, 'This isn't news to me, Harley. I mean I did fall in love with him first,' so I basically acted like a complete fanboy snob who discovered a cool thing before it became mainstream and popular-"

Karkat couldn't stop a small smile edging its way out from hearing the way Dave could talk at length again. "Alright! Alright! Stop rambling! Next question. Why did you decide to come out of hiding now?"

"It was kind of hard to be around you lately since you've been up the asses of the people who are up mine. But I deemed this opportunity dangerous enough to intervene."

Karkat raised an eyebrow. "Danger? What danger?"

"Don't go upstairs. Dammit, Vantas, head my warning and do not go into that apartment complex. I came out of the ocean to tell you to stop."

"God, you are such meme-loving fuck. What's wrong with the apartment?"

"It's sort of never a good sign when mobsters are inspecting your living quarters. Actually," Dave took out his phone and started sending a text, "you should go live with Jade for a little while. It's safer there."

"Yeah, I don't think so. I'm not too comfortable with all that condensed peppy energy bubbling out of her in waves."

Dave gave the clock on his phone a few more nervous glances. "Dude, just trust me and don't go up there, okay? Go straight to Jade's. She'll give you a safe place to stay until things settle down again and her cousin will even bake you all the sweets you could ever ask for. They are like hospitality level Martha Stewart over there."

Dave suddenly seemed so far away. "When will things settle down?"

Dave gave a reassuring smile. "Soon. I've got plans in the works. Only way to get the guys that are after you is to get them first." He planted one more kiss on his lips, clumsy and way too chaste. "I have to go now. There are hells of irons in the fire right now and I need to be keeping track of every single one of them."

"Surely, you could spend a few more minutes with your very important boyfriend instead of these metaphorical irons?"

Dave groaned, obviously struggling to not derail from his very tight schedule. "You are the biggest and most important iron of all." His face fell. "And that's why I have to go."

He turned around and started walking. Karkat felt a pain prickle in his chest. "When am I gonna see you again?"

Dave turned his head over his shoulder. "Just look around every once in a while and, more than likely, I'll probably be there!"