A/N: You guys know I spoil you, right?
It was two weeks until anyone heard from Karkat. Two agonizing weeks where everyone continually worried and feared for his safety. No one knew if he was even alive. They couldn't check up on him; his dad packed up all their stuff and moved without anyone knowing, and he didn't let Karkat breathe a word of it to anyone.
In those two weeks, a few things happen. Everyone became a little more dependent on Sollux for news about Karkat. When he didn't have any, they were all clearly disappointed.
Gamzee got out of jail. His father wired him enough money from whatever remote location he was hiding out at to not only bail Gamzee out, but to also pay for an fines he may have accumulated, which there was quite a few of.
After the initial incident with Karkat's dad, Sollux decided he should get a gun. He spread the word a bit, a few strings were pulled, and he ended up going to buy his gun and get his license to own one with the two people with the most gun experience that anyone in their group of friends knows about. Coincidentally, one of them was the nurse from the hospital. She and her brother, who was just a little older than she was, took him to the best local store and helped him pick out one that would suit his needs perfectly.
Other than that, Sollux spent most of his time waiting around some sort of communication. He checked all of the social networking sites that he knew Karkat had an account on to see if there was any kind of update or sign that he'd been on; there never was. No calls. No texts. No messages on skype or any email. Sollux spent his nights pacing, to the point where he swore he should have made ruts in the floor. He'd fret. He'd try to contact his friend in anyway possible, hoping for a reply. He got to a point where he almost tried to set up a bunch of lights outside and use Morse code.
When Karkat called, it was late evening. The last sliver of sunlight was just peeking up over the treetops. Dark clouds loomed overhead; there was no doubt this was set to be a rainy night. Sollux sat at his kitchen table, his various devices sprawled out in front of him. He had a spoonful of peanut butter in his mouth. That was the only thing he had eaten all day, he was stressed and it made him have little to no appetite.
Sollux's phone rang, and he nearly lunged out of his chair to see who was calling him. When he saw the familiar number, he couldn't answer it fast enough.
"Karkat?"
"Hi."
"Are you okay?"
"At this exact moment, kind of. I don't know how much longer it'll be that way, though." There was a moment of silence after that, and Sollux could here a constant thump from the other end. Each thump was followed by a string of obscenities, all directed at Karkat.
"Where are you?"
"Down the street from Denny's. Remember, the one we all used to go to every Saturday when we had just gotten our licenses? You'll recognize the truck and the yard littered with empty beer bottles and cigarette packs."
"I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" Sollux got up and rushed out to his car, then had a second thought and went in and got his gun.
"You don't have to do that."
"Karkat, I told you I'm going to help you no matter what, alright?"
"I'm not promising you'll like what you see when you get here."
"Maybe someone can make it better or get there before I do. Have you talked to anyone else?"
"I just got off the phone with Gamzee."
"Good, he's closer."
"... Sollux?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't hang up, okay?"
"I wasn't planning on it." Sollux cringed as the banging got louder and there was a sharp crack of wood splitting.
"I can't stay like this anymore." Karkat's voice wavered and cracked a little. Sollux could practically see the tears filling the other boy's eyes.
"Yes you can, kk. You're brave, you can handle this. I'll be there in less than five minutes."
"It'll be too late. Either he'll have gotten in or I will have ended it on my own."
"What?"
"I'm going to kill myself, Sollux. I'm tired of hurting all the time. How I have to look to everyone for help because I can't defend myself. I'm pathetic, but like hell I'll let him have the pleasure of taking my life."
"Karkat!"
"What? It's true!"
"Remember back when we were in junior high? We were like thirteen, and someone found out and spread news around that I didn't just like girls. Remember that?"
"... Yeah, I remember. Why?"
"Then all that bullying started, and it seemed to get worse by the day. I used to get jumped in the locker room and notes telling me how I'm going to burn, that being gay is a sin. Do you remember this?"
"Yeah."
"And it carried out into high school, and I was so sick of it I was going to kill myself. You were the last one I talked to that day. I cleaned out my locker and had everything in order. It wouldn't have been hard, you know that."
"And?"
"You talked me out of it. Then you gave them hell for it."
"What's the point of all this?"
"The point is that you're the reason I stuck around in this shitty place. I know it seems dumb, but that's how it is. You're my best friend, and I don't want to spend the rest of my life missing you. I want you to be brave and try to hold out just a little longer."
"I can try. But what if he gets in?"
"If he hurts you one more time he won't get out of that alive, I guarantee it."
"Okay..."
"Just stay on the line with me. I'm almost there."
"I wi-"
Karkat didn't finish his sentence. There was a crack and a series of loud crashing sounds, then the phone went dead. Sollux stared at his phone for a moment before hanging up, changing lanes, and going faster than he ever would have dared to.
A/N: ... but, I probably also break your hearts. 3
