Your name is Karkat Vantas. You are walking home from Sollux's house and he accompanying you along your walk. You don't want to go home but you have to. Your mother and step-father await. You hate your parents. Your mom basically thinks privacy is a fucking sin and your step-dad just won't leave you alone. He respects your privacy and shit, it's just hard to explain.

So here you are, walking in near complete silence along side Sollux. All that breaks your silence is when the birds chirp and the sound of your feet hitting the sidewalk.

"Tho, um... What ith up with you freaking out even though your parentth 'don't care' what time you're thuppothed to be home?" Sollux asks teasingly.

"Fuck you. Why should you care?" You say harshley. You don't like it when people get into your own, personal buisness.

"Jutht wondering..." He replies sounding a bit hurt.

"Sorry, it's just- privacy, you know?" You appoligize awkwardly.

"It'th okay. I underthtand. Tho, um... If it'th not a privacy issue, why did you move here?" Sollux asks trying not to sound as though he was trying to pry into your personal life.

You take a deep breathe. "My step-dad's work, my mom trying to get away from her ex and some other fucked up shit." You answer.

"Oh. Tho what, you dad couldn't follow the rethtraining order?" Now it sounds like he is prying.

"If you must know, my dad could follow the restraining order. My mom just thought he was a ticking time bomb." You say sharpley. "If it was up to me I would live with him instead." You add in a mutter.

"Oh. Thorry if it thounded like i wath prying."

"What about your birth parents? Or do you know?" You ask giving Sollux a taste of his own medicine.

"Oh, um... Well... Okay... Well my dad I have no clue and my mom wath an apparent junkie." He manages to say trying not to act like it was a personal question.

"Oh." You say trying to think of a way to apoligize for asking but you decide to let it go.

"It'th funny." Sollux continues. "They were orginally planning to adopt a little girl. They were looking at three- and four-year-oldth. Then they dethided that they would rather have a little boy becauthe there wath a boyth fothter home clothe by. They went by there one day and thaw me thitting in front of a computer hacking into my fothter parentth computer. I wath like eight at the time. Tho yeah. They thought I wath amazingly thmart and shit like that and adopted me."

He said it like it was no big deal. To him it probably wasn't, but to you... You don't know one kid who is adopted besides him- at least you think you don't.

"Oh." You say becacause that is all you can think of to say. You walk for a few more moments of silence until reaching your house. You turn to walk up the walkway and Sollux follows. "Woah. All you had to do is walk me home. You don't need to come to my door." You say trying to make his gesture seem bad.

"What kind of hoste would I be if I did that?" He replies with a grin.

You let out a low growl. You hear Sollux suppress a giggle and your cheeks get a bit pink. "Fuck you." you growl bitterly.

As you approach the door you knock because you don't have a key hidden away somewhere.

"Who the hell is there?" You hear your step-dad yell from the inside.

"I-it's Karkat. I-i forgot my k-key." You stutter out. Why the fuck were you so afraid of him?

"Goddammit! You worthless peice of shit." You hear him yell back as he clabbers down the stairs. The door, a moment, later swings open.

"S-sorry I f-forgot my k-key." You mutter.

"Just get your ass inside." You obey instintly. "And who the fuck are you?" You hear your step-dad ask as you begin up the stairs. You immediately whirl around and see him talking to Sollux.

"I'm Thollukth." Sollux says through his insufferable lisp.

"God Karkat you couldn't have brought home a more annoying fuckass, could you?" Your dad says not taking his eyes off of Sollux, and Sollux not taking his eyes off your step-dad. "I mean really. His glasses, lisp, I don't think it could get any worse." As he says this tears fill your eyes and colour drains from your face. Why did it hurt so much to hear your step-dad say those things about a kid that you have only known for a day. "Before you enter my house you have to remove those things." He continues indicating to Sollux's glasses.

"He was just walking me home." You say quickly so that Sollux doesn't have to take off his glasses.

Within an instint the door slammed shut and your step-dad had turned around to look- no glare at you.

"Get out of my fucking sight. I was busy with your mother when you interrupted us." He says in a practicle whisper that make what little colour you had left drain from your face.

You pause for a second but quickly run upstairs to your room. You throw your backpack onto your bed and pull your desk chair up to your window. It was supposed to rain tonight and you love to listen to the rain. It helps you clear your head and it comforts you; just the rain. Thunder is terrible, just terrible. There is no other word for it.

So you glance out your window not caring what you see just as long as the sky promises rain. What you see almost makes you scream. You clasp your hand over you mouth to stop you from screaming.

There, outside your window, standing on a lower part of your roof, is Sollux.

...line break...

Oh my sweet lord jegus. That was a HARD chapter to write. If it's bad I'm sorry. It's just wow. This is my last single digit chapter. Oh well. ONTO CHAPTER 10!