I thought the call would have ended there, but it didn't. Slowly, he pulled me down into a state of choking back tears and furiously rubbing my eyes. I wasn't a crier, but dammit Karkat knew exactly how to pull them out of me. He had long since broken down. We were both mumbling incoherent words to each other, but we knew exactly what they meant. With every clap of thunder or stroke of lighting, he would yelp and cry out. And every time it wore me down more and more.

"Fuck Sollux. Why is it so loud?" His whispering had turned into a harsh hissing by now.

"I don't know Karkat. Just keep calm."

"I am-" Another boom. Another squeal. "I'm... Calm..." He stuttered out; obviously a lie. "Dammit." He whispered with a shivering breath. "Why aren't you here?"

I was silent. I wondered the same thing. Why wasn't I there?

Because he's mad at me.

I'd be there as fast as I could if I knew it wasn't just the storm that was making him like this. If it wasn't the storm I'd-

He whimpered as the wind beat against the window and lightning light up the room. "Sollux... I need you here..."

"But Karkat-"

"I don't care. Please, come over. John will get over it. No, fuck what John thinks. Just, I need you."

I need you.

How many times I had wished for him to say that. And now that he had, I was rendered speechless. I couldn't form any words or move. A small utter of breaths escaped, but that was it.

"Sollux...?"

I stood from my bed abruptly. Holding the phone between my shoulder and my ear, I had already begun pulling my shoes on.

"I'll be over soon."

Boom. A yelp.

"I'm coming Karkat, see you-"

"Don't leave."

I stood fully, both shoes on, and reclaiming the phone to my hand.

"What?"

"No, fuck, I mean. Yeah, come over please, but, shit, don't hang up..."

"Why? I'll be there in like ten minutes."

"Just don't you fucking idiot!" He shouted. Not something held back, he full out yelled into the phone. I pulled it away from my ear just in time, but soon brought it back with a sigh.

"Got it. I won't hang up. Happy?"

"Fucking ecstatic." He sniveled. "Now hurry up dammit."

And I followed his command. I practically dashed outside, jumping up into my truck. Key clicked on the engine, tires rolling quickly against the slick pavement. Windshield wipers furiously whipping back and forth. Phone squished against my crooked neck, I talked to him the whole way there. I just tried to keep him as calm as I could before I got there. Upon arrival, I practically jumped out of my car before it was even turned off. Rain drenched my jacket; lightning illuminated my path. I reached the door and banged with a curled fist. Eventually, John opened the door and looked at me skeptically for a moment. He then realized why I was there and moved out of the way.

"He's upstairs." He muttered quietly as I was already pushing past him.

I tossed my jacket to the doorway. I almost ran up the stairs, heading straight to the guest room. The door swung open with such force, it slammed against the wall.

"John, I don't-" His voice stopped after he slowly looked up.

The phone slid from his hand onto the bed. He stood, and I walked in a little more. My phone was put back in my pocket when he took a step towards me.

"Sollux I-" An extremely close and loud crack of thunder pounded against the world.

He shrieked in fear, rushing his step to push off the ground. The force plunged him into a leap as he lunged forward with extended arms. As lightning lit up the room, quickly darkening it again, he rammed straight into me. It knocked me back a step, but I stood strong. Arms wound intensely tight around me, pulling desperately at my shirt. His face was buried deep in my chest as sobbing breaths made it hot. I hesitated for a moment, arms hovering in the air. But then, I allowed my muscles to relax. My arms lowered to hold his back softly, pulling him closer. My head dropped and my eyes closed. With a few final gasps, his breathing tried to steady itself. He tipped his head back, and as I felt it, my eyes opened again. They met his; brown irisis glistening with tears and deeply bloodshot.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered sadly.

"You have nothing to apologize for." I replied, forcing out an uncomfortable sounding chuckle. "I'm the ass that went off with Dave."

He shook his head. "I freaked you out. You were just confused."

"I'm sorry. I'm so useless and indecisive as hell. You don't deserve someone like me. You deserve someone who doesn't fuck everything up when he gets a little scared. I'm incompetent; an idiot."

His gaze continued to soften as he wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "I know you didn't intend to hurt me."

I nodded. For a few moments, that's all I could. Nod like an idiot.

"I would never hurt you on purpose." I finally managed to say. "And that thing with him meant nothing. Not like things with you. Nothing like what I feel for you. Because I l-"

Thunder. Fucking thunder.

His head slammed back into my chest as he pulled my shirt forward to barely cover his ears.

"Karkat..." My voice came out so soft; I was thankful.

Slowly, his face peeled away and looking back up at me when he was sure the thunder had stopped. My hand moved from his back and lightly caressed his cheek. Inching closer, I could already see the light flush growing brighter under the one already there because of his crying. I stopped, close enough to where I could feel his breath.

"Can I?" I asked quietly.

He nodded cautiously against my hand. With great care, I closed my eyes and moved closer. Silence emptied the room. Even the rain seemed to stop when all I could hear where our heartbeats and the quiet murmur of breathing. Lips met gently, spending quite some time being pressed together, but no more. And I was perfectly content with that. Here he was; finally in my arms again. He was letting me in again. I was kissing him with that tender feeling only he could instill in me.

It was all okay again.

He broke away all too soon, but his eyes never strayed from mine. Fists grabbed back onto my shirt as the rain came back into sound.

"Stay with me?" He asked, but there was a hesitant statement hiding behind it.

He already knew my answer by the look in my eyes, but I answered with a quiet of course anyway. He grabbed my hand and shifted back over to the bed. I sat up on it, my back against the wall. He crawled up next to me, but soon shifted to where his legs were laying across mine and his arms were around my torso. He nuzzled into my chest, hair fluffed up against me. I smiled and let my arms fall around him. My head dipped to where my nose was buried in the brown mess. I took in a long exhale as the storm quieted. The pattering of rain softened as the thunder climbed through the sky further and further away. Lightning no longer sporadically lit up the room, so we were left huddled up in an enveloping darkness.

"Sollux..." He whispered, pulling my eyes open enough only to be blinded by soft tufts of hair going in every direction.

"Hmm?" Was my simple reply.

His hands tightened their hold slightly. "I'm glad you're here."

I couldn't help but smile. Even if it was small and a little guarded, I knew it was there, and I couldn't hide it for very long.

"I'll always be here." I whispered back.

God, since when did I become such a sap? Too many romcoms for me. Even so, I knew that's what he wanted. He wanted me to let everything known and show him that I could leave myself just as vulnerable as he could. He gave me a snug cuddle before going lax again. After that, it was quiet. He didn't speak, and neither did I. We just sat in blissful contentment. The rain was more calming than terrorizing now.

Gradually, his eyes slipped closed and he passed off into sleep. All the shrieking and crying, I could tell he was exhausted. I sat there quietly watching his face twitch every now and then, but then a thought came to mind. My head moved back, banging slightly against the wall behind me.

I had class in the morning.

My first thought was fuck class, but I couldn't miss another day. With another glance down to Karkat, I sighed. I really didn't want to leave him. We had finally gotten back to where we were, and I was feeling so happy. I didn't want it to end now. I didn't want to leave his arms. What if the storm picked up again and he woke up to find me gone? Would he get angry again? Would he think I didn't care?

My thoughts were interrupted when John entered the room. Upon seeing us, he quickly turned to leave again, but I waved a hand and whispered out a sharp call of his name. He returned with a head poked around the doorway, but I motioned him in completely.

"What is it?" He whispered, already taking note of the sleeping Karkat.

"Well, I have class early in the morning." I paused, glancing down again but back up. "I can't stay."

He gave a small nod of recognition. "You need to go then?"

I returned the nod with one of my own. "Just, if he wakes up tell him where I went, and if the storm picks up again, you can always call me."

"Alright." With that final word, he slipped back out the door, and once again left us alone.

I needed to leave whether I wanted to or not. If I didn't get home, I wouldn't have time in the morning to get ready. Thus, I carefully pried his arms away from my shirt. He shifted in his sleep to thankfully roll away. Moving his head down to the pillow, I stood before his out stretching legs kicked me. I gave a light stretch before pulling the blanket up to his neck. Leaning down, I placed a small kiss on his cheek, much to my pleasure, and forced myself away. Sure, I could have laid right back down next to him, but I made myself turn away. I pushed my feet along the carpet and out the door. Closing it quietly behind me, I walked down the stairs and into the living room. John was curled up on the couch, phone in hand, and giggling like a school girl.

Talking to Dave most likely.

I waved goodbye to him and he called after me.

"Bye Sollux!" A pause; listening. "Dave says bye too!"

I almost chuckled to myself as I gave another wave and made my way to the front door. I put my discarded jacket back on, walking out the door. After my hood was flipped up over my head, I stepped off the porch into the rain. It quickly soaked through the thin fabric, making me shiver. I hurried to my truck before climbing in and flicking on the lights. They blazed through the dark street just as everything else around me went pitch black. With another escaped sigh, I pulled away from the road. Driving through the rain, it only seemed to pick up again. Thankfully, no thunder or lightning came with it. Just rain. Heavy sheets of it. Splattering against my windshield, it made my wipers swish back and forth faster and faster. Visibility lessened by the second. I cursed under my breath with the thought of turning around and heading back now, but I didn't. I had to get home. I had to go to class. I had to drive through this rain.

Bad decision.

Soon enough, my lights did nothing. My windshield wipers couldn't keep up with the rain. I couldn't see where I was going. Blindly trying to remember my way home in the dark; rain pelting the window with harsh jabbering and foggy drops. As I was driving straight, a forgotten curve in the road came upon me. I almost drove straight off the road, but I swerved in time to make it. This however threw my tires into a veering mess of slick asphalt and rubber tires desperately grabbing for traction. They found none. They aimlessly skidded around, curling in on themselves. The inflexible frame of my truck skated with them. Sideways, they moved across the road. Another curve ahead. There was no way I turn on this one. And so, tires hit grass. They slid through it, mowing down anything in sight. Next, the sight of a tree. Tall and strong it stood in my path. Then, darkness. And silence. I clamped my eyes shut as hands let go of their pointless hold on the wheel. The slow motion view of the tree inching closer and closer sped in a matter of seconds. The only thing I heard next was a smattering crash. The crunch of metal and shatter of glass clawed at my ears. They tore at my skin. Then the pain. Blurry vision brought the recognition of searing pain throughout my body. My legs were cramped up and twisted in the now crunched floor board. Glass cut my arms, and I could feel the slow drip of something wet from my hairline, down my face. Blood? No, it couldn't be blood. This couldn't be happening. It was only until I glanced down that the real pain hit me. My arm was at my side, distorted, bent in the wrong direction and crushed between the door and my side. I made an attempt to move it, but a harsh cry of pain leaked through my gritted teeth. The sleeve of my jacket was stained a deep crimson. Definitely blood. I didn't want to know what it looked like underneath the cloth. Nothing felt in the right place. My other arm struggled to move. Glass stuck out and left more blood streaming down my arm. Out of my pocket, I pulled out my phone. A furiously trembling thumb struggled to hit the keys.

Help

That was all I could manage before I hit send and my arm collapsed; phone clammering into the floorboard. Completely limp, my head fell back against the head rest. Sight wavered between clear and blurred. Suddenly, cracking came into my ears; deathly cracking. My eyes flicked around to look for the source, but I couldn't find one. That was up till the final crack snapped at the air. At that point, more sounds and more pain wrenched the night. A strong limb fell. Directly on top of the truck, it punched down like a giant fist. The impact sent me jarred forward, head smacking against the steering wheel and back pinned down.

I heard nothing; saw nothing; felt nothing.

It all faded.

Everything decayed into black.