"You think he's doin' ok?" Meenah asks as we walk together. "I honestly don't know. He's probably getting into trouble of some sort right now." I answer, hands in my pockets and head down.

"Should we go look for him then?"

"No. Whatever it is that he's doing, he needs to get it out of his system. He might have an easier time if he does something reckless. Just to let things go at least once."

I hear her sigh before speaking again. "Why are you so damn mature. Is this how you really are?"

"I don't know. I wasn't exactly acting the entire time.. Or at least I wasn't changing my personality. As for the first part of that, I don't have a choice. We didn't exactly have a parent to be mature for most of our lives, and Karkat had a hard enough time as it was."

"That's really unfair Kankri." …..She didn't call me shorty this time. I look at her, I was unaware she was looking at me as well. "You had to put up with us enough why the fuck should you have to be the adult at home? Jesus, Kankri don't you do anything for yourself? Maybe you're the one who needs to let go for a change."

"...I don't think so. I'm to used to it by now anyway. It might be more helpful for everyone else if I went back to my normal-" Her hand hits my shoulder to stop me from walking farther. "No. Cut it out with the fucking act! I like this Kankri way better than the fake one, don't bring that snob back."

…...

"How is anyone going to know what's going on or how to help or even fucking be around you if you keep lying? We're your friends! I don't want you to be a dick again I want you to be you. I mean we all do. Most of them haven't gotten to even talk to you recently but they've been goin' nuts asking me and Meu what's been happening. You will cause a shit storm if you do that "I'm ok" bullshit act again. No one wants that. Ok?"

"Meenah-" I guess she caught the rejecting tone in my voice. "Don't be so damn stupid!" We both stay quiet for a moment. She gently pulls my hand out of my pocket and holds it.

== Be Karkat

I can't tell what hurts more, my hands, my head, or my legs. Jesus fucking christ I went over board.

I mean I feel a shit ton better mentally. I can barely move my hands though.. Kankri isn't even home, where the fuck would be go anyway?

Ok ok how do I deal with this... Even if I could move my hands, I don't have the slightest fucking clue how to take care of injuries. That's why I called Nepeta when Kankri was hurt! Wait...

I let out a sigh and grab my phone carefully-shit now there's blood on it, that's going to be so much fun to clean up.

After I manage to actually dial, it only takes a few rings for Nepeta to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nepeta.. I know you're probably pissed at me and asking for a favor after not talking to you is a dick move-"

"Did something happen?!"

"Yeah.. It's kind of hard to explain but Kankri isn't home and I don't have the slightest clue how to deal with this."

"Deal with what? What is it? You can explain when I'm there but what's the problem?"

"My hands are bleeding pretty bad and I think Theres a piece of glass under my skin."

"What?! Eehhhhhh I'm on my way!" And with that, she hangs up. It doesn't take her all that long to get here and she sure doesn't wait for me to come to the door. Good thing I left it unlocked then.

She walks right to the bathroom for the first aid kit before sitting next to me on the couch, tuking her legs underneath her so she can face me. "Ok, let me see."

Honestly with how fast she was walking, I thought she would be mad. But her tone of voice is gentle.

I show her my hands and the concern on her face is made obvious.

"Karkat what did you do?"

"I bashed a car... For a while."

"What do you mean?" She asks as she begins to clean the blood off my hands with a wet towel.

"I finally got out of the house and threw a rock.. It hit a car and I walked over and kept hitting it."

She just rolls her eyes and giggles. "What's so funny?" No really, I don't get it.

"You feel better now, don't you?"

"Well yeah. But this hurts like a mother fucker." I sort of grumble.

"Yeah well this is going to hurt a lot more." Is she holing tweezers? Oh hell no!

"You are not going to do what I think you are-SHIT!"

She looks so fucking smug with that glass. "This is revenge for ignoring you isn't it?" She just shakes her head in response and continues cleaning my hands up and bandaging them. I kind of want to ask why she's actually helping me. I've been shit and even more so since she's always been here for me. I can't say she's the only one that cares, I'm lucky as hell that I have a group of friends around me. Some of them, I doubt would be here. But a lot of people have no one.. And I was ignoring all of them. Wow aren't I a piece of work. If I saw someone acting the way I did then I'd punch them and start yelling some sense at them. I mean, people have no one so I'm going to shove away people I have? Fuck no that's shit.

"Better?" She snaps me out of my thoughts. I look at my hands and nod. Doesn't hurt as bad now.

"Good."

"Hey Nepeta?"

"Yeah?"

"I just realized something. You haven't actually looked at me this entire time. Is something wrong? Besides the obvious."

She shrugs at first. "Well what's the obvious?"

"I treated you all pretty shitty and then called you up for help."

"Heheheh. Yeah that's part of it but you needed help, I'm not going to be mad for that. I'm mostly just worried..." …...

"That's not it."

"... I really like you.. I mean I really like you. I don't like seeing you hurt, I thought you liked someone else for a while, you wouldn't talk to me at all and I've been too much of a coward to actually say anything about how I feel about you so it even more frustrating and I don't even know what to do anymore about anything involving you."

"...Can you look at me at least?"

She lifts her head and the second she does I kiss her. It isn't my first kiss but it's way better. How do you even describe a kiss? That whole thing with sparks instantly, always seemed cheesy but I get it now. It's amazing and soft and doesn't last all that long but it feels like it does.

We sit here in silence for a few minutes I think, being awkward and blushing and not really moving or looking at each other.

"So... What was that for?"

"I like you too.. I have this entire time I just... Y'know."

She finally looks at me. Then knocks me over in a hug and we both fall to the floor. "You're so stupid!" She laughs.

"Yeah I know" I reply, chuckling and wrapping my arms around her waist. "Can I take the tackle hug as a yes to going out with me?" I ask. She smiles at me and nods. "Of course!"