Several hours later, Dave tightly paced in the drab, white waiting room, occasionally glowering at the nurses behind the desk in the front of the room, a complete, nervous fucking wreck. He was the biggest goddamn idiot in the whole universe. What sort of person took off on their boyfriend, their best friend, based on a couple of photos and text messages? Dave should've known better than to blindly trust Vriska and Terezi. They'd willing lead him off a cliff if given the chance. And God, he'd been such an asshole to Karkat when he left.. and the way he'd been sobbing and clinging to him..

His heart lurched painfully, and Dave paused in his restless striding, angrily brushing at the tears leaking from under his shades. He had no right to cry at this point. Not with what he'd been doing for months ('Hypocrite!' Screamed his mind). Not when this was all his fault to begin with. Vriska and Terezi had finally delivered the punchline of their joke, informing him that this all was, in fact, a lie. A fucking lie. All of this pain caused for a lie. He'd nearly broken his phone when he launched it across the room after he found out. But he hadn't. That's why Dave had finally checked the messages from his other friends that he'd been refusing to look at ever since he left. And fucking wonderful, Karkat was in the hospital as Kanaya had so kindly informed him.

After rushing to the hospital like a goddamn madman, Dave was now waiting for information on Karkat's room number. But apparently, no one wanted to fucking tell him where it was. The white haired adolescent continued to pace around the room, until one of the ladies at the desk finally called him over. He barely stuck around for directions to the room before taking off down the hall. "Room 238B, Room 238B, Room 238B," he chanted to himself under his breath, like a mantra.

When it finally came into his view, Dave skidded to a stop in front of the unassuming, grey door. He placed his hand on the cool metal handle, intending to push it open, but hesitated. Did Karkat even want to see him? Would he even let him inside?

Dave pushed away his worries and steeled himself before slowly inching open the door. He silently slipped inside and pushed the door shut with a soft click. He swallowed thickly at the sight of the limp figure on the hospital bed. The sterile white walls coupled with the cold air had Dave shivering in seconds. The silence in the room was deafening. His fault. All his goddamn fault. Dave hesitantly walked toward the side of the pristine bed, keeping his eyes on Karkat the entire time. Dave tentatively reached a hand towards him, only to recoil in horrified shock. Bold, black lines of stitches crisscrossed their way up both of his wrists, a stark contrast against the grey skin. Tears welled up in his eyes, only to be harshly brushed away from under his shades. Dave, once again, knew he had no right to cry in this situation.

Dave released a shaky breath and gently rested a hand on one of Karkat's. "I still love you.." he murmured gently, "a-and I'm so fucking sorry for being a piece of shit.."

He wanted to say so much more, to apologize, to grovel at Karkat's fucking feet and ask for forgiveness, but suddenly, his boyfriend's eyes slid open, and the candy red there was filled with shock. Dave froze, trying to find the right thing to say, to find the words that would make Karkat's eyes stop filling with tears. But the door to the hospital room swung open before he could say anything, revealing a furious Sollux. And all hell broke loose.

Sollux knew storming out was a bad idea, but he didn't realize it was this bad of an idea. In hindsight, he really could've reacted better to seeing Dave standing over a crying Karkat, but considering the little fact that Dave had been unreachable all fucking week... well, he cut himself a little slack when he stormed across the room and decked the shell-shocked blonde across his stupid, pale face. And honestly, it felt fucking great. "Tho," he started, trembling in fury, forgetting to cover his lisp in his anger, "now you decide to show up, huh? What, did you finally realithe you're a fucking MORON?!"

Dave just continued to stare up at him with a dazed expression. Sollux snorted, and twisted around to face Karkat. Pathetic, he thought bitterly. Dave was so goddamn pathetic. Karkat was still crying though, and he forcibly shoved thoughts of Dave out of his mind. Karkat was way more important than that idiot right now. Sollux brushed Karkat's tears away gently, remembering how much how he'd had to do it this week because of him, who was still on the floor behind them. He pushed thoughts of him away again, more forcibly this time, and focused on Karkat again, trying not to lisp like a moron. "Hey.. I'm sorry for storming out on you Karkat. I just didn't know how to talk about.." the taller boy trailed off, his eyes flickering down to the stitches in Karkat's wrists, and he took Karkat's hand gently.

Karkat flinched at the reminder of his biggest fuck up to date, and took a deep breath, tightening his hand around Sollux's briefly before letting go. A swirling ocean of emotion barreled through his chest, an ocean spawned from Dave's sudden appearance. It was a welcome change from the numbness that had had him in it's coying, sweet grip for days now. Anger, thick and hot, manifested for the blonde who was just starting to pick himself up off the floor, a blossoming bruise on his right cheek (a surge of pride for Sollux). Warmth tumbled in his heart from the now familiar affection given by Sollux of all people. And finally, a deep sorrow under it all, fed by betrayal, and hurt, and regret. For a moment, he was nearly overwhelmed by the sudden flood of feelings, but he quickly forced his mind to focus. Karkat couldn't believe he had almost left this world because of his fucking selfish ex-boyfriend. The thought just spurred more anger in his chest, and his hands shook slightly as he tried to reign the inferno in. The small troll closed his eyes and released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Sollux," he said firmly, finally sounding like the him that came before this entire shitstorm happened, "leave the room. I need to speak with Dave." Karkat spat out the name as if it burned him.

Sollux almost objected, after all, Dave was the reason Karkat was here in the first place, but he paused at the familiar tone in Karkat's voice. It wasn't dead, or sad, or weak like it had been all week. It was the voice of his friend when he was pissed the hell off, and ready to fucking annihilate someone with words. So, feeling a little ambitious, Sollux nodded, then smirked and pressed a small kiss to Karkat's cheek, already noticing Dave's cold gaze following his every movement. No doubt Karkat would brush it off as friendly affection, but Dave would know better. Because Dave would be able to see, had seen before, the same love he saw in his own eyes reflected in Sollux's. Karkat, seemingly oblivious to the sudden tension between the two, rolled his eyes with a small smile and shoved the taller troll away from him. "Get lost, fucker." He said fondly.

And with that, Sollux turned on his heel and left the room with a smug aura.

The broken couple stared at opposite walls of the room in dead silence for several long moments, neither making the move to speak first. Karkat finally turned to face Dave, his rage bubbling to the surface. "What, in the everloving FUCK, were you thinking?" He asked, his voice bordering on a growl.

Dave flinched and opened his mouth, but Karkat cut him off before he could spew some stupid excuse. "I've never, ever been anything but absolutely loyal to you Dave. And you just.." he cleared his throat and blinked away the tears that threatened to blaze their way down his cheeks, "how fucking dare you.."

He couldn't afford to break down right now. Not when he was finally beginning to think clearly. Dave hesitantly reached out and placed his hand on Karkat's, only to have him jerk his hand away. A flicker of pain and anger crossed Dave's face briefly, and he cleared his throat before speaking in a trembling voice, "I don't know.. I.. There were so many pictures and texts and.." he swallowed hard, "I was hurt and I wasn't thinking clearly, I never meant to hurt you Karkat, you have to believe me!"

Dave lurched forward desperately, and Karkat immediately cringed away. He closed his eyes and struggled to think clearly, fighting to keep the tidal wave of emotions in his heart from corrupting any rational thoughts. His mind, unbidden, reminded him of the last time he'd heard Dave speak so frantically, and yanked him into the memory.

Karkat stood at the door to Sollux's house, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, avoiding his shocked eyes. "Hey Sollux.. Uh.. Do you mind if I crash here for a little while..?" he asked quietly. Karkat rubbed his sore cheek and kept his gaze on the ground as Sollux's expression changed to incredulity.

Sollux continued to gape openly for a few seconds more, before he unfroze and a mutinous look contorted his face. He gently pulled Karkat into his house by his sweater sleeve and slammed the door shut, whirling around to face him. "Give me one good fucking reason why I shouldn't go beat the shit out of that douchebag's fucking ass." The taller troll ground out.

Karkat just sighed and crossed his arms tightly, staring up at him. "Because if you do, I will never come to you for anything again, Sollux.. Just drop it." he said dully.

Sollux crossed his arms as well, and his scowl deepened, before he sighed and dropped them angrily. "Fine. You can stay here with me, but can't you at least tell me what the fuck happened? Please?" he pleaded.

Karkat frowned and his hand unconsciously made it's way to his bruising cheek. "We got into an argument about some stupid shit. He wants to go to the dumb ass Pride Parade thing again this year, but I don't because it's always way too fucking loud and chaotic. Last year I got hit in the head three goddamn times!" he paused and began to pace angrily, the need to get what happened off his chest overpowering his want for privacy, "Then Dave started going on about how I'm ashamed to be gay with him or some dumb shit, and I told him that was a load of cock, and that I wouldn't care if we went to one of the quieter ones in the next town over. But he didn't want to because he had to meet someone at this one. And then he said he was going to h-hurt himself if I didn't come with him and I yelled at him and then…" he trailed off, panting heavily, his anger slowly starting to seep out, and he halfheartedly gestured to his face.

Sollux stared blankly at Karkat for several moments before he strode forward and wrapped his arms around his smaller friend tightly. Karkat, very stiffly, hugged his best friend back. All was quiet, until Karkat abruptly crumbled in his arms and began sobbing out all the frustration and fear and anger that had been building from the moment Dave raised his hand. Sollux hesitantly ran his fingers through Karkat's hair, and frowned deeply as he tried to formulate a response. "Kk.." he pursed his lips, unsure how to continue. Half of him screamed to murder Karkat's stupid fuck of a boyfriend for daring to lay a hand on the one person he actually ever bothered to care about, while the other half demanded he stay there and comfort the obviously hurting Karkat. He bit his lip and tried to point out the obvious, "Kk, that's not healthy. That's not how relationships work, and he can't just threaten to hurt himself if you don't do whatever the fuck he wants. Has he ever pulled this shit before?" Sollux was almost afraid of the answer he'd get.

Karkat stiffened in his arms once again and the sobs died away. No way was he telling Sollux the truth. He pushed every negative emotion he felt towards Dave deep, deep inside him and took a shuddering breath. He was not going to risk his perfectly healthy relationship over a stupid fight. Dave might actually do something to himself then and.. Karkat forced the thought away and stepped back from Sollux, wiping his eyes clear. "I-It doesn't matter. It was a fucking accident. I just need to stay here until we work out the fight. I don't want to talk about this shit anymore, alright?" he mumbled shakily.

Sollux looked ready to argue, but as more tears welled up in Karkat's eyes, he appeared to decide against it. He pulled Karkat into his arms once again and buried his face in his hair. "Alright, alright.." he conceded, "you wanna go watch some shitty movies?" he offered in a small attempt to bring Karkat's mood up.

Karkat looked up at him with a watery smile and chuckled hoarsely. "Y-Yeah, that sounds fucking great. Idiot." Sollux rolled his eyes and fondly mussed up the shorter troll's hair, chuckling at his indignant squawk.

Sollux glowered at the blonde in front of him, using his body to block the front door of his house. "Aaand, what the fuck do you want? What's your dumb ass doing on my front porch, Dave?" he sneered.

Dave snorted and rolled his eyes. "I know he's here Sollux. I need to talk to him, it's stupid to ignore eachother," he paused, and smirked, meeting Sollux's eyes from behind his black shades, "Besides, he's my boyfriend. Karkat will always come back to me."

Sollux immediately puffed up and he grit his teeth together harshly. "And yet he ran from you to me, in case you fucking forgot!" he snapped out.

Dave prepared to shoot back a response, only for the words to die in his throat at the voice that suddenly spoke up behind Sollux. "Yo, fuckass, why are you blocking the door? Who's here?" Karkat called, and Sollux twisted around to see Karkat with his hands on his hips, and his eyebrow raised. Sollux coughed awkwardly and flushed, averting his eyes from his unfairly cute best friend behind him. "It's just some douchebag, a dumb fuckhea-"

"It's Dave, Karkat. Are you really not going to talk to me after you stormed out and left me alone..?" Dave's voice took on a heartbroken tone, and Karkat blanched, his arms immediately coming off his hips to wrap around his midsection securely.

Before Sollux could say anything or stop him, Karkat pushed past his friend and hesitantly stepped out to meet Dave on the porch. "Sollux, just give us a moment, alright?" Karkat asked softly.

"What the fuck? Do you honestly think I'm going to leave you alone with this ass after what he did!-"

"Please."

Sollux stopped mid-tirade, and glanced between Dave's triumphant expression and Karkat's nervous one. He knew he would come to way fucking regret it later, but nonetheless, he sighed and gave in. "Fine." he said, defeated. Sollux stepped back into his house and shut the door forcefully.

Karkat let out a relieved breath and turned back to Dave, who was gazing at him pleadingly. "Karkat, you know I would never hurt you, right? God- I'm so fucking sorry I don't even know why it happened I swear I-I!" Dave dissolved into tears, shaking and gasping loudly. "Please, I'm so sorry!" he cried, the picture of absolute desperation and guilt.

Karkat's eyes widened and he lurched forward, squeezing his boyfriend tightly. He sniffled and his own tears trickled down his face. "I-It's okay I just.. I was being so stubborn and.. Fuck.." he choked out.

Dave simply squeezed him tighter, and Karkat felt the last traces of anger melt away as a warmth filled him.

Karkat's hands curled into fists and he chuckled bitterly. Sollux was probably right, wasn't he? "Dave, I-" he started, already blinking away tears of regret for what he was about to do.

Except when he finally looked up at Dave, his the words caught in his throat and he froze. Blood was slowly leaving a scarlet trail down Dave's hands, as a result of several newly formed cuts in his palms. "Is this what you want me to do, Karkat? Do you want me to do this to myself?" He accused harshly.

Karkat shuddered, and his suddenly numb lips tried to form some kind of response, anything to get rid of the gnawing guilt inside him that burned his chest like he was drowning. "I-I.." he stuttered, trying not to completely break down.

Dave sniffled pitifully and Karkat's heart twisted. He curled into a small ball on the bed and gripped his head tightly, tears finally thundering down his face. "Nononono, Dave please it's not my fault..!" his voice came out strangled and breathless, and his hands moved to grip his injured wrists. He would never hurt Dave but there was the fucking blood and itwashisgoddamnfault.

Dave let out a barely audible sigh of relief and a small, sad smile worked it's way onto his face. Everything would be alright. He could deal with a panicking, crying Karkat much easier than one who was angry with him. Dave reached forward and attempted to take Karkat into his arms. "Come on Karkles.." he soothed.

Karkat stiffened, and he scrambled back as far as he could on the small hospital bed. 'No, no, no!' his mind screamed as a wall of dizzying emotions slammed into him. Anger, confusion, love, sadness, and for some reason, fear. Karkat felt distinctly afraid of the boy in front of him and he choked back another sob, pressing a trembling hand over his mouth. Something wasn't right here, Dave was fucking with his head. But he was panicking so goddamn much, he couldn't tell what it was.

Annoyance and frustration flashed across Dave's face, and his expression tightened in anger. "Goddammit Karkat, can't you just fucking do what I say for once?!"

Anger won out, and Karkat finally snapped. With a rush of bitterness that had been simmering inside him ever since Dave accused him of cheating, Karkat screamed, "ALL I EVER DO IS FUCKING LISTEN TO YOU, DAVE! WHEN THE FUCK ARE YOU GOING TO OPEN UP YOUR ASSTARDED BRAIN AND LISTEN TO ME FOR A CHANGE?"

Karkat let out another muffled sob as he pressed his hand to his mouth again and glowered at the shell shocked boy in front of him. How fucking dare he. This was all his goddamn fault to begin with, and he was mad at Karkat? Bullshit, Karkat decided, that was utter bullshit. He tried not to focus on the blood dripping to the floor from Dave's hands (hisfault).

Dave balled his hands into fists, and returned the glower full force, leaning forward and towering over the small troll. "What the fuck are you talking about?! All I ever do is listen to you bitch and moan! And then you repay me by making me hurt myself?!" he shouted, his fist almost unconsciously swinging up, and Karkat cringed back, too late.

Dave's hand connected against his cheek hard, fueled by rage and fear, and Karkat cried out loudly, yelling out the first name that came to his mind just before the hospital door slammed open; "Sollux!"