Sollux stepped into the room through the open doorway, focusing his dual-colored glare upon the medical troll who had tried to call for backup. She, in turn, glared straight back at him.
"And what makes you think that you are more qualified than we?" she demanded.
"Principal Megido has personally requested that I attend to this dilemma," Sollux replied.
"Well- I…" she growled, the thought of defying Aradia indirectly not sitting well in her thoughts, "Very well then. I do hope that I will receive a replacement for my communication's device and that you do know what you are doing."
She turned on her heel and left the room swiftly, and the other medical trolls who were watching the small scene followed her suit, glancing at Sollux as they left, a few of them nursing bruises or bite marks on their hands that were plainly visible. The last troll closed the door lightly and Sollux heard his footsteps echo down the hallway before all noise faded, aside from Karkat's labored breathing. Now that there was nobody watching, Karkat groaned and curled in on his stomach, the pain too much for him to hide.
Sollux hurried to his side, picking him up gently to lay him upon one of the block's mattressed tables, then sitting beside him and running his hand over Karkat's back in what he hoped to be a soothing manner.
Karkat promptly leaned over the side of it and wretched into a basin that was lying on the floor, throwing up a stomach full of bright red blood. Small flecks landed here and there on the sheets as well as the white tiles beneath them. Sollux took a moment to lock the door with a quick snap of his fingers before continuing to massage Karkat's back.
It took some time, but soon Karkat began to relax as the pain eventually receded and his breathing evened out. He gave a shuddering cough and slowly sat up next to Sollux.
"What happened?" Sollux asked tentatively.
Karkat glared with disdain at the basin, half-full with his blood, then looked to his fist, unclenching it to reveal a note compacted by the force of his grip. With a questioning look on his face, Sollux took and unfolded it so he could read what had upset him. His eyes narrowed as they passed over the indigo words scrawled on the paper.
"Who gave you this?"
"Tavros fucking Nitram," Karkat said hoarsely.
The troll that Aradia was muttering to herself about, Sollux thought.
"He was my… friend," he continued. "I didn't know that- that Gamzee's influence could reach anywhere. He could be controlling anyone, anywhere. I can't trust Tavros anymore," he shook his head, "I can't trust anyone. I-" Karkat paused a realization dawning over his features.
Sollux continued to watch him, trying to understand where the line of thinking was going in his thinkpan. Can't trust anyone? Can't- Shit.
"I can't trust yo-"
Sollux quickly pulled Karkat into his arms and embraced him as tightly as he dared, muffling his words with his shoulder. At first he fought against the hold, but his resistance stopped when Sollux spoke to him in a low, serious tone.
"Shut up, Karkat," Sollux said. "You're an idiot. You're an idiot and that's a stupid conclusion, you know that? I've been your instructor for two years, I've listened to your story, I've taken you into my home, literally given you the clothes on your back, and I've been holding you whenever you needed me." His voice lost its command and sarcasm as it melted into soothing mutters. "I've been comforting your stupid ass because I know you need it and I won't betray you. Ever." He gave Karkat a comforting squeeze around his shoulders, just to reassure him with all hopes and prayers riding on the chance that it worked.
Karkat didn't speak when he finished, but Sollux didn't dare say anything else. It was the first time that Karkat had ever turned around and suspected him to be a deceiver. He had no solid evidence that he wouldn't either, he could only silently ask for the chance to prove himself.
It was a long while before Karkat broke the silence, shifting his face away from Sollux's shoulder in order to speak.
"Fuck you, Sollux Captor," he said.
Sollux knit his brows together trying to figure out exactly what his student meant by what he said.
"Fuck you for being a know-it-all instructor who makes everything look easy. Fuck you for being so unrealistically calm and collected all the fucking time and I'm screaming my protein chute hoarse. Fuck you for helping me when I couldn't take care of my own damned self. You're too good to be fucking true."
"You're welcome," Sollux replied, laughingly. He was relieved that he did not lose any of Karkat's trust in the very few moments that he could have completely lost all of it. "Somebody has to take care of you."
Karkat pulled back from Sollux so he could examine his instructor's face, open for him to read as he asked next, a question.
"What do we do now?" he asked, searching Sollux's eyes.
The yellow blood stared straight back into Karkat's eyes, parting his lips to reply, when he suddenly realized that he had no plan. He never had any plan to begin with because he intended to simply make it up as he went along and never before had he tried to help a student as he had helped Karkat either. He had no experience and no plans to implement or alter. Only a promise that he would help Karkat in any way he could. One that suddenly seemed empty.
It was only then, when his mind drew a blank that he could curse his own impudence. Impudence that his charge would pay dearly for. Karkat needed to know that Sollux knew what he was doing. And Karkat was searching his face at that moment, reading all the signs of his uncertainty.
"How do we stop, Gamzee?" Karkat asked, eyebrows knitting together as he sensed Sollux's unease.
Sollux quickly steeled his eyes to combat the apprehension was reflected back at him. He didn't know exactly what he would do, but he knew what he should do at the moment was to take care of the situation as it was and then create steps in advance immediately after. He had to continue making up the plan as the situation advanced, as it would not cease, but now he was required to be prepared and actually understand what he would be doing, required to calculate the path they would follow.
"I don't know how we're going to stop him, Karkat," Sollux said honestly, "because he is a high blood. But I know this for sure: I don't feel like you're going to be safe here anymore. Now that Gamzee knows how to get to you, you can't return until we have a way to combat him."
"What about your other classes?" Karkat replied. "You're missing out on your first session because of the shit that I put up."
"Those trolls are fine. My first priority right now is you I have a feeling that Principle Megido is already taking care of it anyways," Sollux answered, his tone allowing no argument. "Now, I ask you this: Do you need to be carried or do you want to walk?"
Karkat glared at him, though not with spite. "I think I'll walk.
Sollux stood up off of the bed first and made a sweeping gesture with his arm. "Alright then, let's go."
Rolling his eyes, Karkat got off the bed as well and followed his instructor as he led them down Alternia High's empty hallways. Their steps made no noise as they passed by the classblocks, and nobody looked outside to see them, but as Sollux glanced into his own classblock, he saw Aradia standing at the front lecturing his students, her hollow voice leaking out into the hallway with muffled echoes. She gave him a momentary glance before turning back to the rest of his students.
Karkat and Sollux left Alternia High not too long afterwards.
The two of them entered Sollux's hive, both silent, as they had been ever since they left the medical block. The whole ride, Sollux had been contemplating what to do in their situation, and it was then he decided it was time to begin enlisting help.
"Karkat," he said, as his student sit down slowly on the couch, "I know your mind is probably preoccupied with what we should do with Gamzee, but I think a more pressing issue would be more related to the grub."
"Yeah, I know," Karkat replied, folding his arms lightly over his stomach. "I've been trying to ignore it, but time is ticking and whatever. It's already been a pedigree and a half and supposedly by the end of the second pedigree I won't be able to hide it anymore unless I wear a jacket that is too big for a troll of my stature."
Sollux sat down next to him, leaning against the back and staring up at the ceiling. "I'm glad you acknowledge your height," he teased.
"Shut up. I'm almost as tall as you are, Captor."
"Anyways," Sollux continued, though a bit lightly, "I don't know anything about how to birth a grub or how to take care of one. Do you happen to know anybody we could contact?"
Karkat replied almost immediately; "Kanaya. Her lusus is a virgin mother grub."
"Would she know?"
"I remember trolling her about it one day. Her lusus discusses her responsibility birthing grubs that are conceived through missing the bucket and the rest, including this." Karkat made a slight waving motion by his stomach. "I haven't talked to her in a long time though, since she is hiveschooled and she fucking wakes up during the day. I don't think she would be awake right now to talk to either."
"We should at least try to contact her. Leave her a message," Sollux suggested.
"Do you have Trollian?" Karkat asked. "I only have her troll handle on that program."
Sollux rolled his eyes and extended a hand towards his computer desk so he could bring his laptop to the both of them. "Of course I have Trollian. It's one of the simplest messaging systems that I have. Here," he gave Karkat the laptop after turning it on.
Karkat watched the screen as the computer started up, then clicked on the icon for Trollian once the desktop became visible. "TwinArmageddons?" he scoffed, seeing Sollux's login information. He promptly replaced it with his own and logged in. To his relief, Gamzee's handle was registered as "Offline," but so was Kanaya's.
He opened up a chat window to send her a message anyways, as Sollux had suggested.
"KANAYA. I NEED YOUR HELP. I HAVE PRESSING MATTERS AT HAND IN A FIELD WHERE BOTH I AND MY INSTRUCTOR LACK KNOWLEDGE."
"So now we wait for her to wake up and answer?" Sollux asked.
"That's the only fucking option we have right now, I guess," muttered Karkat.
"Well," Sollux said idly, pulling up a coffee table so he could prop his feet up, "I guess that means that you should start on your homework."
He grinned at Karkat's scowl.
Sollux looked up from his computer screen at the clock hanging on the far wall of his hive, calculating how much time had passed before rubbing his blue eye tiredly. School had ended several hours ago and Sollux had taken it upon himself to grade his students' work for the day, not surprised to find that it was of lower quality than usual. Aradia had the tendency to be less than stimulating.
Karkat had finished his work long ago, with Sollux's assistance, and had fallen asleep with the laptop resting on his thighs, empty bowls and plates next to where his legs were set in a similar manner to how Sollux had done previously, before he moved to his computer desk.
Eyeing the computer on his student, Sollux wondered when "Kanaya" would message him. The first sun had already begun to rise and there was still no word from her, but Karkat had waited for her in earnest. He was still logged into Trollian, anxious for her reply ever since he had sent her his message.
Sollux pushed away from his desk and got up to collect the dishes by Karkat's feet, being careful not to let them clatter and wake his charge, since he knew that Karkat thrashed in his sleep without sopor.
But his efforts not to stir him were in vain.
Karkat woke with a start and a small gasp when the computer came to life with the noise of a message being received. He ground the heel of his palm into his eye, then let his blurry vision clear so he could read the message.
"It's from Kanaya," he muttered.
Sollux put the dishes away and came over to see. In reply to Karkat's grey sentences, a block of jade green text appeared.
"I Do Wish That We Could Chat When We Have The Luxury Of Idle Conversation. You Always Seem To Contact Me Only When The Situation Is Dire, But I Suppose That Cannot Be Helped. I Guess It Is Only Fair, As I Ask You For Advice Quite Often When It Comes To Quadrants Other Than Ashen And A Friend In Need Is A Friend Indeed. What Assistance Do You Require Of Me?"
You know, this story was a project to see how my language developed during the school year, and you can see if you look closely how I toy with a few rhetorics here and there. I know I promised to update every month, or every two months, but it's been really hard to fill that obligation when my ideas are running dry. However, I will still continue to trudge to the finale, since it's already been a year that I have had this up on fanfiction. I adore all of your support and comments, all those who follow and such. Please continue to help me so that the end will be the best it can be.
Sorry if there are any inconsistencies when I refer to troll anatomy or architecture. This story has been written over the span of a very long period of time for me. Can anyone guess how much time has actually passed in the story?
Anyways, I hope this longer chapter has sated you all. There is some plot movement, which is probably the best thing to have ever happened in a while.