Hey guys! So this story is rapidly approaching its finale. And I like how it is turning out. This chapter has no sexy times (sorry! I needed to get some relationship building/ story advancement in there!) but a lot of good and bad feels. Enjoy!

Twiin-Vii2iion2

...

KK and I finally made it out of the shower and decided on a movie. I let him pick so we ended up seeing the new romcom. Once he had finished getting dressed we headed out for my car. I opened his door for him and watched him slid into the car.

I smiled to myself as I went around the car to get into the driver's seat. I had never been this happy before. Ever. I got in and started the car, unable to stop smiling.

"What are you smiling about fuckass?"

"I'm happy." Was all I said. It was enough. Karkat just stared at me. I couldn't see him but I could feel his eyes on me. We continued in silence until we got to the movie theater.

"Sollux?" Karkat said finally as I pulled into a parking spot and turned the car off.

"Yeth?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Promise you won't let him find me?"

I was taken aback at first by the statement. I hadn't expected it.

"I promithe."

Karkat sighed and he visibly relaxed. I reached out and pulled him close, kissing his cheek. He blushed and then leaned into me. I wanted to stay there forever, but we were gonna miss the movie.

"We should get in there fuckass. The movie is gonna start soon." Karkat said, voicing my thoughts. I smirked and nodded. We got out and I locked the car before heading inside. We headed for the ticket booth and got in line. I bought us two tickets to see the movie, eliciting snickers from passerby's because of my lisp. They got vicious glares from Karkat in return. Somehow the interaction made me happy. Maybe it was the fact that Karkat felt the need to defend me.

As we walked into the theater where our movie was playing, KK was still grumbling expletives about people and how they were "rude pricks" and "uncaring fuckasses" and other much more colorful descriptions. He continued grumbling up until the movie started. Once the opening theme played, he suddenly went quiet.

About half an hour into the movie, I glanced over at Karkat and noticed he was sitting with his knees up against his chest, staring intently at the screen, his outer shell that surrounded him gone, his emotions taking over. He was so adorable I had to use all of my self control not to laugh or hug him. I didn't want to disturb him from his movie. So I just sat and watched him for the next hour, with some side glances at the screen.

As the movie ended and the credits rolled he turned to me, a small tear in his eye, his wonderful gray-blue eyes. He looked over at me and then he immediately changed, his protective shell going back up.

"What are you looking at dipshit?"

"You're adorable KK."

"Sh-shut up." He said with a blush. I smiled and stood up.

"Come on KK. Maybe we can get some dinner." I said, looking at my watch. "It'th 5 o'clock."

Karkat nodded and got up. As we headed out of the theater KK grabbed my hand and I gave his a squeeze. As we entered the lobby I felt him freeze next to me.

"KK, what'th wrong?" I asked but before he could answer I heard some one yell his name.

"KARKAT!" I turned to see this mammoth of a man coming towards us. "WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!"

"S-stay away from me..." Karkat pleaded, letting go of my hand and backing away.

The guy, who I had figured must have been KK's ex, just kept coming towards him. I stepped into his path.

"Lithten man, back off." He stopped in his tracks and sized me up.

"Out of the way pipsqueek. This is between me and my boyfriend."

"He'th not your boyfriend anymore." I said, standing my ground. Might have been a mistake but I wasn't about to let this guy hurt my KK again. Never.

The oaf drew back and punched me straight in the jaw. I staggered back, my face stinging with pain. As I turned to face him again he was getting ready to hit me again but some of the employees had stepped in to interfere.

"You need to leave sir."

The man stood there for a second, obviously contemplating his options. He finally decided he should leave but not before having a few final words.

"I'm not done with you shithead." He said pointing to me. He then turned his gaze on Karkat who was curled up against the wall in a corner."I want you back home tonight." He growled and turned, storming out.

"Are you okay." one of the female employees asked me. She had long, curly black hair and brown-red eyes. Her name tag said Aradia.

"Yeah... Thankth." I said, trying to smile. "I've gotta go help out my boyfriend..." I said as I broke away and went to KK. He Was rocking back and forth and whimpering. "Hey... KK, we need to leave." I said, holding out my hand. When he flinched at the action it broke my heart. After a while he took my hand and I helped him up and out to the car. A few of the employees as well as Aradia walked with us in case the maniac came back. We made it to the car and I helped Karkat in.

As I turned around, Aradia held out a piece of paper for me. I looked at it, seeing a phone number on it.

"I'm already taken..." I said awkwardly. She rolled her eyes with a gentle smile.

"I know that silly. This is in case you need help or anything. Either of you."

I blanked. This was kind of strange. I had never made many friends, but I was pretty sure this wasn't how it normally happened.

"How..." I started but she interrupted me.

"I have this thing. I can just tell when I would get along with someone. And I feel like you two I could definitely get along with." She smiled at me gently.

"Thankth. I'm Thollux, by the way."

"I'm Aradia. And he's Karkat?" I nodded.

"Lithten, I've gotta get going..." I said, not sure how to end the conversation. Aradia just smiled and nodded.

"See you later?"

"Maybe." I said with a small smile. Aradia miled back then, turned to head back inside. I turned and walked to the driver side door and got in the car. As I sat back in the chair, I looked over at Karkat who had curled up in the seat, not making a sound. "Hey... do want to go anywhere?"

He turned and looked at me with a look of utter defeat and fear. A look that broke my heart even further.

"I just need to go home..."

I nodded and drove him straight to our apartment. We got out and headed upstairs. I unlocked the door for him and he ran straight into the bed room, disappearing from sight. I shut the door and locked it before heading after him.

"KK?" I said as I entered the dimly lit room. I heard a whimper come from the closet. I walked over and tapped lightly on the closet door. "can I come in?"

There was a pause before the closet door slid open. I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. It was a tight fit, but I managed to sit down next to him. I wrapped my arm around him and he leaned against me. I felt his tears soak into my shirt, but I didn't care. He needed to let this out. I needed to be there for him.

"When I wath a thenior in high thchool," I started, speaking quietly, "I came out to my parentth. My mom jutht that in thock. the didn't thay anything. I withed the would but the didn't. Her reaction wath thtill better than my father'th. He went into an outrage thaying that hith thon wasn't allowed to be a faggot. He jumped up and knocked me over."

"He then knelt over me and proceeded to beat the thit out of me all the time yelling at me to take it back. My mom began thcreaming at him to thtop. Only when the broke down, thobbing in the middle of the kitchen, did he thtop. He got off of me and I curled up. He went to comfort my mother, my blood dripping from hith knuckleth."

"He then blamed me for the methh my mother wath in. I couldn't thtand it. I went and grabbed my thtuff, a bag of clotheth and my laptop and left. I thtayed with a friend until I graduated high thchool. My parentth didn't thow up at the graduation ceremony. I moved away to college and lived on camputh, my full ride paying for everything. I ended up dropping out after a themethter and getting a job as a coder."

"I went back home about a year ago, just to thee if thingth had changed. They hadn't. Ath thoon ath I walked in the door, my father wath thoving me back outthide, yelling at me. Telling me I wathn't welcome. Ath I tried to turn to leave, he jumped me again. Only thith time I wathn't ath out of thape ath I was latht time."

"It still wathn't enough. I held my own for a while, but he ended up getting the upper hand. He had me on the ground, kicking me over and over again. When he wath done he leaned over and thaid thomething that jutht made thomething break inthide me. He told me that I wath worthlethh. He told me that..."

I broke off for a second, my voice choking and tears welling up behind my eyes.

"he told me that he'd beaten the thit out of my best friend jutht for giving me a place to thtay during my thenior year. I just thnapped. I grabbed hith head and thlammed it againtht the ground. My anger just awoke thith thtrength I didn't know I had. I just thlammed hith head into the ground again and again and again."

"The next thing I knew I wath over him and I had my handth around hith throat. I wath deaf to the people around me, deaf to my mother's pleath to me to thtop. I would have killed him had my best friend not thown up and pulled me off of him."

"He pulled me away. He tried to calm me down, but it wouldn't work. I wouldn't hear him out until he thlapped me. He then told me that I had to leave. He told me never to come back. I couldn't believe what he was Thaying. I broke. I broke down and cried. I apologized for what my dad had done. I begged him to forgive me."

"But I knew the look in hith eyeth. He didn't want to be friendth with me anymore. Tho I left. I never came back. I haven't Thpoken to anyone of them Thince."

I stopped, the tears flowing in full force. I almost couldn't get the next part out.

"And the wortht part ith I thtill love my dad. He uthed to be my hero and then it all changed. Now I'm thuppothed to hate him but I can't"

I heard Karkat whimper and hug me tight.

"I underthtand Karkat. I really do." I said finally. "And I'm tho thorry."

I held him close to me and we stayed in that closet all night, eventually falling asleep in each others' arms.

...

So during Sollux's whole finale speech there, I had to go back and change all the s's to th's. Took me about ten minutes. -.- Don't ever accuse me of not being dedicated to my work, lol.