Author's Note: I'm really pleased with this fic so far so I'm just writing whenever I can and updating when I'm satisfied. If you already read this, I just combined chapters two and three because honestly, they were both really short and neither needed to be, so here we are!

(Revised: 11/17)

Chapter Two, enjoy and please don't forget to review~

It had been around sunset when Sollux found me, and the drive home had been long enough for night to fall before we stopped. I managed to walk inside without too much of an issue, although I could feel something grating inside my chest that made breathing hurt and would undoubtedly cause even more problems later on. Stumbling half-blind into our bedroom, I held my breath and gritted my teeth while hauling my tired body onto the top bunk — yes, two freshman in college sleeping by choice in a bunk bed — neither knowing nor caring where Sollux was. The desire to flop down on the covers was almost overpowering, but the fear of how painful it would be took precedence, and I instead laid down as slowly as I could. I waited for the door to open and prepared a few choice words for Sollux, but by the time he finally entered the room, I was fast asleep.

The lights were all off and it was both pitch-black and silent when I blinked awake. Something in the air told me Sollux was sleeping below me, but nothing beyond that registered in my brain. My first conscious thought was to sit up; upon doing so, I never wanted to think again. The pain shot up my chest so fiercely that I couldn't breathe. It was all I could do to moan pathetically, whimpering and hoping Sollux would wake up. He wasn't a particularly light sleeper, but he wasn't really a heavy sleeper either, and I was hoping I could count on that just this once.

Luckily, my wish was realized. I heard him, voice thick with both sleep and fear. "KK? What'th' wrong?" I started to respond, but my mind disconnected from my mouth and all that came out was a thin wail of pain. I heard springs creaking and wooden slats groaning under his weight before I looked up and caught just a hint of his silhouette black against the streetlight-brightened window. My wordless pleas for help grew softer as he crawled toward me over the blanket. Pulling me to him gently, he shooshed my pained gasps and let his deft fingers graze over specific parts of my body. "What'th' wrong, KK?"

Two words were all I could force. "My... chest..." Heavy breaths I couldn't quite take formed the spaces between my words. The unnatural rhythm didn't break until one finger caught the lowest rib on my left, at which I let out a low whine.

"Ith' it your ribth'?"

I shook my head, scrunching up my face against the pain. "One..."

He slid his hand down around the right side of my stomach and carefully tugged me closer, wrapping his right arm around my shoulders. "They really hurt you thith' time, didn't they?" His soft whisper rustled the hair by my ear. I didn't respond; I was too focused on not breathing too hard to think. The only thing breaking through the haze of my mind was how happy I'd be right now if my chest didn't hurt like a motherfucker. "KK... I think we need to get you to a docto—"

"No!" The force of the single word left me wheezing hard and trying to resist a coughing fit. I couldn't let him take me to a doctor. Sollux knew I worked a side job at a local coffee shop, but what he didn't know was that most of my income from it went towards doctor bills. It was bad enough that he had seen this, I didn't need him seeing how familiar I was with the clinic or the receptionist or the doctor; or, moreover, how familiar they were with me.

I could feel his gaze on me, so I shook my head and tried to explain. "I'm fine, Sollux, really. I don't need to—" A violent cough interrupted me, which under any other circumstance would have easily been brushed aside, but now left my head reeling and my vision clouded by stars. I instantly forgot what I was talking about and threw my head back with a high-pitched keening, unable to focus on anything but the pain.

Sollux slowly let me fall back to the mattress before moving to climb off the top bunk. He left the room and returned just minutes later, pulling on a jacket. "I'm taking you to the hoth'pital, KK. You can't be in thith' much pain and juth't brush it off like it'th' nothing." I closed my eyes in defeat and let my breath slow as much as I could. He climbed back up and slid his arms around me, one beneath my knees and the other under my armpits, and it was all I could do to keep my head from lolling back limply. Pulling me carefully to the edge of the bed, he very slowly began to climb down with me held tight in his arms. I groaned, silently thinking about how I was mostly just dead weight in his arms and how heavy I must be, even for someone like Sollux. Sure, he was skinny, but he had an incredible build of sinewy muscle beneath his skin. I started to apologize for it, but he shooshed me before I could get a single word out. Readjusting his grip on me, he exited the room, careful of my head in the doorway. I sighed softly and let him carry me to the passenger side of the truck, sliding me cautiously into the seat. I was glad that we'd told our parents we were planning on being roommates before we graduated; had we not told them, we'd be living in an apartment somewhere in the heart of the city rather than this admittedly cute little one story they'd pooled their money together to rent for us. A parking garage was the last thing we needed to deal with.

"Sollux," I breathed as soon as he got in the car, forcing my voice as loudly as I could and still hearing only a whisper. He didn't notice me and started the car with an almost invisible desperation. I cleared my throat and tried again, my tone coming out only slightly louder and only just audible over the rumbling engine. "Sollux. I don't need you to drive me to the doctor."

"Shut up, yeth' you do," he returned, backing out. He shot me a glance, checking to see I was still okay before returning his eyes to the road. We drove in near silence; one of the only noises we could discern aside from the truck running was my shallow, abnormal breathing. It hurt to breathe at all, but I figured I'd be okay if I took a deep breath every minute or so. I sat, thinking, worrying, but I let it all slip away when I faded back into sleep.

I woke up with more of a jolt this time as the car jerked to a halt. He walked around to my side of the car while I pushed myself to unbuckle. He opened the door just as I did and let a tiny smile grace his lips while he put his arms around me once again. He started to lift me until I put a hand to his shoulder. "Sollux, stop it. I'm not going to let you carry me like I'm some helpless fucking five-year old."

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to let you walk and hurt yourth'elf even more. Th'top arguing, I'm carrying you." His eyes were full of determination and laced with fear, and that expression alone was enough to break my resolve.

"Fine, but we never speak of this, got it, fuckass?" He grinned at my attitude and nodded, lifting me up and carrying me through the darkness into the brightly lit, stunningly white reception area. The woman behind the desk — a young girl named Cheryll, just a few months out of college whom I knew would recognize me — perked up as we entered.

"Karkat?" I cringed at her instantaneous recognition and managed a feeble hello. "Oh, no. I'll go get Robert real quick." Rather than simply calling him over the intercom, she actually stepped into the back, disappearing somewhere into the halls.

"You know her, KK?" Sollux asked in surprise, blinking. I nodded, sealing my fate as he set me in one of the chairs then sat beside me. As far as he was concerned, I'd never been here before; I'm sure he'd been prepared to fill out one of those waiver/information forms before the doctor would even consider looking at me and everything. He obviously wanted some answers, and to be honest, I guess he deserved some.

"Mm-hmm. Cheryll and I go—" Wheeze. "—waaay back." Cough. "Robert, too."

"And Robert ith'...?"

"The doctor." Groan. "You know him, too; Robert Baas."

I considered shutting him out, saying he was being nosy or something else like that, but I eventually settled on the truth. "Cheryll has worked here... since she got out of school. And, uh... y-you know that job I have? Did you ever stop to wonder—" Deep, painful breath. "—where that money was going? I mean, I sure as fuck don't go grocery shopping."

He cocked his head, resting his chin in his palm and furrowing his brow. Realization lit up his eyes a few seconds later. "Theth'e guyth' have been attacking you a lot more than I've th'een, haven't they?" It was more of a statement than a question. I nodded solemnly, unable to look at him. It was silent for a few seconds. "Why didn't you tell me, KK?"

I shook my head. "I... I didn't want to worry you," I answered truthfully.

He looked straight ahead, staring at, or more likely through, the wall. "I worried anyway," he said quietly.

Not a word had exchanged between Sollux and me since he'd last spoken. Now there wasn't a chance for conversation between us, considering he was sitting alone in the waiting room, mulling over all the things I'd just told him. I, on the other hand, was in an exam room on a metal table. Robert stood with his back against the counter reading over my chart. Not that he needed to; I'd been in there enough that he'd probably had it memorized by now. "You know, Karkles," he yawned, using his nickname for me to soften the disapproval in his tone, "Cheryll had to wake me up to deal with you."

"Oh, shut the fuck up," I panted, only half joking. "You know you love me."

He chuckled. "Don't use that language with me, fuckass. Raise your arms as much as you can." His teasing had me grinning even through my pain. A more serious expression took over his face, however, as he carefully teased my favorite black turtleneck off — there were stiff splotches of blood on it anyway, I figured it was about time someone got around to peeling it from the cuts. It wasn't an intimate gesture, anyway, simply a professional one. He let out a low whistle through his teeth as he marveled at the beautiful, sickly purple, blue, even yellow paint just under the skin decorating most of my torso. The magnificent colors were only magnified by the smeared blood from cuts scattered over my upper body. Some of it had a marbled effect, like someone took a sponge and dipped it in red paint before dabbing it all over my chest and stomach.

When the silence was finally broken, we both spoke at the same time.

"They really fucked you up this time, huh?"

"They really fucked me u— yeah... They did." He looked me up and down and let his fingers ghost over the marks. "Rob, don't mind the bruises. It's—" I gasped in dizzying pain when his hand brushed my rib, same as Sollux' had. "Nnngg. Y-Yeah... r-right there. It's my rib." He straightened up; he was tall standing up and even taller when I was sitting. I had to crane my neck to even meet his eye. Why does everyone have to be so much taller than me? I'm not even all that fucking short!

He sighed, deep in thought. "I'm just gonna come clean with you, I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't come here for something that wasn't serious. I saw Sollux out in the waiting room, and he looked exhausted. He stared directly at me for a few seconds before realizing I was actually there. I know you don't want him to know, and I respect that, but if he's here that means he probably knows more than he did yesterday, and I don't think leaving him with half an explanation is fair, especially not when he obviously cares enough to carry you in here. What's more is that if he's going to pay for this visit, or even assist in any way, he needs to see your medical history, and that's a legal obligation, not a choice I can make. I just thought I'd let you know."

I frowned a bit. I'd known Sollux was going to find out eventually, but I had hoped I'd have been able to tell him myself. Blatantly ignoring the blinding pain in my chest, same way I'd done for most of the evening, I nodded. I knew Rob even before I started needing a doctor so often; he was a friend of the family who'd taken a liking to me when I was still a kid. On top of the fact that he'd figured out my sexuality years ago, I knew I could rely on our past to trust him when he said there was nothing he could do to keep my injuries a secret, even if it meant I had to watch the hurt expressions of my crush/roommate while he gawked in horror. If Robert said there was nothing he could do, there was nothing he could do.

"As for your chest," he added, snapping me out of my thoughts, "you should be able to cope with the bruises same as you always do, but I have a feeling your rib is fractured. If that is the case, there's nothing I can do for you aside from prescribing a pain reliever. Of course, I've already prescribed you as much as I dare, so there really is nothing else I can do."

"I need a refill," I stated calmly.

"Already?" he replied skeptically. It had scarcely been a week since my last refill. Rob sighed and turned around to start writing the refill allowance note for the pharmacy. "Alright. You're not taking them whenever you want, right?" He reminded me a bit of my father when he asked that. I smiled for half a second before wondering what Dad would think about my near-daily abuse... or the reason behind it, more accurately. My lips quirked down in another frown and I breathed a sigh.

"No, I'm not."

"You better not be. You're lucky I haven't told your parents about this, but if I find out you're doing drugs on top of all this, I'll be on the phone with your dad faster than you can blink. Especially opiates, that shit fucks you up for good." He turned back to me, handing me the receipt with a stern look. "I'm not going to subject you to an x-ray or anything, even though I should. Promise you'll come back if it gets worse or harder to breathe and I'll let you go. Like I said, I can't really do much for a fractured rib. One to two weeks with maximum bed confinement, and some light exercise every few hours for the next two to three weeks after that and you should be good as new. Of course, that means you're going to miss some school; I could get your work from your professors if you'd like, and I still won't breathe a word to your parents if I can help it, but it's really more of a hassle than is necessary. I suppose I could probably..." He trailed off and began talking to himself under his breath.

"Rob!" I cut him off, more forcefully than angrily. He blinked at me and I explained, "You're rambling again."

He chuckled like he'd always done, genuine and gentle. "Right, sorry. Alright, before you get too antsy to get out of here, I'm going to advise that you sleep on your left side."

"But that's the side my hurt rib's on," I protested.

"Exactly. It helps it to heal faster and increases the likelihood that it will heal properly, not to mention makes it a bit easier to breathe. It'll hurt like a son of a bitch," he conceded reluctantly, "but it's better in the long run." I grumbled a bit before sighing yet again, albeit more heavily — and instantly regretting having done so while groaning from the pain — and agreeing. "Okay then, Karkles. You stay here and I'll go let Sollux know what's going on." He started to walk out without another word, carrying his clipboard and making muffled flip-flop slaps against the linoleum in his fuzzy slippers, but froze when I spoke up.

"It was him this time, Rob."

"Him who?" he asked cautiously, slowly turning back to me.

"Him... him. Trevor."

"He did this to you?" The disbelief in his tone matched that in his face. "Wh-why would he...?"

"Because I hurt him. Because I was selfish."

"Karkat, you weren't selfish!" he argued instantly. "You would rather have spent your day outside in the beautiful park under the shade of an oak tree with your family than stuck inside in a dark room staring at a television screen with the blinds drawn for fear of being seen. He may have been your boyfriend then, but no one, boyfriend or not, has the right to physically hurt you for not wanting to spend one day with them, much less hold a grudge for nearly a year and want to see you punished for normal human desires — nor does he have any ground whatsoever to even begin to classify something like that as selfish. If he thought that was selfish, then you were too good for a dick like him anyway, and if he still has a problem with you, and you're both my patients, so I would readily have access to both yours and his medical records, I'll make sure he won't come around you again!"

He was beginning to get worked up over this. "Not that I'm suggesting I would hurt him in any way, because not only is that illegal, it's immoral, but I would take him to court in a heartbeat. I'm not sure why you haven't sued him yourself already. There's almost no chance we'd lose, and at the very least we could get a restraining order against him. And what's more, I don't think—"

"Robert! Just stop it already. We've been over this; I don't want my sexuality publicized to the world, and the chance I'd get a decent judge who wouldn't throw the case out from the get-go is little to none around here. I was being selfish and I'm now completely fucked over for god knows how long because of it, end of story. I appreciate that you'd be willing to fight in court on my behalf, but it's really not necessary." He started to say something, but I had no desire to continue this conversation. My chest already hurt and having talked as much as I already had was by no means helping. I held up a hand with a sharp exhale of effort. "Stop arguing with me, shitface. Go talk to Sollux or whatever you doctors do away from your patients." He took a deep breath and paused for a moment, collecting himself before he hesitantly turned to leave, glancing at me. The door closed with a quiet click after him.

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