Author's Note: Both the good and the bad side of being as psyched as I am to write this chapter is that I want to write it so bad, I started on pencil and paper, while sitting bored out of my mind in Spanish 3 with the worst fucking teacher ever (of all time) no less, so on top of hand-writing this damn thing, I also feel the need to translate it into Spanish as I go, and I have no doubt whatsoever I will at some point write some damn word in Spanish (most likely "and": "y") multiple times. Luckily for me, approximately three-quarters through the first paragraph, we were told to go get our computers, which means I get to type, yay~

Not gonna lie, I was really freakin' pleased with the reviews on the last chapter. You guys are wonderful. FFF, you never cease to amaze me. You are the best. And happy 15th, DJHF! Birthday buddies~! :D Don't worry, too, your review was lovely, darling. Liife, you have no right to be upset with me! Your writing has killed me many a time. Shoosh your face. :P Thanks to Roses for the split AN idea. It's a good 'un. And BleuFlyinKittens. Again. *squeal* While still on the topic of fans, I gained a new superfan today (superfans are people who follow and favorite both me and one or more stories of mine). Shout out to awesomesauce20891, you are baller as shit dude (as well as to everybody else who's a badass superfan).

Chapter Nineteen: Read away, friends!

Sollux not returning before sundown left me with a sickening fear churning in my gut and, later, dark hours of sleeplessness punctuated only by nightmares I couldn't remember after they'd wake me up. The frequency with which I found myself in the bathroom, panting over the sink and washing my face with the coldest water I could get out of the faucet, just in the few hours between dusk and dawn, was frightening in its own right. These "dreams" were no better, and every time I finally got to sleep, I'd wake up what seemed like no more than an instant later feeling like someone had tried to suffocate me in my sleep; lightheaded and lost.

Of course I'd tried to call him, but whenever I dialed his number, a phone would ring in the bedroom and some douchebag would pop up on the caller ID ("My KK 3" was the name listed, whoever the fuck that was, paired with an image of the most pissed-off motherfucker I'd ever seen trying to keep from having his photo taken) on Sollux's fucking phone. Of course the idiot hadn't taken it with him, and now I was the one paying for it. Or maybe he was. But I didn't like to think about that.

I checked the clock around dawn, pausing in my vigil of watching the sun rise high enough I could justify getting out of bed — though who I was justifying myself to, I couldn't say. I figured around six I could get away with a phone call without disturbing anyone. Luckily for me, the clock read 5:48, so I didn't have long to wait. Six on the dot, I dialed the number of the hospital, hoping Robert was already at work. I'd long since revealed our relationship to him, considering he knew about my crush from near the beginning, and if anyone could help me with what to do, it'd be him.

A female voice answered the phone. "Hello, this is—"

"Cheryll," I finished for her.

"Uh... y-yes, this is Cheryll." She sounded unnerved, to say the least. "May I ask—"

"It's Karkat."

"Oh, Karkat! Are you okay, is anything wrong?" Her voice, which previously had been polite and professional, now was full of urgent concern.

"I'm... okay. I guess. but I need to talk to Rob. Is he busy?"

"Let me check." She muttered unintelligibly to herself for a moment. "He's not busy at the moment, but he will be soon."

"Can I talk to him for a bit?"

"Sure, hold on."

Oddly cheery — well, for a hospital, anyway — hold music played for a few seconds before my old friend's voice took over. "'Ello?"

"Hey, Robert."

"Oh, 'ey, Karka', 'ow'sh igoin?" I had an eyebrow raised at his radical change in speech until he answered my unasked question. "Eugch, sorry. Had a pencil in my mouth."

"Hm," I dismissed, lowering my eyebrow and shaking my head to rid it of the thought.

"So what's up?"

"I... have a problem. Kind of. I guess you could say I'm dating a problem, but I don't know if that makes sense."

"We're talking about Sollux, correct?"

"Yeah. Um. Last night, we—"

"I sincerely hope you're not going to burden me with knowledge of your sex life." I winced at the bluntness of his statement.

"No. Kind of. Not really."

"Great." He seemed unenthusiastic, but I could almost see the teasing smile on his face. He didn't mean any harm by it.

"Rob, seriously," I half-begged.

"Fine, fine, what is it?"

"We had an argu— w-we had a fight. He asked me about sex and one thing led to another, fucking after I agreed to it, and he left. He drove off and he-he didn't, he... he didn't come back last night. He left his phone here and I don't know where he went and I can't even turn on the news in case it shows our truck crashed along the side of some goddamn highway with the headline 'Sleep Deprived Driver Found Dead at the Wheel.' I'm freaking the fuck out, Rob, and I don't know what to do, and I can't fucking deal with the thought of losing him, one way or another, so soon after losing Kanaya, much less the possible reality of that, I don't know what to do, I'm losing my fucking mind!"

After a slight hesitation, he asked, "What exactly did he say to you before he left?"

"He said, 'I need a break, I'm going for a drive.'"

The line was quiet for a while. I thought for a second that he'd given up on me, but eventually, he sighed softly into the receiver. "So you don't know where he is, you have no way of contacting him, and you're afraid he might have gone into some drug-induced psychopathic rage and crashed. I hate to say it, kiddo, but you're kinda fucked. Really, honestly, Karkat, and please just listen to me, I think the best advice I can give to you right now is to sit tight. I know that's not what you wanna hear, but think about it; Sollux hasn't left for good. He wouldn't have made it seem like he'd be back if he was leaving. And from what I know, he's a fairly competent driver. I don't think you need to worry about that. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

I closed my eyes and tried to reason an agreement to what he was saying. "If he isn't, Karkat, you need to call the police. If he isn't home by tomorrow, something's wrong and you need to file a missing person's report." We both got unnervingly quiet after that. Rob cleared his throat and said, "Now, as I'm sure Cheryll told you, I do have an early appointment today, so I have to go now. But remember what I told you, okay? He'll be back."

"He said he loved me, Rob. I know I love him. He knows that. What the fuck did I do?"

"Don't think about it. Things will work out in time. Just be patient, Karkles. Speaking of patient, I need to get ready."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Robert. I mean it," I told him, my heart sinking into my stomach even as the words left my mouth.

"I know. Call me when he gets back. Cheryll can take a message if I'm busy."

"Alright. Bye, Rob."

"Bye, kiddo. Hang tight."

Click.

"Yeah," I replied to the dead line. "I'll do that."

It wasn't until around six-thirty in the afternoon that the phone rang again. I'd been following Rob's suggestion and trying to relax, trying to put my possibly physically hurt, possibly no-longer boyfriend out of mind — so of course I'd been playing our family in The Sims 3 all day. I practically jumped out of my skin when the phone rang. All of me said it was Robert; only part of me said he was clueless. The other part... well, I couldn't shake the thought of a different two AM call with the same man that may or may not have similar consequences. Nonetheless, I brought the receiver to my ear without hesitation, knowing whatever he had to say meant more than the digital lie on my computer.

"Hello?"

"I'm a fucking idiot, KK."

Never before, not a single one time in my entire life, had I been so goddamn happy as I was right in that moment to hear a certain someone's annoying, nasally, irritating, grating, fucking perfect voice. Without so much as a second thought on the matter, I responded the way anyone would when they'd heard heaven on the phone. "Where in the sweet almighty taintchaffing fuck have you been, you shitty fuckass cocksucker?!"

"I think the full th'tory can wait 'til later, 'cauth'e, ath' wath' previouth'ly th'tated, I'm a fucking idiot. I need you to come get me. Preferably with money. I drove out to the middle of fuck-all nowhere, I have almoth't no idea where I am, and I uth'ed the last thirty-th'entth' in my pocket pluth' a dime I found on the ground to call you from a payphone becauth'e I don't think that would have bought enough gath' to get me two feet, much leth' home." His tone was high and forced, like he was trying to keep from... crying?

Oh. "Um. Okay. Wh-Where are you?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I know I'm th'omewhere along highway thirty-five at an Ekth'on gath' th'tation... And the truckth' a couple mileth' back."

"Great, well, that's something to go by."

"It'th' all I've got, KK!" he shot in defense. "I'm the th'tupidest th'ack of shit in ekth'ith'tenth'e 'cauth'e I hardly have a clue where I am, ath'ide from being th'tranded at a fucking gath' th'tation without my wallet, I don't have my phone th'o I had to th'pend the few th'enth' I did have on a payphone call th'o I'd have th'ome chanth'e of talking to you again and making thingth' right before I th'tarve out here, and I made a complete ath' of myself yeth'terday because I'm a pathetic dipshit loth'er with no th'enth'e of when enough is e-fucking-nough, and on top of that, the call'th' about to cut out becauth'e I don't have any change left to put in the goddamn thing. I know you're mad at me and you can yell at me all you want later, but I really need your help right now. Pleath'e, KK! I—" The crack in his voice made up my mind.

"Shut up. I'm on my way, alright?"

"I... yeah. Alright."

"I'll see you soon. I love you."

Instead of a response, I got a couple clicks and a dial tone. I hoped it was just the payphone shutting him down rather than him hanging up on me.

True to my word, however, the phone was hardly down for a second before I picked it back up, now waiting for someone to answer while I tracked down some jeans. Again, Cheryll answered first and again she transferred me to Robert. "What's the news, kiddo?"

"I found him. Or, he found me, anyway. Kinda."

"Right, I understand completely."

I growled softly at his sarcasm. "The dick called me from a payphone with the last of his change and told me he's at an Exxon gas station somewhere along highway thirty-five without money, a phone, or gas, the truck's a few miles down the road somewhere, and that I have to go pick him up."

"I'd say he's doing pretty well for himself, wouldn't you?"

"I need to borrow your car, jackass," I told him, bracing myself to root through the closet.

"What reason do I have for allowing you to do that?" he joked.

My answer was a grunted shrug as I pulled on a clean shirt. "'Cause I'm your favorite."

"Out of whom?" he asked with a hearty chuckle.

"Y-You know... me... uh... Latula?" I replied, checking under the bed for my sneakers.

"Alright, fair enough. Do you want me to pick you up after work or you gonna swing by and pick it up?"

"Oh, I'll just come get it myself, Rob," I snarked, straightening up. "You know, if I leave now, I might get there in an hour!"

He laughed again while I pocketed my wallet. "You know what? I'll take my break in a few and come pick you up. You can drop me back off at the hospital and go get Sollux."

"Thanks man. I appreciate it," I told him sincerely, snatching up my house keys and walking back into the living room.

"Don't mention it. I'll be by in ten."

"See ya then." I clicked off the phone and set it in the cradle before making my way to the garage. After a few minutes, I was finally able to find one of those plastic gas cans. Then I went out front and sat on the step and waited. Eventually, a white Forester pulled up to the curb and some prick rolled down the window.

"Get your ass over here kid, I don't have all day."

"Keep your foot on the pedal, old man, I'm workin' on it," I smirked as I climbed into the passenger seat. Rob checked I was buckled in before getting back on 63rd, heading East.

"So—"

I cut him off with a roll of the eyes and the words, "Yeah, my boyfriend's an asshole."

He paused. "I was gonna ask about the whole sex aspect."

"Oh."

"You gonna tell me about it?"

I shrugged internally. I can't say I have much to lose by telling him. "He's so fucking weird about it, man. Like, we've done shit, I've blown him, we've jerked each other off. But he won't go down on me and yesterday he calls me over and is like, 'Th'o, KK, would you like to have th'ekth' with me?' Shit got awkward as balls and the fuck thought I was trying to bang him right then and there and had a goddamn heart attack. Then, of course, just when things start to feel normal again, he goes with some bullshit question, 'How'th' nekth't Th'aturday th'ound?' and an equally bullshit answer, 'Planning it taketh' away th'ome of the pressure.' Then he flips his shit and admits he hasn't been on stabilizers for weeks, and when I told him to go take some, he got pissed again and pointed out that I've been the world's worst boyfriend for just as long as he'd been off meds. Which, I guess, is kind of true... Maybe. Anyway, I tried to apologize and then he went for a quote-unquote 'drive' that ended him up on some godforsaken highway gas station. He slept in the fucking car for Christ's sake. He's such a fucking moron and he does the stupidest shit that I really wish he wouldn't because it worries the hell out of me and if anything happens to him, I'm not gonna forgive myself because it's my job to make sure he takes care of himself."

Robert remained quiet for a full minute after that. Finally, he said, "You have set yourself one hell of a job, you know that?"

"Yeah," I replied softly. "I know. But he's worth it. I don't know what the fuck it is about him, some stupid thing in his idiocy that I can't live without, but he's so worth it."

"You've got it bad, kid."

"No shit. Let's talk about something else."

"Alright. Something else like...?"

"How's Sarah these days?" Sarah was Robert's wife. She was nearly ten years younger than him, but he was an attractive man, despite his age, all dark hair and strong jaw and perpetual, well-kempt scruff, and she obviously like that in a man. She was smart, too, a youthful thirty-some odd year old with waist length flaming red hair and more freckles than a zebra has stripes. Her green eyes could almost rival his in intensity, and they matched perfectly in intelligence. She was a doctor in another part of the city — they'd actually met in med school, for that matter — a decision they'd made so they would never let any possible negative feelings between the two of them interrupt an emergency surgery. Not that they ever fought, but it was rather safe than sorry.

"Well, since you're asking," he told me, a certain pride in his voice as he beamed at the road, "I'm gonna be a father soon."

"Holy shit, dude, congrats!" I exclaimed in surprise, a genuine smile breaking out on my face. "That's great. When's she due?"

"Not for another four and a half months."

"Goddamn, how come you didn't tell me sooner? That's great, man," I repeated.

"In all honesty, we didn't know until recently. She didn't — and really still doesn't — show very much."

"Huh. You'd think, what with you both being doctors and all, that you'd have notice the symptoms sooner."

"You say that like pregnancy is an illness," he laughed. "She didn't react much like expecting mothers usually do, either; hardly any cravings, I think she had morning sickness once? Either way, it wasn't until she started feeling the baby move inside her that we realized she was pregnant."

"Do you know what gender it is?"

"Nope. We've decided to wait until it's born to find out."

"Fair enough," I conceded as he pulled into the parking lot.

When he got out, rather than walking around, I simply crawled across the front seat to the driver's side. Rob stood patiently and waited for me to get settled. "Alright, so," he began in a much more professional tone than he'd spoken with before. "Tank's full, and my car gets a hell of a lot more to the gallon than whatever your piece of shit truck gets—"

"You don't even know what kind of truck I have!" I protested.

"And I'm not likely to, either. I don't even think you know what kind of truck you have, Karkat. Anyway, don't worry about gas, this trip's on me. If you're not home before the hospital closes, I can have Cheryll drop me off, or Sarah can come get me on her way home from work. Call me when you find him." I nodded and he turned towards the hospital. I had started to back out when he paused and added, "And, Karkat?"

"Yeah?" I called out the window.

"Don't be angry with him. People who use mood stabilizers, if they stop without warning, they always say something or do something they'll live to regret."

"I've been dealing with him for years, Rob," I assured him. "He's an asshole on drugs, he's an asshole off. He's still my asshole and I can't stay mad at him, for anything."

"Alright. Hope you find him quick."

"Me, too," I murmured to myself, rolling the window up and maneuvering out of the parking lot.

Just when I thought I was done with this chapter, I realized I'd skipped over the highway Sollux was on and the gas station he was at (literally, I had "highway ### at a|n XXXXXXXXX gas station" written down as a placeholder). Luckily for me, I knew how to quickly and accurately find those things, as well as calculate variables that would allow them to fit in the story. Unluckily for me, I wrote this in the car halfway to Santa Cruz from buttfuck nowhere Calaveras County. Guess what I don't have~! That's right, internet. Now I also realize I could have easily bullshitted it, you know, "After Sollux told me where he was, dadadadada...," but where's the fun in that? Right again, friend, there isn't any. Fuck that easy shit. I'd rather do it right than easy.

Hope you enjoy, my friends. Review please~!