Thing is, I've had this chapter done for months, literally. But I don't have any of the fourth chapter done yet and I really didn't want to post this until I had the next chapter done, but I've already been making you all wait for so long for a chapter that's already done. And I think that's mildly ridiculous. So yeah, have this chapter, but keep in mind it could be quite awhile until I put up the next one. :/ Lame, I know, but whatever.

You aren't asleep for even an hour when Terezi arrives back at your room, cackling loudly.

"Hey Karkles, wake up wake up wake up!" She's bouncing lightly on your bed, and you pull your covers over your head. She pulls them back off.

"What the heck do you want?!" you snap at her, trying to burrow deeper into your bed and away from Terezi.

"I'm back! We should do something, Karkat!" the ginger scoots closer, hovering over you with a grin.

"Yeah, we should!" you tell her, feigning excitement that drops with your next statement. "And sleeping is the only sensible thing I can come up with."

"Aw, c'mon!" she whines, smacking you lightly on the head with her hand. "Don't be such a sour puss!"

"A sour puss? Really?" you ask, finally giving in and sitting up.

"Well you're no fun!"

"That's not true!" you retort. "We just...have different ideas of fun! And yours are absurd!"

Terezi gives you a pretty strong shove to the shoulder. "Don't be such a jerk!"

"What do you want to do anyways?"

"I don't know. I was thinking we could watch a movie or play a game or something," she tells you. You perk up at the mention of movies. You seriously love romcoms. You can't really say why, you just know you do.

"Fine, whatever. Let's watch a movie."

20 minutes later, the two of you were completely engrossed in The Little Mermaid. It was Terezi's idea to watch it. Well, you watched it, she listened. She informed you that she had seen this movie about a million times before she went blind, so she knew what everything looked like anyways. You had never actually seen it, despite it being quite popular, so you shushed her, albeit half-heartedly.

Time seemed to go by really fast as you were watching, and you could feel Terezi play with your hair as she listened. You couldn't bring yourself to care very much, the movie seeming to be more important.

As the falling action played out, Terezi questions, "What do you look like?"

You stiffene, pressing your lips in a fine line. "What do you mean?

"What color is your hair and eyes and skin and stuff? I already know you're pretty short, but I need more details to get a decent mental image," the ginger girl tells you. You sigh, deciding to indulge her. She would pull it out of you anyways, one way or another, you knew.

"My skin is pale, light. I have freckles. Not too many though, just some on my nose and neck and arms. Probably my back too, or at least that's what everyone tells me," you inform Pyrope. "I sunburn easily, so I don't go outside much. My friends and I always play inside. Or played, I guess. The doctors make it sound as if I'm going to be staying here for a long time."

Terezi giggles, but it doesn't sound very happy. "Hate to break it to you, Karkles, but you will be here for awhile. I've been here for...wow, I really don't know how long. Months. Maybe even a year. I stopped caring, I guess."

Silence between the two of you carries out as the ending of the movie plays in the background. You let it carry on until the ending credits roll, when Terezi speaks up, "So, what does the rest of you look like?"

"I have white hair," you tell her, deciding that you shouldn't keep any secrets. It would be pointless, especially if she ever gets her sight back. "Red eyes."

"Red?" she questions, tilting her head to the side.

"Well, it's more of a reddish brown I guess."

"I could smell it anyways," she says. You roll your eyes at her, about to reply when someone taps on the door. The two of you turn to see who it is, (in Terezi's case, smell), and it's no one you recognize. But apparently Terezi does, as she jumps up from the bed, almost pummeling the boy in the doorway.

"Sollux! You're here!"

"Yes, I'm here. I told you I would visit," Sollux replies. The first thing you notice about him is his lisp. It's not too heavy of one, but it's still there. The next few things you notice are his fluffy brown hair, fair skin, and his height. He's at least 5 inches taller than you. He's also wearing 3D glasses, and even from here, you can see that one eye of his is blue, and the other is brown. You find this peculiar, but you're no better, so you don't question it.

Sollux soon pries Terezi off of him, turning to you.

"Who's this?" he asks. Terezi quickly answers for you.

"Oh, that's Karkat! He's going to be staying here with me. We just got done watching The Little Mermaid."

"Oh god," Sollux mutters, rolling his yes. "You actually agreed to that?" he asks you. You scowl and cross your arms, but nod.

"Yes. It isn't a bad movie, matter of fact. I happen to enjoy it."

The brown haired boy hums in return, walking Terezi to her bed. "You ready for me to read?" he questions. Terezi nods eagerly, getting comfortable on her bed. He sits down in the chair next to it. You feel awkward just watching, so you thank the Heavens when your dad arrives just then with Jade.

"Ah," Jade starts upon seeing Terezi and Sollux. "I see you have Sollux here! It's so good to see your friends visiting you!" she tells Terezi, who nods in response. Jade then turns to you, and gestures to your father.

"We can all take this to another room, perhaps my office? Sollux doesn't visit often, we shouldn't really interrupt."

You nod, relieved. From the way everyone makes it sound, it's like those two are a...thing. "Okay."

And with that, the three of you set off to Jade's office.

Sollux settles down as soon as Karkat and his parade leave, but you speak up before he can start reading.

"I've missed you all," you tell Sollux. He's your best friend, and he's also one of the only one's who has stuck around since you've been in the hospital. He's the only one who hasn't teased you at all for your blindness, and the way you used to stumble. Sollux nods at you, you can tell by the way his jacket makes noise. He gets up, sitting next to you, and you feel his arms around you. You lean into his embrace.

"We know, TZ. We've missed you too," he replies, but you know not everyone has missed you. Vriska, namely. She used to be a really good friend of yours, but she began shunning you as you got sick, thus losing the friendship you had. You don't bring it up, though.

"They don't know if there's a cure for me," you say solemnly. Sollux strokes your hair in comfort, mumbling,

"They'll find one. They're smart guys, you'll get better."

"I hope so."

A pause.

"How's new kid treating you?"

You let a small smile show. "He's cool. He likes movies and love stories and he's unique. Like you. I think you should be friends with him too."

Sollux laughs lightly. "He's kind of a jerk, don't you think?"

"That's just him. He really doesn't mean it."

"And you know this after one day?"

You sigh. "I just know, Sollux. He's a good guy."

"If you say so."

Sollux opens the book, turning to the page you left off on.

"Sollux."

"Yeah?"

"Be nice to him. He's not going to replace you and you know that," you feel the need to tell Sollux. He has attachment issues.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we read now? You know we only get an hour a week."

"Yeah, let's read."

And with that, you let yourself get lost in Sollux's soothing voice, and the words of the story. Time flies by, and you barely notice when Karkat enters. He politely keeps to himself, keeping quiet, and you think he's put in headphones and is listening to music. Your more sensitive ears can pick up the sound even from where you're sitting. Sollux seems to still be a bit tense with him around. You put your hand on his arm, tracing patterns on his skin, and that seems to get him to relax as he's reading. You smile to yourself, but you're sure Sollux could see it if he looked over anyways.

By the time the nurses kick Sollux out, you know it's been well over an hour. You were able to read 5 chapters with him.

"Bye, TZ. I'll see you next week," Sollux gives his farewell. You hug him goodbye, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"You'd better! I promise I won't read without you!" Like you could if you wanted anyways. It's the sentiment that counts.

Sollux hums in reply, and you hear him leave. Not thirty seconds later, Karkat and you are alone, and the white-haired boy immediately pounces on you. Not literally, verbally. With questions.

"Sollux, huh?" he asks.

"Yeah. I told him you guys should be friends!"

Karkat scoffs, "Yeah, right. Not even in my worst nightmare."

"You don't even know him! He's a really cool guy," you defend your best friend.

"Right. Is he your...?" Karkat pauses, and you're not sure what he means.

"My what?"

Karkat hesitates yet again before asking, "Is Sollux your boyfriend?"

You laugh out loud. "Oh, God no! He's just my best friend. We've been practically inseparable since birth," you gloat to Karkat. You're not sure why you're gloating, but you know Sollux's friendship means a lot to you.

"Oh," Karkat's reply is short and small, and if you aren't mistaken, you're sure he's a bit relieved. You brush that off though. You suppose he's only relieved because he doesn't want a bunch of saps sharing a room with him. That makes sense. "Good to know." he adds.

Another nurse walks in then, a new one for the night shift. You haven't met her. You don't quite catch her name, because she doesn't tell you. She seems to be switching out yours and Karkat's IV's, and she tells you that dinner will be up in about 15 minutes.

"Sounds cool," you say. Karkat replies with, "Whatever."

Yeah, you think you two can get along just fine. Now if only Sollux and Karkat could too...