Saying goodbye, Karkat had learned, was a difficult task.
Barely past the Iowa state border, Gamzee and Terezi requested to walk to there destination from where they were. "It's cool, Bro." Gamzee said, "My dad lives all up in the motherfucking fields over there!" He pointed for emphasis, and Eridan's shoulders sagged.
"It wwas really nice meetin' you," he sighed, "Maybe wwe'll meet again?"
"We can only hope." Terezi said, then, as if it were her way of waving, she ran her fingers down everyone's face. Stopping short at Karkat, she leaned in and whispered, "Good luck." He raised an eyebrow, hoping she would somehow sense it with her blind girl powers.
Gamzee, on the other hand, liked hugs.
"Oh, Karkat! You'll always be my pale-bro!" Gamzee mock-sobbed, clinging to the latter's shoulders. This made Karkat very uncomfortable, albeit he mentioned nothing. "Bye, Gamzee. Take care of her."
"More like the other way around," Terezi rolled her pupil-less eyes. Gamzee returned her insult with a kiss to the cheek, and then they were gone.
The rest of the ride was silent, Eridan's light humming the only sound that dared to carry out. Sollux, by Karkat's observations- he wasn't staring or anything, was a little sore in the back from falling asleep on the roof. Karkat didn't blame him, but his eye was stinging more than his spine. The wounds from the bar fight were mostly healed, only a bruised eyelid and finger marks around his neck remained. Karkat was suddenly glad for his quick-to-heal genetics. This, however, reminded him of his brother.
Kankri Vantas was not nearly as loud as Karkat had been as a child, and he certaintly wasn't as reckless. Nonetheless, it was always Kankri who came home with more bruises, cuts, and scars. Always Kankri who made their mother worry her ass off. Always Kankri, always, always, Kanrik Vantas who took the blame for whenever Karkat got in trouble.
"Sollux," Karkat said, "Does your phone cover long distance calls?" His question had broken the silence, and Sollux looked at him with a quiet inquizitiveness.
"Yeah," Sollux finally said, then he tossed the phone onto Karkat's lap. Surprised and grateful, Karkat dialed the one number he had been avoiding. Well, one of them.
Riiing. Riiing. Riiing. Riii- Click.
"Hello?"
Karkat's heart stopped as he said, "Kankri."
Silence followed, and for a fearful moment, Karkat was sure his brother would hang up, that he would disregard him just as their mother had. A short lived moment.
"Karkat," Kankri said at last. He sounded like he was on the brink crying. "Karkat, where are you? Oh god, where are you?"
"Iowa," Karkat laughed, a tremendous weight rose from his chest. "I'm in Iowa."
"What the fuck are you doing in Iowa?" Kankri wasn't mad, a very unusual occurance, no, Kankri was relieved.
"I actually don't know. I'm with some people, random fuckers. We're friends, now." Karkat added that last bit upon Sollux's bemused expression.
A shuffle was heard on the other end of the phone, and Karkat swore he made out the voice of Kankri's friend, Cronus. "Vhat? Karkat? Really?" The German accent was inmistakable.
"Cronus!" Karkat exclaimed, realising he must have been switched to speaker phone.
"You seemed to have triggered your brother's emotions," mused the German.
Kankri complained, "You've been missing for months! Karkat why didn't you call sooner?"
"Er," he bit his lip. Did Kankri not know? "Mom, uh, kicked me out." Karkat finally mumbled. He felt a light hand on his shoulder, and his eyes trailed upwards, meeting golden ones. Bright yellow. Sollux wasn't wearing his glasses, and somehow that made Karkat feel really special.
"Mom said you ran off," Kankri muttered, "I don't get it."
"She...she said that I wasn't...Kankri, I'm gay." the confession had been less difficult over the last few weeks, but to his own brother, Karkat felt all awkward again. Especially with Cronus listening in, and he had probably just spat out his cigarette judging by the sudden coughfing fit.
"Guess it runs in families." wheezed Cronus, and Kankri let out a shrill sound. Like a girlish shriek. "Wait- what?" Karkat asked.
"You too, huh? You really...Should've told me about that. Warned me." Kankri sounded either flustered or upset, when Karkat suddenly strung things together.
"You're...no way...YOU?" his own brother had never told him! Then again, Karkat had made out with Mituna that one time. Mituna hadn't told Kankri, clearly, but Karkat suddenly felt really guilty. Great.
"You are both, vhat you call, homosexuals!" piped up Cronus.
"Fuck," Kankri deapanned, "And you told Mom?"
"Only about me, I didn't know about you!" mortified, Karkat clapped a hand over his face. Sollux had inched closer, expression concerned, yet, highly amused. 'Fuck off' Karkat mouthed, and Sollux shook his head, 'My phone' was mouthed back.
"You do realise it would be in your best interest to tell Mom that you're okay, right?" Kankri mumbled into the reciever. Karkat scoffed, "Fuck no."
"I'm glad you called, anyway." Kankri said it so quietly, it was almost lost in his heavy breathing.
"I'll call you again, okay?" Karkat was starting to get emotional, but he was a badass, goddammit. No brother over the phone weeps were acceptable. Nope.
"Yeah, as soon as you can. Please," Kankri seemed to be regaining composure. Karkat smiled, they bid eachother farewell, and hung up.
"Was that your brother or something?" Sollux said, immediately after Karkat let his hand fall.
"Shut up," he chuckled. You aren't going to cry, he thought. Not here. Not now.
Sollux consiously wrapped his arm around the shorter boy's shoulders, pretending not to notice the few tears that dripped onto the floor. Karkat relaxed into him, just appreciating how warm Sollux was. He was appreciative of Sollux faking obliviousness to his tears, but fuck, this guy was really making it hard to focus. His eyes, his hair, his nose. They were all really captivating. (Should a pun of Sollux's last name be inserted Karkat would rather not say)
"Thanks," he grumbled, "You fuckass." That was the last Karkat remembered before suddenly being pulled into a state of drowsy unconsiousness.
...
Iowa, Karkat decided, had a lot of fucking fields. Not that there was anothing wrong with fields, but there were so damn many of them. How did people keep track of where a field ended, anyway? Having moved up to shotgun, Karkat anxiously watched the grasslands pass by, instead of looking to his left, where Sollux currently occupied all of hisperipheral vision. Some point during the morning, Eridan and Feferi wanted to get some rest and sent Sollux up to the wheel. Karkat had somehow managed to fall asleep on the brunet's shoulder, and was awkwardly forced up there with him.
"That," Sollux said, "Ith a thitload of grath."
"No kidding," Karkat laughed, "So many fields. I mean, god, is this LEGAL?"
"Apparently," Sollux grinned. It made his eyes sparkle, making Karkat realise that his glasses were still off. Why that made his heart feel all flutterish, he knew not.
"This road, guys." a sleepy Feferi called from the back, pointing left. Sollux turned, a long dirt trail laid out ahead, with, you wouldn't believe, more fields! Karkat wasn't sure if laughing or screaming in rage was appropriate for the emotion he now felt towards this.
Feferi's sister had a large house, sitting at the top of a hill. Karkat could see a pool and a hot tub poking out from the rear. The house was pretty average, resembling most farmland buildings, and it was painted a lovely shade of blue, it looked almost grey. Karkat smiled as they stopped in the driveway, watching Feferi anxiously loop fingers with Eridan.
"What if she doesn't want to see me?" Feferi mumbled. Eridan pulled her into a one armed hugged, then whispered something in her ear. Judging by the cute giggle Feferi let out, it was words of encouragement. Sollux opened the passenger seat door, helping Karkat climb out. The raven haired of the two stumbled, only to be face-to-chest with Sollux's lovely collar bone. Karkat quickly stepped back, awkwardly hovering behind Sollux, and they proceeded their way to the door.
Feferi poked the doorbell, timidly.
A few large stomps and an angry door swing came two seconds later. The door opened to reveal a girl with piercings in her eyebrows, snakebites, and multiple earrings. Her long brown hair was tied up in multiple braids, her blue eyes garded by pink circular glasses.
"Fef?" she said, her bubbly voice completely betraying her appearence.
"Hey, Meenah." Feferi greeted.
Karkat froze, as Meenah happily greeted her sister with a hug, "It's been forever! Why didn't you glubbing call me? Psh, good to see you! Eridan, Sollux, I should've known! And who's..."
Their eyes met. Meenah tensed, "Vantas?"
"Hello, Meenah." Karkat spluttered.