Karkat had pretty much nailed it down to two things. Either he was having heart problems, or he found Sollux attractive. Personally, he really hoped it was option two, because he was only seventeen for fuck's sake, he needed his heart. On the other hand, liking Sollux would be difficult. Karkat had never actually had a crush on a guy, he'd just found some not that hard to look at. But now that he was considering liking Sollux, it made him feel...funny. In a pleasant sort of way. Which was creepy.
"Okay," he mumbled to his reflection in the mirror, "You've seen all the fucked up rom-coms in the world, you can do this shit."
That was probably the biggest lie he'd ever told anyone.
Grapping onto his hair, Karkat bit back a scream of frustration. Why was the idea of liking someone so difficult? Sollux had been flirting, right? Maybe he liked Karkat back, but that only made the feeling worse. Karkat decided that liking someone in this way was hard as fuck. No wonder his parents divorced.
"KK," Sollux knocked on the door, "You've been in there for a long time, everthing okay?"
"Just PEACHY," Karkat snapped back, "ONLY FUZZIER."
"...You thure you're okay?" Sollux asked, laughing a little.
Opening the door, Karkat stared at Sollux with the best poker face he could muster. It didn't seem to be working. "KK, thomething ith wrong, right?" Sollux's face clouded in concern. More. Fucking. Heart. Flutters.
"I'm fine, I just...urg, I'm going to go talk to Meenah!" Karkat sighed, walking past Sollux and avoiding eye contact. He was surprised when he ran into Eridan in the hallway.
"Hey, Kar." Eridan greeted, waving his hand.
"Hey," Karkat mumbled.
"Wwhat's up? You look like you'vve been seein' ghosts." remarked Eridan, raising an eyebrow. Karkat just shook his head and sighed, he was doing a lot of sighing, now. "You havven't seen one, havve you? I mean, this place givves me the creeps!" Eridan glanced around, expression nervous.
"Relax, dimwit, everything's fine." Karkat rolled his eyes.
"Is that any wway to talk to a guy who helped savve your sorry ass from gettin' the shit beat out of it?" Eridan crossed his arms, "You're lucky Sol likes you so much."
Karkat's blood went cold, and he stared at Eridan, eyes wide with incredule. "What?"
"Don't tell me you didn't knoww that Sol lovves you." Eridan chuckled, patting Karkat's head. "There, there. He's hot, ain't he? Ask 'im about it." And with that, Eridan waltzed off to Feferi's room.
What else could Karkat do? He plopped down on the futon and sighed, more sighing, then he tried to fall asleep. "Fuck," he mumbled into his pillow, "Fuck it all."
...
Now, Sollux was not your typical Alabama raised farm boy. No, he grew up in the suburbs, raised by a smothering father and mother. He was picked on because of his lisp, and hardly had any friends. Until he met some boy who stuttered with his letter 'W' and a chubby rich girl, Sollux had been on his own. He always thought he'd be on his own, that was how he was born, that was how he would die. Alone.
Until some short guy with massive bags under his eyes came running out of a motel diner offering to carry the luggage Sollux was being suffocated under.
That had done it, never before had someone ran up to Sollux and tried to help him. Not once. Obviously, this boy stood out amongst the crowd. Karkat was so helpful, and he had no idea. He was always helping people, and Sollux was helplessly drawn to that. Karkat would be his, it was strange of Sollux to be possesive of aything, but there Karkat was. Just so damn cute and fluffy, Sollux thought his chest would leak rainbows. And now, he was sitting on a futon next to this adorable human being, his heart caught in his throat, as the sun shone spiralling rays of light onto his back.
"KK," he said, poking Karkat's shoulder, "Wake up, it'th morning."
"Sholluff, leaf meh gahdone." came the muffled reply.
Rolling his eyes, Sollux kept poking Karkat until he finally sat up, hissing like a cat. They verbally wrestled towards the kitchen, Sollux taking note of Karkat's blushing every now and again, and the teens shuffled to their respective breakfast items.
Meenah sat on the kitchen counter, "Okay, kids, you're going to help me out some more, today!"
"Are you fucking serious?" Karkat groaned, somehow managing to look sexy while he complained, as Sollux grinned to himself.
"I'm dead serious, Crabby. You and Amber-eyes here are going to help get some beer bottles off the roof." Meenah nodded decisively.
"Sis, what the glub are beer bottles doing on your roof?" Feferi asked, looking up from her fruit salad. Meenah shot her sister a shrug, "Number twenty-seven liked to throw things."
"TWWENTY-SEVVEN?" Eridan spat out his orange juice, "YOU WHORE!"
"Eridan!" Feferi cried.
"Don't worry, I didn't sleep with all of them. Only thirteen of them." Meenah mused, looking nostalgic. Sollux glanced at Karkat and faked gagging, making the shorter boy snort.
"Alright, get to work!" Meenah said, "Chop chop!"
There was a ladder laying in the front yard, forgotten. Sollux had to haul the thing to the side of the house and make sure it was safe to use before Karkat helpfully crawled up on the roof, throwing the beer bottles in a garbage bag. And then the chore was complete.
Meenah, however, seemed to be sort of a sadist. "You guys have got to dust the place."
"Are we your slaves or some shit?" Karkat growled.
"Watch it, or I'll get the whip!" Meenah mimicked some sort of accent, whatever it was, it made Karkat laugh. Sollux laughed along, for good measure.
As luck would have it, there was an extreme lack of dust. Karkat was overly pleased with the situation, and Sollux watched him beam quietly to himself. It made his heart flutter like a frickin' pigeon, and Sollux loved it. He wanted this flutter to last. He wanted Karkat to last.
They both let out a small sigh, then looked at eachother wide eyed. "We're thyncronithed." Sollux chuckled. Karkat blushed a warm pinkish colour, and looked at his feet. "Guess so."
Oh, lord, he was making it very difficult for Sollux to stay in the friend-zone.
...
Feferi decided she approved of Karkat. Also, Sollux was watching him like a lost puppy, and she couldn't bare to see him like that. She casually suggested to Meenah that they should get stuck together on chore duty, which would conviently land her with Eridan the entire day.
Karkat had figured that all out.
"Your friend is really eager on spending time with her boyfriend," he said to Sollux.
"That'th what coupleth do, KK," Sollux shrugged, "Thpend time together."
"I know that, dipshit, I just meant she didn't have to abandon us." Karkat snapped, rolling his eyes. Sollux frowned at him, then started singing.
"Why can't we be friendth, why can't we be friendth~?" chimed Sollux, wrapping an arm around Karkat's shoulder. The shorter teen burst out laughing, as Sollux continued his out of tune chanting. Karkat then loudly joined in, shocking Sollux a little bit, with a perfectly pitched voice and not a note off key. Yeah. Karkat was flipping amazing.
"Thing thomething elth!" Sollux pleaded, his amber eyes wide.
"Forget about it," Karkat hummed.
"I won't!" Sollux declared, raising a fist in the air.
Karkat laughed, a warm feeling growing in his chest. Sollux, he thought with a smile. Karkat had no idea what to do with this warmth, but he knew he liked it. And Sollux. What else could he say about this?
The sound of a ringing phone called out, Sollux walking over to retrieve his mobile. "Hello?" he asked, not recognising the number that had shown up on the ID.
"Uh, yes, hello. This is Kankri Vantas, I am under the impression that my younger brother, Karkat, called me from this number. Is that correct?"
Freezing, Sollux held out the phone to his friend. Karkat took it, wondering who on earth would be calling him on Sollux's phone. "Yes?"
"Karkat, it's me." Kankri said, it sounded as if there was a motor in the backround. "You said you were in Iowa?"
"Yeah, why?" Karkat raised an eyebrow.
Kankri let out a small breath, "Well, I'm at the border. What town are you in?"
"Wait- WHAT?" Karkat cried, almost dropping the phone. Kankri repeated himself, then added, "Karkat, I drove out here for four days. At least grace me with the address."
Dumbstruck, Karkat gave his brother the information. "Great," Kankri chirped, and the line went dead. Holy shit. Holy. SHIT.
After a few minutes of silence, Sollux started to get worried. "My brother is on his way here," Karkat finally managed to inform the other boy, "He drove here. all the way from Oklahoma."
"Wow," Sollux whistled, "You think he'th gonna...take you back with him?"
"Probably!" Karkat gritted his teeth, "That son of a bitch."
Sollux chuckled, "Technically thpeaking, he'th your brother, doethn't that make you a thon of a bitch, too?"
"Nevermind that!" Karkat hissed, "He'll drag me out of here, I know he will."
"Tho, you want to thtay?" Sollux murmured.
"Fuck yes, I want to stay! You're better company than any of those shit eaters up there." Karkat spat, shaking his head. "Kankri isn't gonna get me one fucking inch past that border!"
Sollux smiled, "I won't let him."
"Easier said then done," Karkat warned him.
...
Kankri looked an awful lot like Karkat. The only difference were his eyes, a pale greyish shade, while Karkat's were sort of burgandy. Other than that, they were like twins. So when Sollux opened the door, he was a little shocked to see a doppledanger of KK standing right in front of him.
"My brother Karkat is here, right?" said the voice from the phone.
Sollux gave a nod, relieved that Kankri didn't sound like Karkat. He had a quiet voice, whereas Karkat always seemed to be on the brink of yelling. Kankri brushed past him, not even looking at him. "KARKAT, YOU TRIGGERING ASSHAT, GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE."
So much for not sounding the same.
"Kankri, my bro, my pal, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?" Karkat screamed back, like it was a reflex. The two brothers had a very loud argument about runaways, Kankri eventually calming down and apologising. Karkat glared daggers at him.
It was a good thing Meenah had some whisky, because Cronus had tagged along. Sollux was a little shocked by the German, who looked a lot like an average guy brooklyn back in the 70s. Cronus and Eridan got along quite well, drinking and conversing with eachother as though they were old friends. Feferi seemed eager to ask Karkat questions about his brother, while said brother got flirted with by Meenah. Sollux felt out of place.
"Okay, let's cut straight to the heart of this fucking matter." Karkat finally muttered.
Kankri and Cronus exchanged a look. "We're bringing you home." Kankri said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the entire universe.
Karkat bristled, "No way."
"You're underaged," Kankri reminded him, "You've been staying with these nice people, but you still have to come home. Even after graduating early, you've still got college to think about."
"I don't need college!" Karkat spat, standing. "I don't need home, and I most certainly don't fucking need you to try and haul me back to that wasteland!"
"Karkat," Cronus said, "You have to consider your options from here. Meenah von't let you stay forever."
"I'll be the judge of that!" Meenah cut in, crossing her arms. Karkat gave a smug nod in agreement, but Kankri was already backing up his case. "Mom was surprised, I spoke to her about it after you called. You know her, Karkat. She gets really caught up in the moment, she forgets things. She only wants you to come home."
Karkat looked frozen, he glanced at Meenah for more help, but she seemed to be caught in between right and wrong. Feferi looked helpless, Eridan was staring at his feet, only Sollux was looking at him. Sollux, with his yellow eyes wide in horror.
Karkat knew what he had to do. "I'll get my bag." He rounded out of the room, slipping on his shoes and grabbing his backpack. Kankri thought he had won. Oh boy, he was wrong.
Sollux followed Karkat right into the living room. "You can't be therious, KK."
"I'm sorry," was all Karkat said.
It was a huge ass understatement to describe everyone being shocked with Karkat's next move. They heard the clicking of a doorknob, felt the gust of cool air, and then footsteps speeding off into the darkened night.
"Shit!" Kankri exclaimed, running out the door to follow his brother. Cronus ran after him, Meenah after Cronus, Feferi after Meenah. Eridan paused at the exit, glancing over at a shell-shocked looking Sollux.
"You knoww," Eridan smiled, "I think he probably ran around the back of the house to trip us up."
Sollux swallowed, nodded tightly, and ran out the back door. KK was really an idiot.
Karkat didn't feel like an idiot. He was running faster than he'd ever run in his life, cold air lashing at his forehead and sides. Taking the front door had been smart, he knew this was the right thing to do as his sneakers barely scraped the dead grass beneath him. A never ending field was his only escape route, and he wasn't turning back this time. Not even if it would dull the throbbing pain in the pit of his stomach.
AN: Oops, I accidetally got carried away. Poor Sollux.