A/N: Hey there guys and gals, Archimedies here, bringing you the fuckin eleventh chapter of this shit. This prompt has been suggested by Eye'sMoon, who wanted me to do someform of TereziXfuck knows chapter. I went with Karkat X Terezi, and I hope I did your idea justice. And Koniax Hyasen, I am going to get your chapter done, but I thought i'd give it a bit before I got onto the pale shipping. Hope that's alright by you. Now, if you want your Ship in a chapter, yes, you, person reading this authors note, just drop it in the reviews or a PM, along with a situation or prompt for it. Once you've done that, I'll get on it as quickly as possible. Hoping for plenty of chapters, so I have something to do with my life. Anyway, enjoy this one. Bye :3

Story 11: Too close.

"C'mon Karkles, hurry it up!"

"Fuck off Terezi"

"We can't let the perp get away"

"What fucking perp! You still haven't explained who we're chasing like a pair of useless fucks!"

Karkat was stumbling and staggering through the forest, hot on the heels of Terezi. Or, he'd like to think he was. In reality, he was some distance behind her, but he was loath to admit a blind girl could pick her eay through the underbrush any better then he could. And yet, that was a relatively true fact, as Terezi managed to skip, jump, and vault her way through the trees and bushes of the forest, while Karkat managed to trip over everything in his path, and then tripped some more. Terezi vanished through a particularly thick set of bushes, and Karket stumbled over a protruding root, catching his foot on a fallen branch and slamming face first into the ground.

"Fuck!"

"Karkles? Have you hurt yourself"

"Well, fucking yeah" He put a hand to his face, and it came away wet. And more importantly, red. "Oh shit" He staggered to his feet, and wiped away at his bleeding nose, trying to stem it before Terezi found her way back. Too late, as she exploded out the brush and stood there panting.

"Karkles? Are you ok?"

He stood frozen for a moment, waiting for the shock, the disgust, the anger. Before mentally kicking himself. She's stone cold blind, you absolute fucktard. He felt a crashing wave of relief.

"Yeah" His voice wavered, and he hissed with anger, before collecting himself. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tripped and busted my nose"

Terezi stepped towards him, and before he could move back, her hands had snaked out and clasped him by the sides of his head.

"Terezi, the fuck-"

"Are you sure you're ok?" She turned his face back and forth, sniffing loudly. Oh shit. "I smell...Red?"

Karkat seized her wrists, and pulled them away from his face. "Erm. Yeah. I landed face fucking first in a bunch of shitty red flowers" She gave him a worried look, but dropped her hands. Hoping to break the silence, hoping she'd bought it, he cleared his throat.

"So, err. Did we at least catch the fuckin'...Perp?" If he was looking to distract her, he'd done it well. She seemed to stand up straighter, and a huge grin split her face.

"Yup! We've managed to apprehend notorious crime boss, slime scale! So called due to his...Questionable business practises. But now, we have him with a briefcase of stolen beetles, and a pair of cuffs just for him!" She grabbed Karkat by the hand, and began dragging him through the forest. He made no move to escape her grasp, just allowing himself to be dragged behind her. He almost glad she was holding his hand so tight. It meant she couldn't feel him shake.

"Here we are! Scale's cooling his jets in the cruiser" He followed her pointing finger to see her indicating a large cluster of bushes. Beside them was a large cave. He reached across, and adjusted her arm until she was pointing to the cave.

"You mean that cruiser?"

Terezi dropped her arm, and blushed. "Yeah. Follow me!" He walked after her as she pranced up to the cave. He stopped at the mouth. And hurled himself backwards with a shout as her massive dragon lusus poked its head out. He scrambled backwards on his arse for a few seconds, before dragging himself to his feet, and dusting himself off.

"Right. Ok. You said something about cuffs? 'Cause I'm noticing a distinct lack of restraint on that motherfucker!"

"Oh don't worry yourself Karkles. He's under complete control" With no fear, she walked up, and grabbed a length of vine that was wrapped around its jaw, keeping its mouth closed. She half dragged, half lead it out of the cave. "Now walk yourself back to the precinct! We're gonna have ourselves an execution!"

An hour later, he sat beside Terezi, on the roof her treetop hive. Her lusus had allowed her to tie the "noose" around its neck, and graciously pretended to fall dead when she tightened it, before getting bored of her bullshit, and flying off god knows where to do god knows what. Eat unsuspecting trolls, probably. He shook his head and smiled, before turning to find Terezi staring at him.

"What?"

"Noooothing" She crooned, before shifting closer to him. And placing her hand atop his. Karkat blushed, but shrugged it off. She'd always been very physical. But no matter how physical she normally was, he couldn't help but tense when she lay her head against his shoulder.

"Terezi?"

"What?"

He had a lot of things he wanted to say. Some of them involved her getting the fuck off him, some were him asking her if she was ok, in a variety of ways, and others were things he didn't even want to think about.

So he settled for silence. And slipping an arm around her to pull her closer.

She snuggled against him, and they sat there for a while, staring into the horizon.

"Karkat?"

He snapped out of his stupor, and glanced down at her. Her eyes were closed.

"Yes?"

It wasn't often she used his actual name.

"You're lonely"

"What? Fuck off. I'm with you, I can't be lonely"

As he said it, he felt a change in the air. That sentance could easily be misconstrued. What its true meaning was, he wasn't really sure.

"That's not what I mean. And you know it"

He tensed uncomfortably.

"Look, I don't know what-"

"You think you're a freak"

He stopped talking. Oh shit. Oh no.

"Wh-what?" It wasn't often he was speechless.

"I'm not an idiot Karkat. I know what you've been hiding"

Oh no. He tried to rise, to walk away from this conversation, the strange path it seemed to be taking. But she pulled him back down.

"No. It's not. Not..."

Oh for fuck sake. He was crying. Crimson tears tracking down his cheeks.

"Not what Karkles?"

"Not...Not who I am..."

She gave a little snort. He turned to her, sadness becoming anger, about to absolutely lay into her for laughing at him. But her sad little smile stopped him.

"I know"

"Huh?"

"I know that Karkat. As we've established, I'm not stupid" He just sat and stared. As quick as it had come, his anger was gone. She reached up, and took his face in her hands, gently, and pulled herself closer. "You're still my grouchy little Karkat" His blood was still smeared across his upper lip, and she pulled herself closer, taking a long hard sniff. "I worked it out a long time ago. But I wasn't sure whether or not...To bring it up" And like that, Karkat was reduced to a sniveling mess, tears streaming down his face, little snorts and choking sobs escaping him as he buried himself in her arms. Here, in the arms of one of his closest friends, he disappeared, just for the moment. She held him close, and pressed her lips against his forehead.

"Oh god Terezi"

"It's ok. It's ok Karkat"

She didn't release her hold as she slumped down, carrying him to the ground. They lay there, side by side, clutching at each other for warmth, support, and purpose. Fairly soon, he'd cried himself out, and just lay there, breathing deeply and pressing himself against her. The stars were out. And though it was night, they were warm in their embrace. Terezi wrapped herself around the shorter troll, pressing her face against his neck, taking him in. All of him. Even...

"Karkat?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I can smell your blood" He went limp against her. There was silence, and then...

"Do you like it?

She gave a little giggle.

"You're an idiot, Karkat"

"What!?"

She slumped against him too. Sleep was close now.

"Red's my favorite colour"

He gave a breathy sigh.

"And you're my favorite troll"