14

14

Karkat ran all the way home without stopping, tears streaming down his face. He reached his apartment lot and scrambled to unlock his door. The only thing on his mind was Keevan, and how much he hated Jack. He was an a*****e and a douchebag. How could Keevan prefer Jack over him?

Karkat opened his apartment door and stumbled in, wiping his eyes. His mother was nowhere to be found. He looked into her office and she wasn’t there, nor was she in the kitchen or her bedroom. Karkat sighed and laid down his backpack beside the kitchen island. He went into his room and lay down on his bed, covering his eyes with his palms. He noticed something on his hand. It was a faded phone number written in pen, Keevan’s phone number.

Karkat took his cell phone from his pocket and typed in the phone number. He quickly wrote a text message and sent it.

KV: I’m sorry. You cried at my expense. And I got angry. I’m sorry.

He received an answer in a few moments.

KK: It’s okay, Karkat. I broke up with Jack. He’s a...a...a butthole!

Karkat felt his heart almost skip a beat. Keevan had broken up with Jack? Did that mean he had a chance? Karkat shook his head. He shouldn’t have been concentrating on that, he should have been asking Keevan how she was. She might have been hurt. He sent another text.

KV: Are you okay.

KK: I’m okay from it, just a little angry at myself for staying with him for so long to no avail.

Karkat sighed. He suddenly felt a little relief that she was okay, and that she had broken up with Jack. He was no good for Keevan. She deserved so much better. He hesitated, but typed his response.

KV: Thank you for being my friend.

KK: You’re welcome! I’m happy to be your friend! :->

Karkat smiled to himself as he continued talking to her.

KV: What kind of smiley face was that. This is a real smiley face. :)

KK: How about a kitty face? :3

KV: That isn’t a cat face. This is a cat face. >(-.-)<

KK: Where are its ears??? And that doesn’t look like a very happy kitty!

KV: So.

KK: I have a new nickname for you!

Karkat cringed. He had a feeling he knew what it was.

KV: Oh god. What.

KK: Karkitty~!

KV: NO.

KK: Karrrrrkittyyy!

Karkat shook his head but chuckled to himself, unable to stop his smile. It was the first time he had enjoyed talking to someone so much, even if it was through text. He felt comfortable talking to her.

KV: Fine. If that’s what you want.

KK: Yay!

Before Karkat could type his response, his bedroom door opened. He froze and turned off his phone, looking over. It was his mother.

“Hey,” his mother said, closing the door. “We need to talk.”

Karkat wouldn’t look at her. She came inside and sat beside him on the bed. Karkat tensed up and stayed motionless and silent. His mother was quiet for a while until she sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair.

“Listen,” she said in a low voice, “I know you’re upset about what happened a few days ago, but...I was just really frustrated with work. Things have not been going well for you and I, you know?”

Karkat hesitated to answer her.

“I just wanted to talk to you,” Karkat muttered. “I wanted you to care.”

“I’ve just been too busy, Karkat, I’m sorry,” his mother sighed. “I’ve had too much work to take care of you.”

Karkat’s blood started boiling. His teeth ground together and he whipped his head around and glared at his mother.

“You’ve been too busy?!” he shouted. “Too busy for your only son?!”

“That’s not what I meant, Karkat"” his mother tried to say, shaking her head. Karkat stood up in fury.

“I KNEW you didn’t care!” he screamed. “Forget it! Forget you!”

“Fine, be stubborn and get out of my house, you ungrateful s**t!” his mother screamed back. “I don’t need you complaining just because you don’t get everything you want all of the time! Life isn’t fair, kid!”

Karkat turned on his heels and sprinted out his door. He grabbed his backpack and burst out of his apartment without looking back. He wouldn’t go back there again. There was only one place he could go now. To Keevan.

 

There was a pounding at the door. Keevan hurried down the stairs, worried that it might have been Karkat again. He hadn’t ever responded to her last text message, after all. Opening the door, she was greeted with Karkat heaving for breath and stained with tears once again. He had his backpack and was standing in the last of the light before sunset. Keevan quickly let him inside.

“I’m never going back there,” Karkat sobbed. “Never, never back to that horrible woman that I’m forced to call my mother. I can’t...I can’t ever...”

Keevan shushed Karkat and sat him at the couch so he could catch his breath. She shut the door and walked back to him, hoping that her parents were busy with work upstairs and couldn’t hear her and Karkat. She just wanted to talk with Karkat and calm him down.

“Hey, Karkat, it’s okay,” she hushed, sitting beside him and patting his shoulder. “It’s okay, I’m here for you.”

“My mom hates me,” Karkat cried into his hands. “She told me to get out of her house, she told me that she’s too busy to take care of me.”

Keevan let Karkat lean onto her and cry into her shoulder. He was tense but he didn’t seem to care about anything right then. Karkat looked so broken up, it was even worse than the first time he had come over to Keevan’s house. Keevan wrapped her arms around him as he cried.

“Karkat, shh...” Keevan whispered. “It’s alright, Karkat. I’m here for you. I’m here for you, and you can stay with me whenever you need. I’ll always be here.”

Karkat sniffed away his crying and let Keevan hold him for a while until he lifted his head to look at her through his thinning tears. Keevan really looked into his eyes for the first time. They were a rich dark brown when they weren’t so angry and hard. Keevan felt her heartbeat quicken. Neither of them said anything for what seemed like an eternity until Karkat sat up, Keevan’s arms still around him. She wouldn’t pull them back.

“Do you mean it?” Karkat asked in a small voice.

“Yes,” Keevan replied quietly. “Always.”

Keevan’s heart jumped when Karkat started to lean forward slowly, hesitating to bring his lips to hers. Before they could do anything at all, there were footsteps on the stairs. Karkat quickly pulled away before their lips even touched. Keevan turned to look at the stairs. A moment later, her mother and stepfather both walked into the living room. Her mother looked concerned when she saw Karkat. Karkat’s gaze hurriedly dropped to the floor.

“Is…this the boy that stayed here a few nights ago?” Keevan's mother asked. Keevan nodded.

“He needs to stay here again,” Keevan said. “Is that alright, Mom?”

Keevan’s mother and stepfather shared a concerned glance.

“I’m not sure if that would be alright,” her mother said slowly. “Keevan, it’s already a handful with Gamzee staying here most nights. We can’t just take everyone into our house like this. It’s hard to support them whenever convenient for them.”

“But, Mom,” Keevan protested, standing up, “Karkat really needs a place to stay. Please, he won’t be any trouble! Simon, you don’t think he’ll be trouble, do you?”

“I don’t know, Kee,” her stepfather sighed, scratching the back of his head. “We don’t even know this young man. How can I trust him to stay in my home?”

Karkat stood up and slowly moved his gaze up to Keevan’s parents. Everyone was quiet until he finally opened his mouth to speak.

“I promise that I’ll never be a burden,” he said, keeping his voice low and calm. “I’ll stay out of trouble at all costs. I’ll clean up and I’ll do housework if you want me to. I just need a place to stay.”

Keevan’s parents looked at each other but didn’t say a word. Karkat inhaled shakily and added, “And I swear that I’ll never, ever hurt Keevan.”

Keevan looked at Karkat and felt her ears burn. He was looking intently at her parents with his whole face looking as if it were pleading with them. Keevan held a hand to her chest, over the locket on her neck. She waited anxiously for her parents to say something. Finally, Simon spoke.

“Alright,” he said, nodding. “You can stay here whenever you need, Karkat.”

Karkat looked as if he would cry with relief. Keevan felt a weight of worry lift from her shoulders. She smiled wide at her parents.

“Thank you so much,” Karkat said, his gaze dropping again. “I really...really appreciate it.”

Keevan’s mother and stepfather nodded at him. Her mother looked over at her.

“You keep him out of trouble, too,” she said.

“I will,” Keevan replied, still smiling. “Thank you both...so much. I love you.”

“We love you, too,” her parents said in unison. Her mother gave Keevan a goodnight kiss before they went back upstairs to continue their work until bedtime. Once Keevan heard their office door shut, she turned back to Karkat in silence. Karkat was looking at her as well.

“Thank you,” Karkat whispered to her.

“You’re very welcome, Karkat,” she whispered back. Suddenly, Karkat put a hand onto Keevan’s jaw and brought her lips to his. The kiss wasn’t as clumsy as Keevan had expected, and the taste on his lips was sweet. Karkat was gentle but fiery in his kiss, his breath warm and trembling. Keevan slowly closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Karkat’s shoulders. He put his arms around her waist. It was real. He was really kissing her.

Karkat pulled away after what seemed like only a split second. It ended too quickly, and Keevan wanted to pull him back but he was about to say something. He kept his gaze locked with Keevan’s as he said it.

“I’m sorry for telling you that I don’t like you,” he whispered. “That was a lie.”

He gulped and his face flushed bright red as he tightened his arms around her. He brought his face a bit closer to hers.

“Keevan,” he said as he stared straight at her, “I...think I’m in love with you.”

Keevan’s heart started fluttering and her pulse quickened. She bit her lip and felt a light sensation in her chest. She knew what this was; she knew how special Karkat was and how much he needed her, as well as how much she needed him.

“Karkat,” she said softly, “I think I’m in love with you, too.”

She moved back in for another kiss from him. He kissed her back tenderly, his lips now soft and comfortable against hers. Keevan felt her blood rush when he kissed her like that. There was a kind of spark that she hadn’t ever felt before. Karkat kissed her very gently and held her tight against his chest. He was trembling but he kissed passionately and fully, his lips landing in all the right places with hers. He kissed like he had been waiting forever to finally kiss her. Keevan hoped she was kissing back just as passionately. She wanted him to know how much she cared about him, and how she would always be there for him. Karkat pulled back very slowly when they had both kissed enough to learn each other’s lips. He stroked Keevan’s cheek delicately with one of his hands.

“I’ll…see you in the morning,” Karkat said, kissing Keevan’s cheek. He walked to the stairs, picking up his backpack on the way over.

“G-goodnight, Karkat,” Keevan said softly. Karkat stopped on the stairs and looked back at her. He smiled. It was the first time Keevan had seen him smile.

“Goodnight,” he whispered to her. He turned and went up to the guest room. Keevan had to sit down from her wobbly knees. Karkat Vantas had just kissed her, and she had realized something during it.

Keevan was desperately in love with him.