Mutated Ectoplasm

43. Couples Therapy

"Do what to get a reaction? I don't think your boyfriend would really care since you just disappeared..." Karkat blinked. A second wave of emotion hit this time with revulsion taking the helm. "...what did he do?"

"How's that important?" Kitty brushed off some hair from Feferi's shoulder, scowling. "If you're not going to play along, I'd suggest-"

Karkat moved forward, going intangible as his hand drifted into Feferi's body. Surprisingly, despite facing no physical resistance, he was able to feel something in there, something also intangible. He made sure to grab it and twist it, a part of him feeling satisfied with how Kitty's eyes flashed, and she went still.

"Tell. Me. Now." Karkat was almost afraid he was cutting off Feferi's air when Kitty seemed to struggle to say something. "I'm losing patience."

"He-he cheated on me. Sometime before we died, he slept with some random girl and never told me about it." Kitty shivered as she felt herself be manhandled like this. "I was trying to find a guy willing to help me get back at him, found a meatsuit, and then I ran into you. Figured you'd be the best target."

Kitty was given some room to breathe as Karkat's grip loosened. She didn't get it back when it suddenly got tighter, trying to squeeze the unlife out of her.

"And were planning on using somebody else's body to do it?" Karkat tried not to imagine what would've happened if he hadn't figured anything out. The thought hurt, and it made him want to hurt her even more. "Are you fucking insane?!"

"Hey, hey, quiet the hell down!" Kitty slapped his face, causing the obsession-crazy bullshit to pause. "I will start screaming my head off if I have to. Everyone'll be perfectly willing to believe a lone, defenseless girl is being harassed by some creepy dude. And while you're dealing with the police, I can easily just go on out and find a real creep if I have to."

Karkat took his hand out instantly, the suggestion making him obey for the time being. It was a begrudging gesture, and he honestly wished he'd been brave enough to try and take her out.

"That's better. And here I was, thinking you couldn't treat a lady all nice and shit." Kitty leaned back into the seat, still tense. "Now, I'd really suggest going along with whatever I say. There are tons of things I could do before the day even ends, much less before I have to leave this body behind."

"...what do you want me to do?" Karkat scowled. His hands had remained clenched in his lap to prevent a reaction. "What do I have to do to get you out of her?"

"Easy; all you have to do is help me get back at Johnny," Kitty said, like that wasn't a horrifying order no matter how she put it. "Otherwise, I go through with it anyway with someone else. Or people, depending on how I feel."

Karkat almost bared his teeth before forcing himself to take a deep breath. He looked into her eyes intensely and kept his cool.

"Give me a few hours. No offense, but all of this," Karkat waved halfheartedly, feeling dead inside. "Is a major mood killer. How about the park at five? Does that work with you?"

Kitty didn't say anything, narrowing her eyes. "Is this some kind of trick?"

"I'm not going to risk anything right now if that's what you're wondering." Karkat was lying. He was going to make a plan. At the very least, he wasn't going to let anything happen to anyone that didn't deserve it. "Just... give me a chance to calm down first. Don't you want me to be calm?"

That freaked her out, but enough to get her in line. That was exactly what he needed, along with time. Preferably a lot of it.

"Fine. Guess this was a bit of a downer." Kitty got up, and Karkat was again struck by how alien it looked to see Feferi move like that. "But don't do anything funny. I won't pull anything until then, but human bodies are pretty fragile."