Locked Wheels

Chapter 14

We kissed.

It kept repeating itself over and over again in Karkat's head, like a track stuck on repeat. We kissed. We kissed. We kissed.

Karkat brought his cigarette to his lips, staring down at his feet. We kissed, he thought as he exhaled a stream of smoke from the corner of his mouth. It billowed up and disappeared into the grey morning sky. It was Monday. He'd had a hangover all of Saturday and half of Sunday. When he didn't get up until 2 on Saturday, he told Kankri he had a cold (which Cronus had only chuckled at) and for the rest of the weekend, he had Karkat downing cough drops and vitamin C supplements every hour. It was annoying, but at least Kankri didn't suspect anything.

Karkat slipped a cough drop out of his pocket and unwrapped it. We kissed. He popped it into his mouth and then snuffed out his cigarette, digging out another little pit and burying the butt. We kissed. It was almost time to go.

Karkat went back inside. He saw Cronus in the living room, holding up his new lighter as he lit a cigarette of his own. When he heard the back door shut, he jumped and turned around.

"Oh," he said in relief, exhaling smoke as he spoke. "It's just you. Listen; don't tell your brother, ok? Eridan's been having a rough time and it's stressing me out, y'know?"

Karkat didn't say anything. He crossed his arms.

"I'll let you have one of my beers if you don't tell," Cronus offered.

Karkat looked at him for another moment, and then murmured, "Ok."

Cronus smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks, doll," he said as he went to go take another drag.

Karkat walked back to his room and leaned back against the door. He closed his eyes.

Karkat walked out of his room, having been woken up by rustling in the foyer. When he turned the corner into the living room, he saw Kankri at the front door, fumbling with it and his keys and the corner of his sweater that kept sliding down no matter how often he tugged it back up.

"Kankri?" he asked softly.

Kankri startled, dropping his keys and then flinching at the loud noise. He whipped around to face Karkat. His hair and clothes were ever so noticeably disheveled and his cheeks were flushed pink. They got redder when he recognize who it was.

"Oh! Wh-what are you doing up? I thought you went to bed earlier," Kankri said.

"Where did you go?" Karkat asked softly.

"I-I was just--"

"Were you with him again?"

Kankri opened his mouth to reply but then slowly shut it. He looked down and sighed. "Please don't tell Dad," he said quietly. "He'd kill me."

Karkat looked down. "I won't. He's not home anyways."

"He's not?" Kankri asked, his eyebrows raising in surprise and then furrowing in concern. "It's almost 1 am, I thought..."

Karkat turned back around. "I'm going back to bed."

He sighed. He slid out of his jacket and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it onto his bed as he walked over to his dresser. It had been chilly that morning. He picked out one of his hoodies, putting it on over his bare chest. He smoothed out the fabric, brushing off a few stray pieces of lint.

We kissed.

Karkat picked up his backpack by the front door, waiting impatiently for Kankri to get his ass in gear.