A/N: It's been a while. –Kat

Three days went by uneventfully, except for the fact Karkat repeatedly caught John enjoying old episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho and Sailor Moon, which the latter defended as old childhood memories. With the end of their last week off approaching, they packed their bags, and pets, and began the long drive home.

The snow was peaceful, and they kept the Christmas station on the whole ride home, singing a mock duet of "Baby its Cold Outside" together, and Karkat dominating "White Christmas". They stopped at a little dinner halfway to the school for an early dinner, claiming a booth seat in the back. They ordered a heaping breakfast feast to split between them, despite the fact the sun had long since slipped under the horizon. It was only 5 o'clock too.

With food ingested, and only 5 hours between them and home, Karkat decided to take over driving to let John nap in the passenger seat. With hilly country, and a blanket of stars, Karkat drove to soft Christmas music through the night.

Upon arriving to the school, and having the guards open the gates, Karkat awoke John with a gentle kiss, and they began unloading into their dorm rooms. It would, hopefully, be sooner rather than later when Karkat's request to change dorms would be processed. Gamzee was nothing Karkat wanted to see or hear anytime soon. Dave didn't mind Karkat crashing with him and John while the order was being evaluated.

Dave wasn't there when they got in, he was still off with Jade for the rest of break. The dorm was still tidy, but a bit chilly. The small Christmas tree had bulbs blown out, so they turned it off and started bringing in their suitcases, Casey, and Kida.

"Hey, Karkat?" John's voice was still a bit groggy, and audibly cracked, a sign Karkat had picked up meaning worry.

"Yeah?" Karkat was spreading fresh bedding on their bed while John sorted clothes that needed to be washed.

"Did you… Did you like my dad?" There was silence after that, there wasn't any tension, just quiet in the dim room.

"… I did…" a pause after that made John look up. "I liked him a lot, Egbert." John smiled a bit, head turning back to the laundry.

"Good. I was hoping you would, I'm hoping you'll spend breaks with me now, well, me and my dad." John laughed a little bit, and Karkat's hands stilled as he tucked the sheets under the mattress. His face flushed a bit, and he felt small pressure in his forehead, but no tears came to his eyes.

John felt a hand on his shoulder, and straightened up to look his boyfriend in the eyes.

"Thank you." Karkat whispered, John leaning into embrace him. They stood there in the dark for a few minutes, just holding each other quietly. They'd experienced intimacy on a lot of different levels now, each one more intense than the last. From kissing, to sex, and now this, just a quiet embrace. Everything between them could be felt, each inhale, each movement, and when John cupped Karkat's cheeks, the dual smiles brightened up the whole day.

"It's late," Karkat commented, "we should sleep." So they climbed into bed, and Karkat dozed while John, fully rested from his nap, thought about what Karkat really meant to him.