Shiver{KarmaxReader}

Nerves

Even walking up to the door, I could hear screaming coming from inside. I smacked my hand on the door harshly and growled under my breath. The door opened a short moment after. "What do you want?" The man who answered had a beer bottle in hand and was wearing a loose button up t-shirt. Without thinking I grabbed his collar and pulled him closer to me. Surprisingly, he was lighter then expected.

"What the hell kind of parent would treat their kid like a punching bag!? You dumb ass! You think you're so great!? Beating Karma up just pisses me off even more! You realize your son is talented! He's a gentleman! If you weren't such a drunk I'd say you raised him right! But you just sat there with your beer bottle and beat into him! What the hell is wrong with you!?"

I shoved the man to the floor and curled my hands into fists. "You're nothing but a waste of oxygen." I breathed out before stepping over him and walking into the house. "Karma! Let's get out here! Grab your things." I flicked my head back towards the man, stumbling over his feet and trying to get up. "If you ever touch him again, I will never not be there to trip you down the stairs, to stab you from behind. I will be watching you from all angles. Making sure you die a slow and painful death." I stared the man down as Karma walked down the stairs, confused.

"What's going on?" His eyes were red, he had been crying. "Did he hurt you again?" I grabbed onto Karma's shoulders, his button up was hanging on his shoulders and he flinched violently and stepped away. "W-what do you-" I tore the shirt away from him. There were fresh whip scars forming on his shoulders and I felt myself stiffen. "Do you see that!?" I turned back to Karma's dad with tears in my eyes. "Do you see the pain you put your son in!?" I took a step towards him as I heard the door open quickly.

I lunged at the intoxicated man and tackled him to the floor. I heard Mr Karasuma's voice as I was pulled off of him, only a few hits in. "Annabelle!" I had tears running down my face as Mr Karasuma restrained me with Karma's help. I was still thrashing when he cuffed the man and sent him with a colleague to the door. "What on earth are you doing?" Karma pulled my waist tight and pushed all the air out of me. I collapsed on the floor and fell into a puddle of tears. "What...does it...look like?" I heaved in breath so I could talk normally. I was still furious, and shaking, and dizzy with adrenaline. Mr Karasuma glanced at Karma and touched his shoulder. "Ah-!" He dropped to the floor in agony. "What happened to your shoulders, Karma?" He stood back up hesitantly and struggled with words. 

It was a while before Karma and I spoke to each other. A whole car ride later, and I had been dropped off home and Karma was back at Mr Karasuma's. My father was working late so I had the house to myself. "Why would he keep that a secret..?" I muffled my talking into my pillow and fell asleep thinking about it.

The next morning, I left early. I wanted to talk to Karma.

When I got to the classroom, Karma's bag was sitting on his desk. "Of course." He was in the forest. I placed my bag on my own desk and continued walking towards where I thought the red head would be. "Karma?" I cupped my hands to my mouth and shouted through the small path of trees. Nothing.

I leaped into a tree and stood on a branch. I watched the trees carefully, swaying side to side against the wind. The leaves falling down when they broke off, and a red head hiding in them stealthily. I stepped towards Karma and tapped his arm. "Hey..." I broke off my sentence, I had no idea what to say to Karma, I just attacked his dad. "Don't bother apologizing. My family has nothing to do with you." He stood up from the branch he was leaning on and jumped out of the tree, landing on his feet. "Look, I don't want to make it seem like I'm avoiding you, so leave me alone."

Karma walked away fairly quickly down the dirt path, through the trees. I was getting sick and tired of him avoiding me, even if he said he wasn't. Slowly, I disappeared into the bushes and followed him down the path silently. I had learned everything I know from either Mr K or Karma and I was not letting that go to waste.

It seemed to take forever for Karma to stop moving along the endless rows of trees. It was starting to hit mid-day. After about twenty minutes of walking and maneuvering around bushes, rocks and trees so Karma didn't see me, we reached a destination. I followed Karma through a set of vines, and walked into a beautiful open cliff.

The cliff had flowers of all sorts, trees that were luscious and green, the grass was so green it looked fake, and there was a waterfall meters away from where I stood. "Oh my god..." I forgot that I was supposed to be silent when stalking and my eyes widened as Karma spun around and froze on the spot. "Ah, K-Karma, I was just...going for a walk and I-I well, isn't this a surprise!" I started shaking and felt my hands turn red, a moment later, I couldn't breathe and my head was spinning. The floor seemed to blur as I took in a deep breath to calm myself. What was going on? I had never gotten this nervous around Karma before, why was it that I felt nervous now all of a sudden?

"Annabelle? Annabelle!"

The last thing that happened was I fell to the floor with a soft thud, and my vision went hazier as tears filled my eyes and my throat closed up. "Annabelle!"

I woke up in a hospital bed, Karma laying on my lap, asleep. "What the..?" I lifted my upper body up and glanced down at Karma, I watched his chest rise, and fall. Suddenly, Karma jolted upright, clutching the blanket. "A-Annabelle..?" I swallowed and waited to hear an ear full from Karma for following him earlier. "H-hey." I smiled softly as Karma wrapped his arms around me.

I felt my face explode as I heard tears from Karma, he was sobbing. "I thought you were going to die..." He tightened his grip around me and I shivered. "What?" The red head let go of me and wiped his face. "You passed out at school, I had to carry you all the way to the classroom and then-" He paused and looked back out the door. "Then, Mr K brought you to the hospital. Two weeks later I'm told to give up on you." Karma shook his head in disbelief. "I-I never thought you would wake up, but at the same time I never gave up hope." Tears rushed down Karma's face as I processed his words. "Wait! Two weeks!?" My mouth gaped open and Karma nodded. 

I felt like a zombie. At  least, that's the look people kept giving me. "The others are back on campus but I couldn't stop thinking about if you woke up, alone." The thought of it myself gave me chills. I had never been to hospital before and I couldn't remember why I had gone in the first place. "So, you fell asleep while I was unconscious." I stopped in the hallway where we had been walking. Karma turned around and sighed as he threw himself down on the nearest chair around. I sat down next to him. "Yeah, well I had been awake for like, 42 hours so, yeah." I felt my face flush red. Stayed awake 42 hours? "Karma, I-I think I need to tell you something..." I knew it had to come out eventually, but I needed to know what to say.

"You know what, words are important. Tell me when you get out of hospital." Karma smiled to himself then stood up. "Besides, all they have to do is check your vitals. Then you can leave." He ushered me back to my room then waved me goodbye.

Leaving me to think on what he said.

Words are Important.