Chapter Text
Several years back...
“Read me a story Tess!!”
“Isn't it past your bedtime?”
“Oh come oooooooon Tess just one little story”
Your name is Terezi Pyrope and you can never say no to your little sister. She's just too cute.
“Ok you little rascal, what story do you want to hear?”
“Tell me the one about the fish!!!”
You start the story. It's a beautiful story about a fish named Nemo and his dad, Marlin. You've told it to Vriska more times than you can count but she never gets tired of hearing it.
“And so Nemo went back home with his dad and Dory and they lived happily ever after”
“You tell the best stories sis!”
“I'e told you before Vris, its not my story. I just saw it in a movie”
“Well yea sis but you tell it the beeeeeeeest”
You can't believe how much you love your sister. She's the best sister a person could ask for. You pull a stray lock of hair back behind her ear and kiss her on the check.
“I love you Vriska”
“I love you too Tess”
She closes her eyes, and for a moment everything is perfect.
Then its all ruined.
“I HATE YOU! WHY DON'T YOU JUST SHOOT YOURSELF AND DO US ALL A FAVOR”
“OH YOU WOULD LIKE THAT WOULDN'T YOU??? THAT WAY YOU'LL BE FREE TO JUST SLEEP AROUND WITH WHOEVER THE HELL YOU WANT!!!”
“I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS SHIT, IM LEAVING!!!”
“OH WOW THAT'S A SURPRISE!!! I SURE AS HELL DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING!!!”
You and Vriska both sit up at the sound of yelling and stomping downstairs. You feel a knot in your throat as you struggle not to cry. It had been long enough since the last fight that you had begun to hope that maybe they had made up. The front door slams shut with a crash thats heard from their room. The car starts with a roar and tears away from the house. Your mom is still downstairs shouting her lungs off at the husband who can no longer hear her. You know from experience that she's probably nursing a bottle of whisky right now.
You look at Vriska. Her eyes are bright red and she's holding you tightly like she's afraid of being alone. You need to be strong for her, for Vriska.
“Why can't Mom and Dad be more like Marlin and Dori Tess? Why can't they be happy?”
The question breaks your heart. Vriska is too young to have to go through this.
“I dont know Vris, I just don't know”
She expected that response. Vriska stuffs her head in your shirt and starts sobbing.
“I want a family Tess” she gasps out in between sobs.
You hold her close because you don't know what to say. You hold her close and wish to god you knew how to help her.
An hour passes like this. Sometimes you think Vriska will finally stop crying but then you hear a drunken shout downstairs or a crash of a whiskey bottle and then your heart breaks again as you see your sister collapse once more into sadness.
“Tess?”
“Vriska?'
“Promise you'll never leave me?”
A lump rises in your throat. She's giving you a look that just melts you open and all you want to do is say yes even though you know its a lie. You just want her to be happy again.
“Yes Vriska, I'll always be here with you”
You just lied to your sister, the person you love most in the world. You're a terrible person.
“Don't cry Vriska”
She looks up at you puzzled, her hands still gripping onto your shirt.
“You need to be strong Vris, thats the only way you survive in this world. Be strong and no one can ever hurt you”
You reach for the brush and start to untangle her hair. Its a mess of twigs and knots from playing hide and seek outside but you do the best you can to make it clean again.
Vriska`s all cried out but her face is shiny with tears.
You use your thumb to dry out the skin beneath her eyes. You reach for your makeup kit and take out the blue eyeshadow.
“You can be like the sea Vriska... Beautiful but dangerous”
You use the blue eyeshadow under her eyes. Once youre finished you pull out blue lipstick and color her lips a dark sea blue. Looking at her you realize that her left eye is a lot more red and stuffy than her right eye, probably from rubbing against it with her fist. You go to your closet and pull out an old pirate halloween costume. From it you take a worn eye patch. You pull the strap slowly behind her head.
“Done”
You hand her a mirror to look at herself.
“There Vris, noone can hurt you now cause youre the sea'
She looks in the mirror for a long time, so long that you think that she must not have liked it but just when youre about to ask her she turns and hugs you violently.
“I love you Tess”