Chapter Text
You are Dave Strider and it’s been a damn long night. Your key hits the lock at four A.M., your decks and supplies sitting in the hall next to you. Innumerable sets at Alternia, (the club down the street), have you feeling wiped, and two, three- shit, you lost count- beers don’t help the situation. The door swings open, and surprisingly enough, the lights are on, which kind of pisses you off, since it doesn’t look like anyone is awake.
But then you see him, curled up on the couch. Your heart thuds, because you know what this means. Anger courses through you and you swear, if you see that bitch’s face, you’re going to punch it in. She toys with his heart, and you’re left to pick up the pieces.
He flicks his eyes to you, and the startling blue is bloodshot and watery. He’s been crying again. “Dave.” Your name comes out so soft, so pained. It stomps out your anger, and now you’re just upset.
Your decks can wait. You slouch over to the couch and look down at him, sighing. “She did it again, didn’t she? John, I’m telling you-”
“It’s not that easy man.”
“Tell me why the fuck not. She’s a cheating, manipulative bitch. You need to leave her ass.”
“I love her Dave! You just- just- just can’t leave someone you love it’s- not- n-not-” He dissolves into hiccupping tears again, curling in on himself. It hurts you on so many levels, and you don’t even argue or complain when you sit and he curls up to you and sobs into your shirt.
This is the price you pay.
tenticleTherapist [TT] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG]
TT: Maybe if you just talk to him…?
TG: fuck rose
TG: talk to him
TG: he doesnt see any sense in words
TG: i cant get him to leave her
TG: let alone will i ever get him to
TT: To?
TG: reciprocate
TT: Big words on your part, my, my.
TG: shut the fuck up
TT: You never know what could happen, Dave. Nothing will happen if you don’t talk to him.
TG: maybe thats how i want it to stay
turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]
He slumps around the apartment for two days in pajamas, barely touching food and not even budging when you offer to pop in Con Air. It’s pretty bad this time, and you really want to know what she said, or more likely, did, to get him so down.
“John, get the fuck up, and go to work.” You stand in his doorway, pissed that you have to be up so early, just to drag his sorry ass out of bed. He stares at you from his bed, not even caring to move, shake his head, tell you to at least get the fuck out. It adds to your bad mood.
“Fuck man, I am done trying! I hope you get fired!” You slam the door behind you and leave him with words you didn’t even mean. Words said in the heat of the moment. Words said because she can’t treat him right.
You’re so done.
“It’s cold as hell outside, Lalonde. You better have a good reason for calling me out here.” Especially because you desperately wanted to track down Serket and show her just how much you despise her guts.
“Calm down, geeze. I thought you needed to get out of the house. It can’t be good for you to be the only one to have to deal with him, so I called Jade-”
“Jade?! She doesn’t know how to handle emotional people- she flips out more than me!”
“She’s his sister! I’m pretty sure she can at least talk some sense into him!” It’s a blow to your pride to know she’s right. If you can’t talk him out of this, how do you qualify as a best friend? Even worse, it hurts your chances to ever- as Rose puts it, “woo”- Egbert properly.
“Yeah whatever.” Silence spans between you then, and you watch steam from her tea curl in the air, hoping Jade can talk him out of it.