"Egad Strider! What the ruddy hell have you been up to, holed up in this room so long?"
He pops his head in the room; hope powers really were a magical thing, especially when your best mate has locked himself in a room for over twenty-four hours not making a sound. Though he got no reply he stood his ground, stubborn as usual determined to get his friend out of whatever funk that may have him amidst its grip. The room was dark; a deep eerie feeling hung in the air, the kind that makes your chest tighten and your stomach flop and though Jake hated the dark, loathed its ability to make him feel under attack, he walked in. At the soft click of the door latching closed Jake swallowed thickly; pitch black greeted him, so dark his eyes compensated by flashing blue dots tricking him into thinking things were moving when in reality everything was still. Dead still.
It wasn't like his mate to be so still, normally the little bugger was bouncing around causing all sorts of cahoots and guffaws aplenty; this odd staleness in the room gave Jake the hibbiejibbies quickening his haste to check on the other.
"Great caesars ghost, Strider! Might we go about turning on one of the lights? It's as black as coal in here!"
"No."
He blinked in surprise at the croaking, raspy voice coming from the corner, or was it the corner? Hell if he knew, as previously stated it was friggen dark and by golly, he'd be lucky to even make it two steps without falling on his noggin. Cautiously Jake felt his way around, sliding his feet in dramatic sweeps, holding back a soft chuckle at the resemblance to Terezi and her cane.
"Strider? Dave?"
He has to admit, he's more than a bit concerned, fear beginning to grip him as possibilities as to what could be causing his friend to be so somber run through his mind; each thought becoming darker, more alarming than the last.
"Hardy-har-har Strider, your irony has been duly noted, now why blazes can we not lighten this dreary scenario up a notch, eh?"
He goes for the light, pulling the chain down with an overly eager flick of the wrist, the only response he gets is a very displeased click and silence yet again. He tries the chain a few more times, tugging it down frantically to turn the lights on, each time getting a bit rougher.
"Jake. I unplugged it."
Damn him, always two steps ahead thinking of what to do before Jake even had time to do it. He made a huff, arms shaking, reaching out, but relieved to hear the familiar voice; even if it did come out strained. After a bit of bumbling and puffing he managed to get past the beds and over to the wall. Hesitantly, unsure of what he was prodding at, he stuck his foot out until he reached a warm body. Although he knew he wouldn't be bumping toes with some horrific beast hell bent on chomping off his toes, old habits die hard and he was perfectly fine with being safe than sorry.
Dave makes a soft grunt, shifting away from the foot to which Jake responds by prodding him harder, holding back a chuckle as he persists. He arches an eyebrow when Dave stays silent, brow then furrowing as he slides down, slowly, carefully as to not startle the other.
"Mind telling me what's got you in such a rut mate?"
His head tilts to the side, hand slipping out in the darkness until it finds something to rest on. After a second of light rubbing he finds, triumphantly, that he had landed on Dave's shoulder this small victory brings forth a grin apparent in his tone.
"Come now ole'chap let's hear what's got you so down?"
The hand slides from Dave's shoulder, trailing over the ripples of his shirt until it circles the blonds back, comfortingly sliding around as Jake tries to coax out an answer. Despite his usually impatient attitude he remains quiet letting Dave take his time in replying.
The blond coughed a few times, clearing his throat and, not to Jake's surprise as Dave did happen to be quite the cuddler, leaned into him with a small sigh. The only reply Jake gave was wrapping an arm around him, now rubbing the arm furthest away in little smooth movements.
"It's him."
The tone was blank, almost monotone in how simply it was stated, and this only further confused Jake. He let out a groan at such an unfavorable answer, hoping that maybe it would bring a more positive air to the other. He feels Dave shift, holding him tightly; very tightly and this only worries him further, albeit he stays quiet.
"Jake, it's him. He's back"
The realization of just who Dave was insinuating hit him like a ton of bricks, knocking the air out of his chest, making his throat tighten up and his lungs burn from lack of air. He wasn't sure how long he sat there, clinging to Dave tighter with each passing second staring wide eyed and open mouthed, only roused out of his daze by the boys shifting; most likely because of previously stated tightness of hold.
"Gadzooks Strider how long has this been going on? And why the bloody hell have you not informed me of this sooner?!"
It was obvious he was upset; who wouldn't be when you find out the equivalent to troll Satan is yet again trying to take hold of your best mate's sanity? Jake's face contorted to a look of shock and worry, desperation to cling to the other boy filling him, making his arms feel stronger yet even weaker than before he'd heard this news. He couldn't help the twinge of anger that lurked in his voice; how long had Dave been hiding this? It obviously had to have been awhile for him to finally break and get so worked up.
"A week. It's been going on for a week but… I wasn't sure, I-I couldn't tell if that's what it was, if it was something to cause trouble over."
"DAVE WHAT IS THE ROOTIN TOOTIN POINT OF BEING MATES IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN?! "
He almost felt bad when he felt Dave jump, but by god when he was mad, he was mad. Why had he not been informed? This was class A mind fuckery going on and Dave had kept it from him, hiding in his own thoughts for a whole week just festering alone when Jake could have been helping; in retrospect he believes this is what irked him the most. Dave had turned away from him, looking downtrodden, and dadblast it Jake couldn't help but feel bad. Thinking about the situation, he concludes that if he were in the same position, he would be a bit hesitant to involve anyone he loved as well. He sighs heavily, resuming his soft rubbing and tight hold, as if the more he held Dave the safer he would be.