(8/5/2015) EDIT: I got a beta-reader, IdiotsInParadise! So, this story has a lot of minor differences now due to editing.
Even with almost everyone in the universe occupying the same space, it still feels so large and empty at night.
At least, it does to Rose.
Rose sighs at the empty feeling, and pulls a bottle of moonshine liquor from her sylladex. Just as she's about to pour it, someone knocks at her door, startling her.
It's not that it's surprising that he would come back again. It's just surprising that he came so early tonight.
With one last mournful look at her bottle, Rose recaptchalogues it, and goes to open the door for her brother.
"Hello again, David."
"Hey, you're sober." He pushes the door wider and goes and sits down on the edge of her bed.
This is when the awkwardness sets in. Gently, Rose pushes the door shut with a soft click. She turns to face her brother, and makes an immediate note of the blush spread along his cheeks.
"So-"
"Why-"
She giggles a bit and sits down next to Dave. Rose takes one of his hands and slowly uncurls his clenched fingers. "Now," she says, startling him out of whatever corner of his mind he had sought refuge in, "what is it that you were saying?" He blushes harder and clears his throat.
"I...you know that time you said you would be like a pseudo-therapist or something?" She nods her head slowly, just barely recalling when she had offered therapy sessions to Dave. (Well, at least the time she was serious about it.)
"Is that offer still standing? Like can I talk to you about all of my bullshit and you can pick apart the nonexistent homoerotic hints?" She laughs a bit and nods her head.
"Yes Dave. I would love to pick apart your mind for your homoerotic tendencies and Freudian slips. When would you like to start?" She says the last part in a softer, more serious tone of voice. His shoulders slump in a mix of relief and exhaustion.
"Are you free tomorrow?" He finally asks.
"Yes. Would you like to sleepover again tonight?" Dave hesitates a bit, before shaking his head.
"I promised John and Karkat I'd watch some shitty romcom with them for the night." She laughs and for a brief moment, and it reminds him of the chimes his crazy next-door neighbour in Houston had outside her window. Soon though, he berates himself for thinking like a fucking character from one of Karkat's shitty romance novels, and disregards that particular thought.
"Well then, don't let me keep you from your important movie date." Rose says teasingly. He lifts up his shades momentarily and rolls his eyes before dropping them back onto the bridge of his nose. With a final half-wave he walks swiftly out her door.
For a second her fingers twitch with the urge to feel the cool, smooth neck of one of her bottles in her palm. She's moments away from taking one out of her sylladex, when she thinks of how disappointed Kanaya would look when she finds out that Rose has taken up the habit again. She decides against it and instead goes to join the guys in watching the cheesy romcom.
She only ends up regretting it a little.
Comments are greatly appreciated!