It was another normal day for the Strider boys. Dave was in the bathroom getting ready for school while Bro was in the kitchen making breakfast. They enjoyed their food and then Bro took Dave to his first day of middle school. Dropping him off in front of the courtyard Bro smiled out the window and yelled, "Later lil' man."
Dave replied with a smile and a, "You know it Bro!"
With that Bro went off to work, leaving Dave at his school. The change was hard on Dave because he was the cool guy in elementry school, but now that he was in middle school he had to regain his cool status which proved harder than he thought since everyone would make jokes about his shades.
"Yo Mister shades. You think you're to good to look us all in the eyes?" a boy that looked like he was from a higher grade than Dave laughed before he slapped his cheek. "Take those off and look at me you boot licker," he added as he pushed Dave down with a boot then stuffed the muddy toe of it into his face.
"Well idiot? Earn your name," another boy added as he laughed, knocking Dave's shades from his face. Dave looked up, his red eyes brimming with tears.
"I...I...I can't..." he closed his eyes, tears starting to stream down his cheeks. The boys laughed more, pulling Dave up to force him to look them in the face. "This is so uncool."
The boy with his boot in Dave's face shoved it further into his face, smooshing his teeth into his cheek before actually kicking him.
"LICK IT NOW LOSER!" the boy yelled.
Dave was now tired of playing himself down so he reached for his shades and put them back where they belonged. He got to his feet and spit on the boy's shoe, the one that had kicked him in the face.
"You want them clean? Then lick 'em yourself. I ain't your bitch boy." Dave smiled, turning to walk away but was stoped by a hand on his shoulder. He smiled. Was this a challenge? He promised Bro no fights unless someone challenged him. He got ready to fight, as did the other boy. The boy lasted one hit, but shit here comes a teacher so Dave did what he could to hide, which lead him to skipping school for the rest of the day.
This skipping school lasted two weeks before Dave found himself in the back of a police car, being taken in. Bro showed up and paid the fine for Dave's release. "What the fuck lil' man. How long have you been doing this?" Bro looked at Dave and Dave worried that if he told the truth Bro would kill him, though right now Dave wanted to kill himself in order to save himself from Bro. Bro asked again, this time a bit more anger in his tone.
Dave swallowed hard and looked up at him, removing his shades. Bruises from the boys at school kicking him still fresh and painful "a...a...about a week Bro." Dave pulled away afraid he might get hit. As Bro lifted his arm and put it around his shoulder
"lil man you can't run from this, why didn't you tell me this happend cuz you know i would stop at nothin to help you." Dave's look shifted to the floor. He knew what Bro was capable of but he didn't want to always depend on Bro.
~a few weeks later~
Bro wasn't acting like himself he answered the phone last week and his mood just kind of sank, they haven't had any Strider family time or their strifes since that call. Dave began to worry calling Bro's friends and asking what could of happend but nothing, everything lead to a dead end untill the door to their appartment rang and Bro ran to it opening it just enough to see a womans face, She had red eye's like Dave but her hair was a carmel brown. She pushed at the door trying to get in and after a few minutes of the door crunching his toes he let her in.
"You know why I'm here" she snorted looking around the little place "were is he?" She snaped her gaze back to Bro who was not to happy to have this lady in his place.
"If you mean lil man he is on his way home from the store" Bro smiled at how she didn't know Dave's were abouts like he did. The lady snorted her gaze burning into Bro with pure hatered, a few minutes after there glares Dave walked in carrying bags.
"Hey bro I got th..." he cut off noticing the lady who turned her glare to a sweet smile to him, when he saw her eyes he looked at Bro confused "who is this lady Bro?"
The lady shoved Bro out of the way and took Dave in her arms "David I'm your mother." Dave hesatantly pushed her off him looking a bit worried. "sweety it's ok" she said trying to hug him again, he hide behind bro nervously.
"My name is dave not david and stop trying to hug me" he said poking his head out from behind Bro. Bro laughed looking at her smirking, and her smile went back to her glare. "leave my big brother alone woman" Dave shouted at her.
The lady was not pleased by this "how dare you not teach him manners." She looked at Dave smiling sweetly "come to mommy sweetie" this time she waited for Dave to come to her.
Dave looked at Bro then at her and came out of hiding before he moved any more he looked at Bro for if he should or not,but Bro just smiled at him with his it's up to you lil man look. Dave looked at the lady and hesatently walked over to her. "so umm your my mom, right" he asked standing right in front of her "and I do have manners Bro tought me well I'm just protective of my family and didn't know you." Dave looked her over and then gave her a small hug and let go were as she held on to him making him try to pull away.
With that the lady took Dave leaving Bro standing in his appartment alone.
~At the Lady's house~
Wow Dave thought as he steped into a real house it was bright and colorful and warm he made his way to a couch were joined by a big dog. "ahhhh...it's gunna..." Dave cut off jumping off the couch "m...m...mom what is that thing?" In all of Dave's life he never was scared but for this he was he wanted it away from him.
"Thats Dirky my dog he wont hurt you Dave" she said peting her dog. Dave watched her and tryed to sneak around the big thing with no luck and was brought to the floor with licks. "oh Dirky stop it let him up" she said pulling the massive dog off him. She helped Dave up and kissed his cheek "your such a sweet boy would you like to stay with mommy for a while cuz we can get it so you can stay here." She had a huge smile when Dave noded yes "lets go get it so you can stay with mommy more."
So they went to the court house Dave remembered this place by the smell it ment he would lose someone, after his mom went in and talked to a lady it sunk in who he would lose. She gave Dave a hug "you can now live with me and leave that little aparpment so lets go get your stuff." She had a huge grin as they got to Bro's apartment and went to the door.
Bro answered in just his pants,towel, and shades it was clear he just got out of a shower "may I help y... oh hey lil man ready to come home already." When he saw the papers in Dave's mom's hands he looked at Dave "you sure you wanna do this lil man I mean it wont be the same." Bro pulled out a pad of paper and wrote out a few important things about Dave like his fav foods the things he wont eat and the one most important thing his shades that if she does take them off be sure it's only in dimly lit rooms he handed it over to her and huged Dave "miss you lil man." Bro turned away trying to hide that he was crying though you could hear it in his voice.
Dave's mom got his stuff together and loaded it in her car and then while she thought Dave was in the car, she went back in Bro's apartment were he was floped on the couch shades off and tear stained cheeks. "Oh cut this out your a man aren't you don't cry over a little boy, pluse we both know it will be better for him if he lives with his mom." She was laughing at how lost Bro seemed with out Dave.
"Yeah maybe he will make more friends" he managed to say after a while the pain still clear. He watched out the window as Dave and his mom drove away, Bro went in his room and ploped on his bed not even caring lil cal fell to the floor."I should be happy for lil man not pouting like a whimp that he is gone right lil cal" he picked lil cal up "well if you miss him find a way to get him in his real home with us, you know that lady is crazy." Bro got up and finished geting dressed and went off to work.
Dave started school closer to were his mom lived, he thought it would be different well hell it sure was but not in a good way, it was different in the worse ways. He would try to get away but to no luck he hide after school till the cuts weren't bleeding so his mom wouldn't worry.
Dave returned home from school one day he forgot about the fight he had been in and his cuts he had got, upon his arrivel home he saw his mom who imediatly paniced calling the cops and the ambulince. With in the next day the three boys who fought Dave were arrested and Dave covered in bandages, he felt pathetic.
The next day he decided he was going to go check on Bro,he missed him and hasn't seen him for a few weeks. Dave knocked on the door but no reply so he called Bro's cell to tell him but no answer,were had Bro gone. Dave wrote out a note to Bro and put it in an envalope andsliped it under the door before he got up and left to go back to his mom. Dave on his way home called Bro three or four more times before he gave up and went in and strat to his room witch was oddly today very messy, he never left his room messy so this scared him abit who went through his stuff. He went out to his mom who was siting at the table Dave sat at the table his mom was at she looked at him a bit pissed "DAVID STRIDER"
Dave jumped abit hearing hisname being yelled "umm y...y...yes mom?" He lookd abit scared by her yelling "d...did I do something wrong?" He settled back in his chair and looked at her, as soon as she saw him calmed she pulled the shades from his face not noticing it cuting the bridge of his nose and ignoring the note from bro.
"YOU WENT TO SEE HIM" she growled her breathing almost like a hiss. "DON'T GO NEAR HIM AGAIN GOT IT DAVID" her glare was like fire! Dave opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by his mom "DON'T TRY TO SAY BUT I LOVE HIM, THAT MAN DOESN'T LOVE PEOPLE!" Dave closed his eye unable to take the bright lights. "OPEN YOUR EYES NOW"
"I...i can't" she reatched over and slaped him yelling athim to open his eyes or the next one would hurt more. Dave opened his eyes tears streaming his cheeks "visit who mom?"
"THE ASS HOLE I SAVED YOU FROM THE ONE YOU CALL BRO" she grabed dave's chin making him look at her. "UNDERSTOOD DAVID" she snaped slaping him again then geting up breaking his shades and droping them in the got up to walk to his room but instead was pushed in the bathroom and locked in.
Dave started looking around for a way out no luck and of couse the light switch in the bathroom was busted so the light was on and giving him a massive headache, he started to get hungry after an hour. "Mom help me...Mom please I'm hungry...Mom? Mom are you even..." he trailed off knowing he was alone in the house locked in the bathroom with no way out and to add on it he has the worst headache and he is starving fromnot eating since school ended. Then it hit him wait my phone Bro always said if it's important text 911 to him you never did thinking he would only tease you more but it was now about five hours, so he texted him. "Bro please come please please please" Dave crys hearing someone walk into the house it's to light to be Bro but then you hear heavyer foot steps you start to cheer up again untill the door opens and your mom and a man you never seen before are standing infront of him, the first thought to Dave is oh shit whats he gunna do to me and his mom just laughs as he picks Dave up as if he were no more then a filthy toy to be thrown out.
"Is he better then Bro" Dave hears his mom say, Dave texts Bro again 911 HELP ME! this time sounding desperate. "Now david say hi to your daddy" Dave looks at him through squinted eyes seeing as going on six hours of light was now making it hard for his mind to run a clear thought. "David Strider answer your mother" she yells slaping him hard across the face.
"Stupid boy maybe he wasn't grounded long enough" the man suggests taking poor dave back to the bathroom andlocking him in. Dave cryed so much he cryed himself to sleep that night, what woke him up was his alarm, oh fuck I'm hungry davethought tryingto open the door onlyto remember he was locked in for how longnow about maybe eighteen hours now. Dave began to plead and cry for any kind of food he was to hungry to care.
"Mom please food" no answer she and the guy went out leaving him again, all Dave could do was text Bro and cry and scream for help.
~about three days later~
Dave lais on the bathroom floor unable to move, all hecan hear out side of the room is "where is lil man"oh god is that Bro Dave trys to scream but no sound so he listens to his mom tell Bro oh he went to see afriend out of state. Being pissed and hungry you mannage to kick the door. "what was that?"
"It was my fiancee in the restroom" she says lieing more making Dave cryharder witch hurts him. Bro glares at her and pushes her out of the way her said lover kicks Bro but he ignores it, geting the man out of the way and geting to the door .
"Lil man are you in there" he asks before opening the door, geting no answer he pulls the door open. He turns to Dave's mom pissed "You bitch look at him, you fight to have him and you do this to him I'll see that you never have a chance again" he says pissed and he carefully picks Dave up who passed out, Bro runs him to a hospital finding out he lost alot of weight and is rather sick, Bro takes off his shades sliping them on Dave. "Please lil man be ok, Ineed you around the apartment just ain't the same" He gets no response and fresh tears flow overhis already tear stained cheeks.
Dave wakes up in a hospital bed coughing and breathing but just baraly he trys to form a word "B...B...Bro" andthats all he gets out before coughing. Bro gets to his side giving him a half of sandwtich that doesn't last like five seconds, he hugs Dave his tears driping on Dave's shirt.
Bro stays by Dave's side the hole time being sure he gets food and his meds."Good job lil man you ate two pieces of pizza" Bro was happy when he got told he could take him home. When Bro got him inside he laid Dave on a bed and let him snuggle into it, Bro was so happy he was back he even cleaned the aparment, and got you all new stuff just so you didn't have to see that lady again.