Hi! Okay, so this is my first HS fanfiction. Don't kill me, I know it's a little bit rough right now, I may or may not improve as time goes on.

Trigger warning: Self harm. I don't think it's okay to hurt yourself, though. Stay strong!

Reviews would be nice, and constructive criticism is great.

Disclaimer: I don't own Homestuck.

Dave unlocked the front door, stepping inside and tossing his keys down on the table. None of the lights were on, aside from the stovelight and a light coming from under the door of his roommate's bedroom. Dave knocked on her door softly. When he didn't get a response, he called to her that he was coming in to turn off the light. What he saw upon opening her door was far from expexted. Slouched against the wall was Terezi, covered in her own blood, obviously unconscious. Dave pulled out his phone, dialing 9-1-1.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Hello? I just came home to find my roommate had lost a lot of blood, and she's out cold."

"Calm down, sir. What's your location? We'll send someone right away."

Dave told the clerk where they were, waiting only a few minutes for the ambulance to arrive. A knock on the front door alerted him that someone was there. He bolted up, walking to and opening the door. The men at the door wore white, asking to be lead to 'the girl.' When they saw the condition Terezi was in, their faces grew somber. They carried her out to the truck on stretchers, Dave trailing behind. Just before they shut the doors of the truck, they asked if Dave intended to come along. He nodded once, climbing up into the back with Terezi and the medics.

x

The ride to the hospital and the events following it were a blur. All Dave could think about was what if he'd worked late, what if he'd grabbed dinner, what if he hadn't thought to turn off TZ's light. What if she'd succeeded?

Suddenly, a doctor was in front of him, telling him that Terezi's wounds were deep, but they'd been closed and she would be okay. Dave sighed in relief, asking when he could see her. The doctor said she was expected to wake up in the morning, but that Dave could stay with her overnight if he wanted. Thanking the doctor for everthing, Dave hurried up to TZ's hospital room. While waiting for her, he fell asleep.

x

"Dave... Dave, you asshole, get up."

Something hit Dave beetween the shouldersm and he sat up groggily. He leaned over, seeing a tissue box on the floor beside the hospital room's futon.

"Dear God, he's alive!"

Dave turned to glare, but found he couldn't even jokingly be angry with her. He smiled a small, sad smile.

Almost as though she could tell what he was doing, Terezi piped up at that moment. "Aw, don't be upset, Strider." Her voice shook, but still held all her usual snark and humor. "It's just a scratch, I'll be okay."

"No you won't," Dave murmured, meeting Terezi's unseeing gaze. "This isn't something to joke about."

"Dave, I'm sorry. You of all people should know that I'm not okay."

Dave huffed, shaking his head. "Terezi, I'm not saying you should be perfectly fine all the time. I get that you're unhappy, I do. What I don't understand is how you could just give up like that. You're the strongest person I've ever known, but you've succumbed so easily to the smallest problem."

Terezi's voice was quiet, and she was seemingly on the verge of tears. "Dave, I'm many things. I'm funny, smart, reasonably pretty," there was her snark, joking so obviously, most likely in an attempt to calm herself- and Dave- down. "But strong? I'm anything but. You're right. I put up with people, listen to them joke and snicker because of the blind girl. But a stupid chemical imbalance got me here."

"I don't believe that. You're strong enough not to let their taunting get to you. I just... you've never really messed up much, even being blind. But the doctors said you'd missed the vein...?"

Terezi chuckled. "I only missed part of the vein, Strider. I still got it pretty good. But, y'know, it's hard to see with my nose when I'm crying so damn hard."

Dave stood, approaching her warily. "After you're out of here, I'm taking you to get help. I know you don't want help, you think you'll be okay, but this scared me worse than I'd like to admit."

"I hate when you gt all protective, coolkid. It's no fun. You're kind of brash whenyou get this way, too."

"Stop trying to change the subject, Terezi. You know I'm only doing this because I care about you."

Terezi snorted, shaking her head in turn. "I don't buy it. You only flip like this when I jurt myself. You say all the right stuff, make me feel special, then tell me you'll be back the next day cause you're going somewhere with some girl. Really convincing."

"I do what? I only ever do that when you obviously spend all day talking to your little boytoy Vantas. You know I hate him. I've never once done something rather than spending time with you!"

"My 'boytoy Vantas?' Karkat is my best friend. Yeah, we were on and off for awhile, but I figured you wouldn't really care. You never hung out with me, so why would it phase you that I was with someone else?"

"I cared, alright? I do care. I was terrified when I got home last night, terrified that you'd actually done it. I thought you were dead, goddammit!"

"Well why does that matter? It's not like anyone could love the silly little blind nuisance that's me, Terezi Pyrope. I'd be better off dead."

Dave closed the distance between them, his knees now on her matress. He wrapped his arms around her small frame, holding her close to himself. "I could. I do. I have for a long time, TZ. That's why it bothers me so damn much that you go to him, why it bothers me that you hurt yourself, why it bothers me so much that you tried to commit suicide."

Terezi stared straight ahead, her sightless eyes filling with tears. She returned the hug, audibly breathing in through her nose. If Dave had to guess, he'd say she was either trying to look at him or trying to calm down.

"I love you, Terezi."

Voice barely above a whisper, Terezi responded, "I love you too, Dave," before she broke down in tears.

Dave comforted her, holding her close until after she'd calmed down. He was reluctant to let go, and when he finally did, he had to pry Terezi's arms off of himself.

"Don't leave. Please, please don't go," Terezi, pleaded, sounding like she wanted to cry some more.

Dave laughed quietly, the sound almost pained. "I'll be back, Tez. I've got to eat something. Just cuz you already did doesn't mean the rest of us are so lucky."

With that, he left the room, getting himself food from the cafeteria in the hospital. When he returned, Dave saw that the familiar red-haired girl had fallen asleep. She probably needed that, so he didn't bother to wake her up. He sat on the futon, turning on the smaller TV for visitors.

It was mid-afternoon when Terezi woke up. Dave told her that a nurse had brought lunch for her while she was out, so eat up. While she ate, Dave inormed her of a few things.

"So, I talked to the doctor. He said you'll be able to go home tonight as long as we're careful with your stitches."

Terezi perked up at that, lunch now seemingly forgotten. She nodded once, all too excited to be going home.

"I also called John since I didn't drive here, he said he'll pick us up in about ten minutes from now. I told him you god hurt, not how, but you should take this just in case." He held his jacket out, not wanting John to find out about all of the goings ons just yet.

Terezi accepted the offering, slipping it on over her newly accquired hospital gown. "Thank you, Davey," she said affectionately, using the nickname she knew perfectly well that Dave didn't really like.

"I'll let that slide, but just this once..." Dave trailed off, smiling nevertheless.

x

The ride home mostly consisted of John and Dave doing that weird almost-flirting best friend thing while Terezi held Dave's jacket up to her face, presumably deep in thought.

When they got back to the condo, Dave realized something. For the first time since he'd started to develop feelings for Terezi, they were truly alone together. No hidden emotions, no friends over, no work to worry about. Terezi had just started for her bedroom when she turned back to Dave.

"I can't go in there. Did you take the towels and blankets out? Is there any blood on anything? Not that I could see it, but I could smell where it is." She rambled on aout things she was worried about, reasons why she couldn't go into her own bedroom. "Dave... Please help me."

Dave took the few steps to reach her, pulling her into another embrace. "You don't have to go in there, Tez. Just tell me what it is you need. I'll get it or you," he murmured, releasing her.

"My dragon pajamas. The red ones. They should be in the second drawer of my dresser."

Dave nodded, setting off to get the pajamas for her. He returned momentarily, holding the pair she'd asked for. Terezi took them, heading to the bathroom to change.

The door cracked open, and there was the blind girl, holding hte pajama shirt to her chest. "Dave, I can't get it off. It hurts." Her face was flushed red by the time she finished saying even that much. "Please help me."

"Help you with what?"

Terezi turend around, wiggling her shoulders. "My bra. I'm only asking because it hurts my arms to try to unclasp it."

Dave took a shaky breath, taking a step toward her. He reached out, hands steady even though this made him kind of uncomfortable, (how uncool) and undid the clasp on her bra. "There you go," he almost-whispered, dropping his hands and stepping back.

Terezi thanked him, walking back into the bathroom. She came back a moment later holding a bundle of clothes.

"Do you want me to take those?"

She nodded, holding them out to him. "You can just toss 'em on my bed, I don't really care."

Dave did just that, shutting her door when he finished.

"Dave, why are you so willing to help me?"

Dave shrugged as though the answer was obvious, which it was to him. "I thought I ade that clear at the hospital, or do you need to be reminded?

Terezi tilted her head to the side, seeming to not remember. Her tone however, made it seem as though she kenw exactly what he meant. "Remind me?" She asked, taking a step closer to to him and looking up even though Dave knew perfectly well that she couldn't see him.

"Well," he started, "it went sort of like this." He closed the small distance between them, taking her into his arms. "You were upset, I was too. I said I was doing this because I care about yo. We argued a little bit. You said no one could love a blind girl. I said I could, and I do."

Terezi smiled a closed-mouth smile, one that all but disappeared when she started talking. "So you're saying that you foolishly pursue a blind girl,also help her without question, just because you love her? Wow. Love must make people do such stupid things."

Dave raised an eyebrow, a futile gesture because she couldn't see him. "Obviously. So what's your excuse?"

"My excuse?" Terezi asked, tilting her head to the side. "Excuse for what?"

"Well, I seem to remember you saying that you returned the feelings. What stupid things do you blame on that?"

Terezi shrugged, her eyes seeming to focus on him for the first time since her accident so many years ago. "Isn't loving a Strider stupid enough? If not, I guess it's nothing just yet."

Dave chuckled, shaking his head. "It's not the smartest choice, but hey, dumb choices aren't always wrong."

Terezi, smiled again, leaning on him. "I huess my dumb decision was okay then?"

Dave nodded, and there was a silence between them for a moment. Terezi finally spoke up, her tone completely void of all the happiness it had had a moment before. "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm really sorry. I don't mean to cost you any trouble at all. You've always acted that way."

"You don't cause any trouble for me, not usually. Helping you when you ask for help is okay with me, mostly because you're not much of one to ask for help."

Terezi shook her head, probably her way of saying he was wrong. "I'm always too afraid to ask for help. I fear that everyone will think I"m incompetent just because I can't exactly see things. But you just smile and nod and go along with my shenanigans all the time, never wondering if someone's gonna get hurt in the process. You take a step back and put my needs- no, my wants- ahead of yours. How can you stand to do that? And don't give me that bullshit line about how you help me because you love me. I want a real answer."

Dave was shocked by her sudden outburst, but he wasn't about to let her best him. "I don't know. I feel like you're more important, I guess. To me, it's just priorities. I've learned to love the ladies more than I love myself. Well, even that's not true. I like myself a little too much for that."

Terezi laughed, then tried again at being angry. "You're cheating. No making me laugh when I'm being serious, coolkid."

Dave shrugged, obviously enjoying this. "I wasn't around when that rule was established. Do I have to be put on trial still?"

With a wide grin, Terezi nodded eagerly. "Ignorance is the worst crime of all the crimes, David. Your trial will be the hardest yet!"

Dave just laughed, shaking his head. "Since when is ignorance a crime, Pyrope?"

Terezi shrugged. "It's always been a crime. Maybe if you'd paid more attention to the law, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Is that so? Well then, if ignorance is such a crime to you, how do you suspect we go about your punishment for technically not knowing what I ook like?
Terezi frowned, thinking for a moment. "I do know what you look like. I knew you before my accident, remember?"

Dave nodded slowly. Of course he remembered. How could he forget all those times when he'd learn something embarrassing about her and she'd stare wide-eyed at him as i waiting to be made fun of, all the times she'd get excited and every part of her face reflected how happy she was? None of that had happened after the accident. That day, once of her doctors had said that her eyes could have been fixed, still could be, with the right(expensive) treatment.

"How do you know I haven't changed and am now hideous?"

Terezi laughed softly, taking his face in her cold hands. "Well, come down here and let me look!"

Dave put up a slight struggle, acting as though he didn't want Terezi to see(smell) his face at all. "No! You mustn't know the horror commonly known as my face!" he exclaimed, tone overly dramatic.

Of course, Terezi stood on her tip-toes as she attempted to get Dave's face down to heres just to see what he smelled(read: looked) like. "Just lemme have one sniff! Please!"

Dave relented, letting himself be pulled to Terezi's level. As she worked on getting a good image of him down, Terezi placed several small, light kisses on Dave's face. He squirmed around, trying to make the task just that much more difficult than it needed to be.

"You about done, little one?" he asked, noting that there were indeed less little breaths on his cheeks and forehead, more soft kisses on them.

Terezi nodded, pulling her face back from his momentarily before leaning back in, seizing Dave's lips before he could do anything and ruin the opportunity.

Dave's eyes widened in shock, but soon they were just as open as the gap between the two of them, and he was returning the kiss.

After a moment, Terezi pulled away, her expression looking somewhat regretful, but mostly accomplushed. She'd done what neither of them had had the courage to do before. It was great.

Yoyoyoyoyoyo. Chapter one, there you go. I hope you like it!

I know they were a little out of character in a couple places, sorry. Like I said, this is my first try.

(sorry it's so long. it's twelve pages in my notebook.)