It was a foggy and rainy morning somewhere at the beginning of March when it happened for the first time. A 15 year old boy held on to the edges of a toilet sink for dear life. There were very strong cramps in his lower abdomen and he had the feeling as if all the meals from the past three months were coming out. Eventually, he stopped throwing up, but the cramps went on a little longer until they subsided as well.

Dirk sat there on floor, cold sweat and tears dripping off his face and he was shaking from shock. What in the name of all the stars above just happened? Dirk tried his best to stand up, but his legs were as heavy as stone and his spine ached. He literary sat there until Bro came in and found him there. Of course he questioned his little brother's wellness but Dirk couldn't bring himself to speak.

Realizing Dirk was still in shock from whatever happened, Bro carefully picked him up and carried him to living room. He gently laid him down on couch and made his way to kitchen where D and Sis were making pancakes for breakfast.

"Mornin'" D greeted him turned the pancake in pan.

"Hey bro," Sis smiled at her twin brother.

"Sis? I think you should go check on Dirk," he said.

Silence turned to face him. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he said and tried to stay calm. "I found him in bathroom and he looked like he saw Her Imperial Condescension coming for him. Seriously he's pale like a corpse, cold as corpse and if I go on I might start thinking he's a corpse."

Sis just looked at him and rolled her eyes but said nothing. Without a word she left kitchen and left two males behind. Dirk was lying on couch, breathing deep, sweating a bit and he surely was paler that usual. Silence kneeled beside him and took his hand in her own checking for pulse. Luckily it was just quickened and still noticeable. He was probably just dehydrated. She turned to her brothers at doorway and smiled.

"Is he okay?" D asked a slight of worry noticeable in his voice.

"He's fine," Sis answered, "just dehydrated. Man, whatever scared or shocked him so much surely made a mark on him. But he'll be okay. Remind me to make sure he drinks more when he wakes up, would ya?"

She smirked at her ten minutes older brother and passed him with a light nudge in arm and he got the message. He simply sighed and went to take Nike, Dave and Dove to school.

It was late forenoon when Dirk woke up. He yawned and faced Sis who was leaning at the doorway, smirking lightly. She came closer and handed him a glass of water and sat on coffee table. Dirk emptied the glass pretty quickly and took few more moments to catch his breath, and then he finally turned his attention back to Sis.

"What-what happened?" he asked.

Sis smiled and patted is head. "You just passed out. Probably from shock and dehydration. Dude, what in Skaia happened to you? Saw the Grim reaper coming for you?" she joked.

"Ha ha very funny," Dirk said sarcastically. "It most likely felt like one was reaping my abdomen from inside. It made my stomach puke out like everything I ate in past decade."

Sis frowned a bit and raised her eyebrow.

"You think it was simply a stomach bug?" she asked suddenly.

"Yeah it was probably just that," Dirk nodded. "Though it had to be a really big one," he chuckled. "Made my stomach puke out like everything I ate in past decade."

Silence nodded and turned her head to look out of the window. She could swear she saw something like this before and she was positive it was not stomach bug. But dammit her memory sometimes just refused to be on her side. That was the result of not being morning person. Suddenly a very weird thought crossed her mind and she frowned. But she mentally slapped herself and scolded herself of thinking such thing. Maybe it was just some kind of stomack ache or something like that but she highly doubted that. It just... didn't feel like anything like it. But she wasn't sure so she decided to drop that idea for now.

"Did it happen before?" she asked out of sudden, suprised by her own words.

Dirk raised his eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"Did you have to throw up before?"

"N-no today it happened for the first time," he answered.

Silence nodded. "Anything else happened?"

Dirk looked a bit uneasy and Sis helped him to lean down on pillow she brought for him. He really did look sick and tired. But she had to know if it's anything serious.

"No," he answered. "Only cramps in my lower abdomen, uh... tiredness? Hunger?"

Sis nodded again. "How long?"

"A week? Maybe two?"

She smiled and petted his silk soft pale blond hair. "Wanna take a nap?" she asked softly.

Younger Strider nodded lightly. "Can I eat something first?"

Sis sighed and nodded. They entered the dining area and Sis opened fridge and inspected its insides. She pulled out some stuff and in a minute she had a plate of ham sandwiches and orange juice made. She placed it on table when she remembered something she needed to do and exited the kitchen. When she finally came back she saw a very satisfied Dirk napping on his chair. Sis smiled and lifted her little brother into her arms and carried him to his room. One might think that Sis wouldn't be able to lift a mallet without breaking a bone. But there was one thing all neighbourhoods knew; NEVER underestimate a girl, especially if that girl's last name is Strider or Laonde.

Silence lightly laid Dirk on mattress and covered him with blankets. Dirk sighed softly and it made Sis smile a bit.

"Sweet dreams lil' bro," she whispered and closed the door behind her.

Meanwhile in school...

Dave just got out of classroom, chatting with Nepeta and Feferi when a very familiar male voice called his name. Strider boy waved goodbye to his two friends and turned only to see Jake English running- no sprinting towards him.

"Jake?" he asked nobody practically and stood like a mountain on his spot while English was still running towards him.

He waited and when older boy was good five feet away he reached out his arm and signalled 'stop' with his hand. English noticed it and started to slow down only to completely stop when his nose was just an inch away from Dave's hand.

"Ah, Dave Jacob Strider!" 18-year-old greeted him while still collecting himself. "Just the boy I wanted to see."

"Aha," Dave said sarcastically. "And you really need all those idiots know that?"

Jake rubbed the back of his neck and laughed awkwardly.

"N-no, of course not!"

"Then spit it out already you thunderhead!"

Jake's caramel coloured cheeks turned red and he kept with his awkward laughing. Dave just rolled his eyes.

"If you're trying to be ironic or dramatic, let me tell you I'm not amused," he said.

"N-no, why for devil's dickens would I do that?" Jake said nervously.

Dave's face remained emotionless. He just wanted to say something when suddenly something grabbed him for shoulders and he nearly jumped to the ceiling and remained there like some cat from stupid cartoons Bro loves to watch. Suddenly he heard giggling that hardly held back full laughter.

"NIKE!" he shouted at her while his quadruplet broke down into laughter.

"S-sorry sorry," she had tears in her eyes. "But I-I couldn't help it. You're so cute like that."

That was finally the moment Dave's cheeks turned red and his mouth started twitching. Make sure to thank Bro for teaching me that, Nike mentally noted.

"Soooo," she asked and rested each arm around each of other boy's shoulder. "What were ya talking about?"

"Hello to you too Nike," Jake laughed. He just loved that girl. "I was just about to ask where Dirk's at."

Nike couldn't help but give him one of her famous smile-smirks. She knew her younger quadruplet brother had a massive crush on him since forever and as much as she overheard Jade Harley - Jake's younger sister - once talking to Dave, Jake had a crush on Dirk as well. But she also knew what happened between them just three weeks ago. She was not mad of course not but she had a weird mix of excitement about it.

"He's at home," she replied as the two of them sat down at the lunch table. "Had a rough morning and Sis decided for him to take a break from school".

Jake just nodded awkwardly and Nike just rolled her eyes as she gave him a smile-smirk again (unlike Bro, D and Dave - and Dirk sometimes - she, Sis and Dove were more open in public). As said before she knew what happened between Dirk and Jake. Many would think that after IT they would start to build a wall between them. But to their surprise it connected them even more. They stuck together all the time so it was nothing too strange for Jake to ask where his boyfriend- best friend was.

"Jake just tell already that you want to go see him," Nike smirked at older boy who blushed deeply but nodded anyway. "You know," she said on their way to Strider apartment, "you don't have to be so nervous around any of us. Even Mom and Dad. We're not mad at you. Sure maybe it was a bit soon but hey. At least it was not some stranger or worse."

English just laughed nervously. He knew Striders forgave him but his family didn't. And by that he meant his mother's step brother, Rick Marvin that lived with them since Jake was five. He was against any other sexuality that wasn't hetero. But most of all he hated homosexuals. Nobody knew why but one thing was clear; if Jake's mother Junia English wouldn't use her FBI power on him, Jake wouldn't be alive now. That's why Junia sent him and Jade to live with their grandma Mary Harley, their biological father's mother. Junia said that she'd rather have her children living with their grandma in another state and have them safe than having them home and hurt because of their (mostly Jake's) sexuality. Of course she came to visit and she pestered them, she even called them through Skype. So she didn't break any contacts with her boy and girl. So that meant she knew what Jake and Dirk did. She didn't say anything against it she just commented that he should have waited for both of them to be a little older. But since there was only two years between them it was not illegal. They both were lucky Mrs English and Mrs Strider were besties since birth so it was easier.

They walked into apartment and found Sis warming up in living room, making the perfect split while having her back completely still and straight.

"Hi Sis," Nike and Dave greeted their older sister.

"Hi Nike. Hi Dave," Sis smiled and got up.

Jake however wanted to make himself a bit more like a proper gentleman. He took Sis's hand and kissed the back of it while bowing, making both females giggle and Dave rolling his eyes behind his shades (Thank God he had those).

"Bonjour Mademoiselle Strider," he said with a grin.

"Monsieur English," Sis replied and made a lady bow. "I'm guessing you're here to see Dirk, right?"

"That's exactly what I'm doing here miss," Jake replied and grinned.

"Well I'm sad to inform you that he's in dreamland at the moment."

Jake whined quietly and Sis being Sis couldn't just tell him to leave. Instead she remembered something.

"Hey Jake? Why don't you wait for him to wake up and come training with us? It has been AGES since you last had strife with us," she said, letting her Texan accent slip in.

Jake brightened up a bit. "Kay... Oh gazooks! I left my guns at home!" (He didn't left them home, his Grandma doesn't allow him to carry them to school)

"That's not a problem!" Nike grinned. "You can use dad's old ones."

"'U nuts? He'll skin all three of us with his bare hands," Dave informed her.

But Nike just grinned wider. "I'm probably nuts. But hey! Since when do we just let one stay without a weapon? That's completely out of all rules we have!"

Sis smirked and rolled her eyes. Nike was right. As always. So she just led younger three companions on the roof where they stayed until Bro came home and gave Sis another lecture about strifing.

TBC...

For information Sis' name is Silence. Just to avoid confusion.