a/n Thank you for the comments and follows, guys! I really appreciate them! They really do make me want to continue. Sorry it took so long for me to continue writing…I fell into depression and school got hectic. Inspiration has been hard.
And The Earth Keeps Spinning
You slowly regain your consciousness. Your eyes remain closed at first, you just listen to the quiet voices. They seem so far away at first, but as you try to stay asleep, you realize the whispers are coming from two people standing right next to your bed.
"…should be leaving," one of the voices says, "you need to eat something. I'll tell you immediately if anything happens."
"It's alright, I'm not that hungry. I'll just go to the vending machine and pick up a snack," the second—you realize after a moment that it's Dave—responds in a hushed tone.
"Dave…your brother is worried about you. He said you haven't slept a full night since Tav was admitted, and that you hardly eat."
The two of them are silent for a few moments, enough for you to open your eyes and blink a few times. They don't notice, at first; Dave's staring at the floor, a frown on his usually calm face, and your dad is staring at Dave.
"…I don't want to," Dave finally says.
You sigh then, and both turn to look at you. Your dad puts on the fake smile he's worn every day since you told him you thought something was wrong, and Dave tries to replace his poker face.
"Oh, hey Tav," Dave leans on the chair, trying to act as though nothing is wrong.
"Dave, uh, you should probably go home, for a bit," as soon as you say it, the frown is on his lips again, "I'll be okay, I'm not going to, uh, go anywhere."
Dave nods slowly and pushes his shades up so they sit correctly on his nose, "Alright, if you're sure."
You nod. You don't really want him to leave, but you don't want to see how he reacts, when he finds out. You wish that he never had to find out. You don't want him, or anybody else, to have to know. They'll just be sad and angry, and you don't want them to cry. You almost wish you could make them forget you. Let them live their lives as though you never existed, so that one day maybe they'll hear about some poor kid named Tavros who died of cancer, and they'll just go 'oh how sad' and move on with their lives.
Dave nods again, leaning over you and giving you a quick, chaste kiss before pulling away. You smile at him as though everything is okay, and he turns and leaves with a wave to your dad. At the door, he turns back to give you a strained smile.
"I'll see you later tonight, okay?" You nod in answer to his question and wave him away.
It isn't much longer until your doctor arrives again, pity poorly masked behind the small smile on her lips.
"Hello again, Dr. Medigo," your father shakes her hand before taking a seat in the chair Dave had just been using.
"Hi Mr. Nitram, how are you doing?"
Your father answers with a shrug, "I guess I'm alright. Just waiting for the test results."
Her smile falters for only a second, but you know your father saw it, "I suppose there's no reason to delay any more then, is there?"
You want to think of an excuse to hold off telling him but he's nodding at her before you can put a word in. She pulls out the image she had showed you earlier and let your father look at it. She gives him the same talk, explaining in the kindest words she can find that you most likely won't live much longer. She relays your options for treatment in a soft, slightly hopeful tone.
Your father nods as she speaks. You can't see his face, but you can imagine the look in his eyes, and you don't want to see it.
He nods, covering his head with a hand as he hands the image back to her, and thanks her for the information before she leaves. It takes a moment before he turns, and when he does look at you, you close your eyes.
He sits in silent, you can feel his eyes watching you, and after while he takes your hand in his, rubbing the back of it gently with his thumb. You sigh and open your eyes to look into his.
It's a long while before either of you do anything other than hold each others' hands. He's the first to make a move, taking a deep breath before he tries to speak.
"You'll make it through, Tav, I know you will."
You swallow thickly and try to talk, but it's interrupted by a soft cry.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, pulling you into a hug, "I'm so sorry."
"Not your fault," you manage to mumble against his shoulder, "I'm sorry."
"It isn't your fault either," he responds, pulling away enough to give you a meaningful look, "I love you."
"Love you too," You try to smile back at him. You just want him to be happy. "I'll make it through. Like you said."
Once again, you're pulled into a hug, and the two of you stay that way, with him rubbing your back as gently as he can as though you might break.
You're the one to pull away when he whispers out his next message, "We need to tell everybody."
"Do we have to?" You ask, begging him with your eyes to say no. You don't want to do this, it's going to hurt them too much.
He nods, "They deserve to know, Tavros. They've been waiting as long as we have."
You blink back a few tears, "But…"
"Tav…there's no way around it."
"…Dave's going to be hurt."
"Yeah."
"Gamzee's going to be really sad."
"I know…"
"Don't make me tell them…"
"They need to know."
"No."
"Yes, Tavros. "
"Why?"
"Because they want to know."
"But I don't want to hurt them."
"Tav…it's not your fault."
"It is, though…"
"Tavros Nitram," he raises his voice just slightly above the whisper he's been using, giving you a stubborn look, "Don't you dare think that any of this is your fault. The fact that you're sick isn't your fault. Everything will be okay, but we need to tell them."
"Dad…" You whine.
"Tav."
"Please don't make me…"
He sighs and hugs you again, running a hand through your mohawk. "I'm sorry, Tavros. We have to tell them. I promised Dave I would."
You slump against him. All you can think about is how much you're going to hurt them all, when they find out. You wish you could stop this all.
a/n *sighs* finally. Here you go, my loves.
