A/N: I suppose I should've mentioned this early, but this AU is simply supposing that the beta kids entered the game a few years after they did in canon. Also, the conversation in this is directly from canon and was written by Andrew Hussie, not me! Also, thank you to those of you who have liked/reviewed this! It is really nice to hear your feedback!


They never played the game together. Dave started playing with John and the rest thinking that bro could join later. Dave saw his brother two times after he entered the game. The first time, bro cut a fucking comet in half to save Dave from Jack Noir. Dave didn't have a chance to say anything. The second time... Oh God, the second time...

Dave had been exploring the planets with his multiple selves, getting to know every God damned inch of them. Sometimes he hung out with John or Jade of Rose, but he was mostly by himself. He spent a lot of time talking to Terezi, having her help him through the game and giving her tips. He also got on well with her otherwise, and they would talk about a lot. Mostly about stupid things, but she would also tell her about her Matespriteship with Karkat and her Kismesis with Gamzee and Vriska. She'd talk about life on the ship and tell him all about the heinous crimes committed by her dragon plushies and how she'd hung them after gleaning every ounce of information they could offer. Dave enjoyed their talks to the point he started to look forward to seeing that teal text appear in his glasses.

Dave felt bad for playing without bro. He felt bad for losing both copies of the game. He felt bad for not even being able to say a proper thank you for cutting the fucking comet in half. But he pushed those emotions, as well as any others, to the back of his brain, filed under 'Unimportant.' It seemed even the game itself was discouraging him from thinking too hard. His time-travels had taught him nothing if not to trust his gut instincts, and he knew emotions only made it difficult to make split-second decisions.

It was on John's planet. He rounded a corner and his fucking heart stopped. He kept his composure only because of pure shock. No. No, no, no. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. It wasn't. Bro was invincible. He was strong and cool and fast and he must have figured out the cloning shit or something because he wasn't, couldn't be, dead.

He stepped forward and knelt in front of the corpse. Fuck. Don't cry. Don't you dare fucking cry. Don't. Fucking. Cry.

The teal flashed in his glasses, and he answered.

[GC: STR1111111D3R
TG: oh my fucking god
GC: WH4T :?
TG: what do you mean what
TG: we just got done talking and agreed it would be awesome if you didnt bother me for a while
TG: you know like while i guess i grieved over this brutally murdered rad family member or something]

Don't let her see you weak. Don't let her see you human.

[GC: OH
GC: TH4TS R1GHT
GC: 1 FORGOT!
TG: it was five seconds ago
GC: 1 TH1NK TH4T W4S HOURS 4GO FOR M3
GC: 1 4M 4 L1TTL3 FOGGY ON 4LL OUR CHRONOLOG1ST1C4L SH3N4N1G4NS 4T TH1S PO1NT...
GC: TH3R3 H4S B33N SO MUCH CR4ZY STUFF GO1NG ON H3R3 1 H4V3 LOST TR4CK!
TG: so youre officially going nonlinear with me then
TG: were just forfeiting all rhyme or reason to this unmitigated clusterfuck is that it
GC: D4V3, YOUR 3NT1R3 3X1ST3NC3 1S NONL1N34R
GC: DONT B3 SO M3LODR4M4T1C
TG: whoops ok in the future ill try not to pitch any sort of dramatics while brooding over the cadavers of slaughtered loved ones
GC: D1D YOU LOV3 H1M D4V3?
TG: no]

Yes. Yes he did. His brother. His older fucking brother, who had taught him to fight, how to ride a bike, taught him to rap and to mix beats, to have a cut-throat wit and a love for irony. He loved him. He loved him so fucking much.

[GC: BUT H3 W4S YOUR STR4NG3 HUM4N M4N-LUSUS
GC: WHO T4UGHT YOU TO L1K3 COOL TH1NGS, L1K3 SWORDS 4ND PUPP3TS 4ND MOV1NG R34LLY F4ST!
GC: HOW COULD YOU NOT?]

Shut up. Shut up shut up shut up.

[TG: puppets arent cool theyre shitty small fake people who haunt your dreams and grin like permanent assholes
TG: i was making a joke about being all broken up about it
TG: a guy can be sad and make jokes at the same time
GC: YOU 4R3 S4D, BUT NOT BROK3N UP 4BOUT 1T?
GC: 1 DONT UND3RST4ND
TG: exactly
GC: BUT YOU S41D YOU W3R3 GR13V1NG!
TG: i said we agreed youd leave me alone to grieve
TG: didnt say whether i actually would or actually am
GC: W3LL, 4R3 YOU?
TG: i am grieving to the max like a widow on dead husband island
TG: behind these chill as fuck shades my face is having this crazy attack of the sads
TG: my rue is fucking bananas cant you tell
GC: 4RGH NO, 1 C4NT!
GC: YOU DONT SOUND S1NC3R3, BUT 1TS SO H4RD TO T3LL WH4T L4Y3R OF 1RONY R3MOV3D FROM R34L1TY YOUR FL1PP4NT R3M4RKS 4R3 SUPPOS3D TO B3
GC: 1 4M B3TT1NG YOU R34LLY 4R3 S4D NO M4TT3R HOW H1L4R1OUS 4ND 4LOOF YOU TH1NK YOUR3 B31NG]

He was. He was sincere. Or rather, he wanted to be. He wanted to grieve, but he couldn't let them see his weakness. Don't show weakness.

[TG: the truth is a mystery
TG: tucked behind the pursed lips of a shitty riddler
TG: they will be loosened only when presented with the conundrous grandeur of rigid insoluble puzzlecock
GC: BLUH TH4T M4K3S NO S3NS3!
TG: im sorry you are so flustered by the mere mention of glittering mythical cryptodick it honestly makes me think youre not ready for the truth
GC: D4V3 YOUR P3RPL3X1NG 3UPH3M1SMS 1NVOLV1NG WH4T 1 PR3SUM3 TO B3 L3WD 4ND V4GU3LY 1NTR1GU1NG PORT1ONS OF HUM4N 4N4TOMY 1 TH1NK 4R3 NOT 4S H1L4R1OUS 4S YOU PROB4BLY B3L13V3
GC: 4ND 1N 4NY C4S3 YOU M4Y B3 4M4Z3D TO L34RN 1 4M NOT TOT4LLY 1N TH3 MOOD FOR YOUR DUMB SM4RT4SSY HORNSWOGGL3RY!
GC: 1 H4V3 LOTS OF MY OWN PROBL3MS H3R3, 4ND TH3Y 4R3 B1G, B1G PROBL3MS
GC: SO WHY DONT YOU JUST T3LL M3 WH4T YOU 4R3 TH1NK1NG FOR ONC3?]

Can't have that. He ignored the emotions, pushing through to find something of actual value to say.

[TG: its pretty simple
TG: im just thinkin about how im gonna take this sword
GC: Y34H...
GC: 1 N3V3R R34LLY GOT WHY YOU WOULDNT JUST PULL 1T OUT
TG: filthiest thing you ever said]

He couldn't do it. He wasn't good enough to do that. Only someone truly awesome could do that to bro's corpse. Not Dave.

[GC: HUH :?
TG: forget it
TG: pulling swords out of things isnt how i roll
TG: im not john remember
GC: 1 4M NOT FOLLOW1NG
TG: im not a hero
TG: my bro was
TG: john is
TG: im not
GC: Y3S YOU 4R3!
TG: no
GC: Y3S, W3 4LL 4R3
GC: 1 4M TH3 H3RO OF M1ND
GC: YOU 4R3 TH3 H3RO OF T1M3
GC: TH4T 1S WHO W3 W3R3 CR34T3D TO B3
TG: fine its a title we inherit as phlegm babies or whatever but what have i done to earn it
TG: pretty much nothing but horsing around through time and swindling retarded alligators out of their life savings
TG: if that swords coming out of his chest its coming out clean
TG: taking it vertically means drawing more blood
TG: but horizontally means a clean break
TG: check it
GC: NO, DONT :[ ]

Dave ignored the warning. He stood solemnly and walked backwards. When he hit the edge of the trail, he got a running start and jumped forward. His foot connected with the handle, but instead bro had only ever used the highest-quality swords, and instead of breaking it simply sprung him back again.

He landed heavily a good couple yards away from bro's body and felt tears sting his eyes. Don't get up. Don't move. Don't let her see you weak. Don't show emotion. Emotion is weakness.

Terezi was telling him to get up, but he didn't want to. He wanted to lay here and fucking die right alongside the Goddamned hero who raised him. Go away. Leave me alone.

But she didn't. She told him about the shit going on up in the ship. Nothing registered with him, though, other than the fact that they were all fucking dead, too. What the fuck was the point of this stupid fucking game? Everyone was fucking dying. Shit...

Conversation drifted, and he became more and more capable of holding his front. And then she logged off and he was left alone, with his dead fucking brother.

Don't cry. They could still see you. You aren't allowed to cry.

He was gone. He was gone and dead and never coming back and oh God, it was all Dave's fault.

Don't you dare cry.

If only Dave had waited. If only Dave had been there a bit earlier. If only Dave had called out to his brother on the comet. If only Dave had stopped him from fighting the guy that had destroyed entire worlds in a matter of minutes. If only, if only, if only. It was his fault.

Quit it. You're not a fucking kid. You're not allowed to cry.

He had to get out of there. He turned on his heels and continued what he was doing, trying to push the image out of his memory. Still it stood front and center, screaming loneliness with every step further away.

Forget it. Move on. Ignore it.

He carried on.

Pretend you are okay, and eventually you will be.

ΔΔΔ