Hiya my peeps, tis me again.
sorry bout the delay with this chapter, had a few assignments needing to be done for uni that I had been really putting off.
For the future, I'll be attempting to put up at least A chapter a week, and if I don't keep to this, feel free to pester me with abusive messages all you want, anything to get my arse into gear XD
Still setting things up for the story, so some more boring, boring set up handy work here. On another note, Gamzee makes an appearance in this chapter, and though he's one of my fav characters in this fandom, he was surprisingly difficult to write as, so please, be gentle. Also want to send out an apology for OOC Dave, I really want to get into his head and make him react to these very difficult situations, and I'm not to sure if I'm being entirely true to his charcter, though I'm having fun making him an emotional wreck to be honest XD
As always, reviews are greatlt appreciated and hold me over til I can get my next fix ;D
and a great big thankyou to everyone who has reviewd so far, the feedback is greatly appreciated and helps me when it comes to writing future chapters, not to mention tells me what works and doesn't.
Another thankyou to everyone who has favourited and/or is watching this story. Checking my emails and seeing those alerts really helps with my confidence when it comes to writing and it really brought a tear to my eye knowing that you lovely poeple out there actually read my drivel.
kudos to you all.
You are Dave Strider and you've finally made your way back to school after yesterday's emotional breakdown. When your Bro came back from work, both of you pretended that the previous night and morning hadn't happened. He didn't point out the tear tracks that had stained your cheeks, or how your face was all blotchy. He just went about making dinner, preparing macaroni and cheese, probably not knowing that it was your favourite. Just a coincidence.
As you walk down the bustling hallway, people whisper to each other, sneaking looks at you as you pass. You walk on, poker-face once again hiding what you really feel.
When lunch comes around, you avoid going to the roof-top for your smoke, instead continuing walking with John out to one of the trees where the group usually sits. There are still a few absences but that is to be expected. Everyone is quiet, unsure, and nervous. They don't know what to make of what'd happened, and you don't really blame them. John tries his best to be his derpy self, raving on about some movie or video-game or show or whatever the fuck he's blubbering on about, Vriska joins in on this, she appears to be the least phased out of everyone, but then again this is Vriska, it would be a cold day in hell when she was able to feel bad about something.
You figure one of the reasons that it seems so quiet is that the main noise makers are absent. There is no Terezi cackling at anyone, or the familiar yelling match between Sollux and Kar-, never mind that thought, someone-else is missing. You go through the role-call in your head. Rose, Aradia, Kanaya and Jade are sitting together, talking softly amongst themselves, even Jade looks downbeat today. Eridan and Feferi are flicking through a magazine almost mechanically, and Equius is checking the breaks on Tavros' wheelchair silently while Tavros is sitting on the grass next to John, who has started to engage him in conversation, much to Vriska's displeasure. It hits you.
"Has anyone told Gamzee?"
…
You are Gamzee Makara, and you're motherfucking chill today. You've been away for a month with your parents, travelling through Europe, something that your Mum always wanted to do. As great as it was, you still missed your friends, especially you best bro Karkat. That shorty sure had a temper but that was cool, he was his own person and you were happy with that.
Speaking of your best bro, he hadn't been answering your calls or texts, then again knowing him; he'd probably smashed his phone again for one reason or another. You laugh at that, remembering all too well how a phone shatters when pelted at a wall or stomped into the pavement. You've been friends with him to long to have not seen some of his less than great moments, not that he tended to hide those from the public. When you gotta blow, you gotta blow, you ponder to yourself, stamping out your joint as you walk up to the apartment complex where your little buddy currently lives.
After knocking at the door for half an hour, you check your phone and realise that school is still in session. You laugh at yourself, causing the lady walking down the hall to jump, you smile and wave at her but she still bustles on by, leaving a wide berth between herself and you.
You sit, leaning back against the wall next to the door, waiting for Karkat to get back. He'll probably be pissed, for one reason or another, you smile fondly, hell especially be annoyed at you, vanishing for a month and all with hardly any notice. Maybe you should have told him where you were going more than ten minutes before your plane left, just another thing you have to remember for future reference.
Hearing footsteps approaching, you perk up grin working its way onto your face. When the owner of the rad red converse's stops as they round the corner you realise that it isn't your bestest bro.
"Yo Strider, my man, how' it hanging motherfucker?" Pulling yourself up, and striding over to the smaller blonde. He's stunned, and your smile grows; "Now if this isn't a motherfucking miracle then I don't know what is, a stunned Strider, the gods smile down on me today." You finish with a laugh, slinging your arm across the blondes shoulders, walking with him down the hallway to his own apartment. You ramble on about all the shit you got up to, before realising that the both of you were just standing outside his door, and he still hadn't said anything.
He looks up at you when you ask how Karkat is, the question seeming to snap him out of whatever stupor he was in. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a key and letting the two of you into his apartment. The both of you wade your way through the carpet of smuppets and wires littering the floor, stopping by the kitchen for Apple Juice and Faygo; all your friends keep some on hand for when you visit seeing as you have a nasty habit of appearing unannounced, something that Karkat has lectured you about time and time again, before continuing to Dave's room.
You sprawl out on the beanbag, as he shuts the door behind himself, joining you on the floor. His posture is tense, like a board ready to snap. He still hasn't spoken yet.
"Is everything chill motherfucker?" you ask starting to get concerned, this wasn't like the Dave you knew.
He takes his shades of, rubbing his temples, before locking eyes with you.
"I have to tell you something"
You gesture for him to continue.
"It's not good, just so you know, but you have the right to know, more so than anyone else" he finishes solemnly.
"Whatever it is my motherfucker, I can take it." You smile encouragingly at him.
He places a hand on your shoulder, takes a deep breath to steady his nerves.
"It's Karkat…"