- Terezi: Rush home
Terezi ran like a bat out of hell, towing Sollux behind her. She had to get home now.
See, when Karkat got angry, he emitted a strange combination of scents that others couldn't smell. It was cherry, cinnamon, and a metallic scent. And right now, it was more powerful than it had ever been.
"Slow down TZ!" Sollux yelled, having trouble keeping up. She ignored him. This could be a fucking matter of life and death. Karkat could be extremely rash.
As they flew past, Terezi noticed a blonde boy walking in the same direction. This was the one called 'Dave Strider'. John Egbert's 'bro' and best friend.
She came to a halt and grabbed the other boy's hand and started dragging him along too. Fuck the rules today, I have to stop anyone from being harmed.
"I don't have time to explain;" Terezi said, cutting off their protests as they entered the house. A couple of the trolls who were sitting in the main room gasped as the stormed through, following them. They sped to the Water room, hoping that it wasn't too late.
Terezi stopped at the door, smelling the air. Cherry, cinnamon, that metallic scent… as expected. But there were some strange ones too… The scents of Hive Slime, the white-vanilla of shock, and bitter sweetness of fear.
She opened the door, everyone behind her holding their breath. Inside, Karkat stood, staring at the wall above his bed with open-mouthed horror.
Up in the corner, was a sight that shocked them all, something that they should have never seen on this planet. A wriggler's cocoon.
Karkat turned around, looking like he was being eaten by guilt.
Then, in a frighteningly quiet and subdued voice, he whispered, "I didn't know this would happen to him."
- Dave: Play it cool
Dave was horrified by the whole situation, but he refused to let it show. I mean, trolls dude. And that thing in the corner. And where the hell is John?
The room exploded in chaos, A couple trolls grabbed Karkat, Terezi included, and take him out of the room. A troll with lightning shaped horns and a purple streak in his hair went over to examine the sticky mass in the corner.
"Dave, come with me." A boy with overly large horns and a mohawk grabbed Dave's hand and lead him out into the big room again. The sat on a couch in silence for a few minutes, ignoring the whirlwind of moving beings.
"I'm Tavros, by the way." The boy mumbled, sighing and leaning back. "I'm sorry about all this, and we would never have known if not for Terezi." He sighed again, fixing Dave with an intense stare. Dave stared back from behind his glasses for a moment, smiling faintly at Tavros.
"It's not your fault man, but thanks for the thought." Tavros nodded, looking a little nervous. Dave crossed his arms over his chest, trying not to think.
A few more trolls, a girl with ram horns, a boy with broken glasses and teeth that he had seen at school before, and a girl with a robotic looking arm, walked into the room, looking solemn. Tavros stood up and Dave followed suit, unsure of what to do.
"Tavros, Eridan needs your help with something," Vriska said, "And Terezi has been assigned to take the human home." Her hatred bore into Dave with such intensity that he had to work not to flinch. Vriska gave off a bitch vibe, in his opinion, and clearly hated humans passionately. Just great.
Terezi walked into the room, looking fully human again and came over to the standing Tarvos and Dave. She smiled her sharp-toothed smile and held her hand out for Dave's. All the trolls watched silently as they left, half of them with hatred, half with pity.
- Dave: Do. Not. Freak. Out.
"Dave, I can tell you're worried. It smells sickly sweet." Terezi stated, glancing over her shoulder. Dave looked sideways, as if ignoring her, letting himself be led.
"I'll help ease your worry in any way I can. Okay?" Terezi said once they reached the Strider residence.
"Okay then. Explain to me: what happened to John?" Dave asked, facing her and crossing his arms.
"Karkat went crazy and injected him with this substance that helps keep us more peaceful. We have no idea what it does when used on humans, but Eridan, the guy with the purple in his hair, thinks that he somehow turned into a wriggler and then pupated."
"Whoa girl, that barely made sense," Dave said. "You mean like a butterfly? And how the hell would that work anyways?" He asked with slight exasperation.
Terezi shrugged. "We have no fucking clue. We just have to wait and see. Even I can't predict what will happen."
"Fuck." Dave intoned, staring up at the afternoon sky. This is not good. How the hell am I going to explain to John's dad?
Then something dawned on Dave, making Terezi look sharply at him as his scent changed.
"Let's say, hypothetically, that John won't die in all this shit. What would you guess is going to happen to him?" Terezi looked away for a moment, as if thinking. She was grateful that Dave didn't have her powers of scent; otherwise he'd smell her spicy guilt.
"Chances are, he's changing, like Wrigglers, our young, do into trolls." His suspicions confirmed, he turn toward his front door and rest his head against it. He'd never have his best friend and lover back as he was.
"Egbert is turning into a troll?" Dave whispered, saying it out loud to see if it sounded less insane. He didn't even have to turn around to know that Terezi's head had bobbed in confirmation.
- Dave: Be a Zombie
The rest of the week was quiet and passed by in a flash, though at times it felt like time would drag, making a minute seem like an eternity. Every day, he went to school in hopes of seeing John or even any of the other five trolls, Terezi, Sollux, Karkat, Equius, or Nepeta, but they never came. Even Rose was gone, which further worried him.
Yes, he realized that he could very easily go over to the mansion that they lived in, but he didn't want to cause extra problems. Aw, fuck it, I can't take it anymore, I have to go. Where doing it bro. He thought to himself, gathering the courage.
Finally he made it through the day, avoiding Jade the Annoying and his multitude of fan girls. His feet moved automatically, taking him to his destination. He took a deep, calming breath and moved to knock on the door, but it opened before he had a chance to.
"Hey Dave. Did you know you smell like strawberry today?" Terezi asked with a laugh, pulling him inside. Before he could ask his nagging question, the Seer answered him, as if reading his mind.
"You're here for John, we know. You might not like what you see, but be grateful he's alive." This does not sound good bro. Dave thought, but followed the troll back into one of the room regardless. It was the same room that he had first seem, presumably the one that Karkat lived in.
"John's alone right now. He needs a friend." Terezi said, opening the door and pushing Dave inside. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked a few steps in, shuddering at the sight. The corner where the 'pupa' had been was discolored a strange rust color, almost like blood. And on the bed below it, sat John.
- Dave: A Strider Never Cries
John had curled himself into a ball and wrapped his arms around his torso, almost as if making an effort to hold himself together. Dave sighed at the pitiful sight, making his presence known.
John turned around silently, rusty tears running down his face. Despite the fact that he was crying, it was as if he was seeing his best friend for the first time. He had thick, curved horns, one curving down and one upward, unnerving grey iris with yellow whites, and shocking grey skin.
"Dave, look at me…" John whispered, wiping at his face. Dave softened slightly, allowing himself a sad smile. He moved forward and hugged him, pulling the other tightly to him.
"I'm so fucking glad you're alive, Egbert, or I would've had to kill you." Dave said, pulling back to look at him again. He looked so different but he was still the same dorky John, buck teeth and all, even if they were slightly more pointed now.
"I might as well be dead, Strider. I'm not human anymore. I can't go to school, I can't go home, I can't even go out in public." The new troll sighed, wiping fresh tears away. Dave wiped his own eyes slightly, as much as he could without jarring his glasses, blinking back tears. John what so pained by what he had become that he wanted to die…
"Don't fucking say that. We'll find a way through. Where doing this bro." Dave said with a slight laugh. This only made John cry harder, instead of saying the phrase back like he usually would. Why must tears be so fucking contagious!? Dave yelled in his head, pulling his love into his arms and cradling him, battling against tears of his own.
"Dave, you're trying to be all 'fuck yeah, cool kid' again," He sighed. "Crying is not a bad thing, you realize." The blonde could only shrug to this, closing his eyes and doing something he hadn't done in a long time, only because the boy he loved was distressed. He cried.
"Fuck…" Dave said softly. He hadn't realized how upset he'd been about John until this moment. He'd barely found him and he almost lost him.
John smiled through his own tears and leaned in to kiss his other. Dave couldn't help but note that his lips felt different, a little rougher.
John pulled back and grinned dorkily, making Dave laugh. Egbert, you loveable idiot…
"Can you just hold me for a while, Dave?" The boy asked, looking at Dave hopefully.
"Why the hell not?" The blonde decided after a moment, cradling John closer to his chest and actually smiling lightly.