He didn't want to bother with the usual group this morning. TZ was just too obnoxious sometimes, as sweet as she could be at others, and Sollux was freaking him out a little. Between him and Karkat, something would be brought up about yesterday afternoon, which the blond didn't even want to think about. If he was lucky going over there, he would have a similar outburst to the other morning, when he rammed Karkat into the lockers. At the worst, he would cry again. And he couldn't risk that. He felt volatile. Anything could spark that reaction from him. He quickly found that he was best suited to think about the entire thing as little as possible.

He decided the safest courses of action were to hide in the school library for the rest of his life, or to hang out with John's group of people. One of those options aroused suspicion and made him a book hermit.

"Hi Dave! Where were you yesterday?"

"Home," he answered the boy, "why."

"You didn't answer my texts." The brunette frowned and furrowed his brow.

"Sorry man, didn't even look at my phone."

Rose raised her eyebrows with an unspoken question which Dave would answer if they were alone, no, I haven't told him; get off my back, woman.

"Daaaaaaaave," the blonde with her head in John's lap said as she sat up, ruffling her already messy hair and adjusting her glasses with one blacked-out lens. "How is my beloved Terezi?"

"You live in the same house as her, do I have to answer that."

She scoffed. "I'm just teasing."

"Yeah, bet you were teasing when you blinded her too."

Vriska was about to snap back a reply when John placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Guys!" He said with a nervous grin on his face. "Don't make me break out into verses of 'Why Can't We Be Friends,' okay?"

"Fuck no," Dave answered with a smirk, sitting down next to Rose, across from John, who had Vriska's head resting in his lap once more. "Where's Kanaya and fish boy?" he asked after a moment of quiet.

"Kanaya has a doctor's appointment," Rose answered. "As for Eridan—"

"He comes and goes, usually he's off flirting with anyone who will listen to him."

Rose gave Vriska a pointed look for cutting her off, but otherwise didn't seem to mind much.

"Who wants to play a card game or something?"

"Do you happen to have a deck of cards?" Rose asked the girl.

"Pfft, as if! I have dice."

"I might have deck somewhere in my bag," The red-clad boy offered. "Hold on."

"Dave Strider to the rescue!" The blonde yelled, sitting up and adjusting her glasses again.

"Right," he mumbled, rummaging through his ironic Dora the Explorer backpack to find playing cards.

"Oh man, Dave, you still carry that around? Laaaame. I thought you would have switched over to a red Jansport with ironic inspirational quotes written all over it or something."

"You're just jealous that a five-year-old girl speaks better Spanish than you do, Egbert."

"Oh my god, Dave, you're right," the younger boy answered sarcastically, leaning back against the wall behind him and putting the back of his hand to his forehead. "I have all the jealousy! All of it! I can't handle it Dave, help me!"

"Dude I'm not tutoring you in Spanish." In spite of his ever-flat tone, he was actually smiling a little at his best bro's teasing. He had to wonder why he didn't hang out with him more often in the morning. He had just grown so accustomed to spending the longest break, lunch, with him, and the morning and shorter break with Karkat, Sollux and Terezi. It had been that way for as long as he could remember.

"Can I shuffle?"

"Nope. Haters can't shuffle cards, Egbert."

"How am I a hater?"

"Dora."

Vriska somehow thought this was hilarious and started laughing hysterically, reaching out with one immaculately blue-nail-polished hand to take the deck. "I'll do it, hand 'em over."

"What, suddenly I don't know how to shuffle a deck myself," he protested, though he handed the blonde the cards. She deftly bridged them, and Dave wondered how much experience she had with illegal gambling. He couldn't decide if she would be extremely lucky in such endeavors, or if she would blow everything on arrogance and high expectations.

"What game?"

"Go fish?" John suggested.

Dave laughed genuinely. "That is fucking adorable."

"There's always the classics," Rose said matter-of-factly. "Blackjack, poker, spoons…"

"Brilliant, does anyone carry three spoons on them?" Vriska asked with a grin, causing the other to roll her eyes.

"We could play with Magic Eight balls instead; I happen to know someone who would have three."

"Oh shut it Lalonde."

"Mao."

Vriska grinned even wider at Dave. "Yes."

"How do you play?" asked the sole brunette.

"Oh, you'll figure it out…"

"I really don't like the sound of that, Vriska."

"No one ever does! Care to cut the deck, Strider?" He reached forward and did so, and Vriska dealt out five cards to everyone. "No special treatment for John, okay?" she said as she did so, looking pointedly at Dave.

"Why would he get any. John Egbert blows."

"Because you liiiiiiiike him."

While John smiled awkwardly, Rose's gaze shot from the cards to Dave, who glanced back though she couldn't see it. He kept his cool, tugging at his sleeve casually. "Shit's in the past, Serket. I should be telling you about playing too easy on him."

"At least I actually have a chance with him," she shot back, visible eye deviously narrowed.

"Ampora has more of a chance with John than you, spiderbitch."

Rose's eyes were everywhere, taking in the entire situation and analyzing every aspect of it that she could. Dave was stoic as usual, but not rigidly so: he was unfazed. Vriska knew that, and it was driving her crazy. John was blushing profusely, watching the other two helplessly.

"That was indeed an incident in the past," she scolded, "that everyone has come to terms with and moved beyond. We are rather well-adjusted adolescents."

"Uh, guys, can we just play cards? Is that a thing that can happen?"

Rose did not miss the barely noticeable tinge that rose to Dave's cheeks as he nodded. "Yeah man."

Vriska made a face, rolling her eyes, or at least her one visible, working eye. She picked up her five cards, as did everyone else. She reached forward and flipped over the top card of the deck, revealing a three of diamonds.

"So what do we do?"

"Penalty for talking," Vriska laughed, sliding John a card off the top of the deck.

"Wait, what?"

"Penalty for taaaaaaaalking," she sang, handing him another card. John shut his mouth and no one moved for a moment until Vriska handed him yet another card. "Penalty for not saying 'thank you.'"

John's jaw dropped, and he glared at the girl, who silently dared him to argue. "Thank you," he muttered through gritted teeth.

Vriska kept smiling as she set down a six of diamonds from her hand. Dave followed with the ace of diamonds. Rose glanced from the card pile to her own hand, and carefully placed down the ace of spades. Dave handed her a card. "Penalty for not saying 'ace of spades.'"

She furrowed her brow and took the card. "Thank you," she stated as she placed the card in her hand.

John chewed on his lip before setting down his next card. "Ten of spades?"

Dave shook his head. "Penalty for talking."

John huffed and took the card from the other, and waited a moment before quickly adding, "Thank you!"

Vriska laughed quietly before grimacing at her cards and setting down a queen of diamonds.

"Penalty for placing incorrectly," Dave told her, but she was already reaching for a card herself.

"Yeah, yeah, thank you."

The game continued, with Dave playing the eight of diamonds, Rose putting the certainly not apropos five of clubs down before being told she had a penalty and gladly taking another card with polite thanks. John, finally getting the hang of it, put down the king of clubs without a sound. This was followed by Vriska playing the seven of clubs, Dave ending up penalized for putting down the king of hearts, and Rose placing the three of hearts on top. Nine of hearts, seven of hearts, six of hearts, six of clubs… John frustratedly dropped the jack of diamonds down, and Rose handed him a penalty card. He forgot to say 'thank you,' and received another, from Dave. John growled his thanks for the penalty and Vriska put down the nine of diamonds.

"Mao." She said with a smile, waving her last card around, and Dave could tell she had to hold back a, wow, you guys suck at this. Dave responded with the eight of hearts, saying the appropriate 'mao' before accepting his penalty card graciously from John, all the while determining that Vriska did indeed get lucky when gambling. Rose played the jack of hearts, and John played the two of the same suit. Vriska slammed down the 2 of clubs and threw her arms in the air. "Loooooooosers! You all suck at card games."

John handed her a card. "Penalty for talking?"

"Penalty for false accusation! The winner can talk as muuuuuuuuch as she wants!"

As if on a cue, the bell tolled, and Dave picked up his cards, shuffling them absent-mindedly as goodbyes were said and the four parted ways to their respective classes. He smiled. He could get used to that.

But Vriska was going down next time.

I hope I did okay with the sequence of the game there! I didn't want to make it too vague to understand, but I didn't want to overload the chapter with just a card game either, y'know? Also, past unrequited Hammertime O_Q Dave is my baby, and I am the abusive parent. It is me.