A/N: So I have posted this story on Ao3 as well as this site and I will admit that I managed to get enough inspiration to write not one but two chapters for you. I mean, really. When is that going to ever happen again, right? It's just that I didn't expect for people to read this and actually want a chapter, so I quickly cooked up a chapter and then went right into the next.

Oh, okay, so I don't know about the next update after these two since I kind of applied for a job (17 and becoming a senior kind of requires that) to help with college next year (as in 2016). I got a call for an interview so let's see how that goes. I'll probably flunk it knowing me and my social skills. I don't know how to social guys and this is a social job. Help me.

Now, for the reviews. For those with accounts, I usually message you personally, but for those who are guests, I will reply here.

So. For the one guest that I had, and the one that actually got me to write most of the first chapter and all of the second, I shall reply here and now.

To Guest: I'm so happy you were impressed, dear. Thank you so very much for your kind words that I hardly deserve. I mean, I don't think I'm nearly good enough to be your favorite author, but I'm honored to be thought of as that. Oh my goodness. Apparently I did that twice. I had another friend tell me the same thing on another story I updated the same day. F-Favorite story? No. This can't be nearly that good! Again, and I will say this constantly, thank you so very much. Thank you, thank you, and thank you. It's nice to know that I have one loyal reader at least. ^^ No, not at all. You actually sound really nice and pleasant. If you are the same guest from the last time I replied to one, then I was simply letting off steam from the moment.

God that was a long reply. See, this is why I message people. God knows I can't keep my gratitude simple and quick.

Well, here's the next chapter. It's going to ascend quickly and I mean it. I didn't originally plan for it to go like that, but, hey, the story wrote itself.

Read, review, follow, or favorite.

I don't own Homestuck, but I hope you guys enjoy this simple fanfic.

Ciao~

Unfinished Memories

Chapter 12

John POV

It would be an utter lie if I said I was handling everything well right now. A bald-faced lie that would be detected a mile away because honestly? I was not managing this nearly as well as I made it look.

I mean, there was a reason that I made that deal long ago. There was a purpose for me being fine with them not remembering the fight and their death. I had long accepted that I would be tortured by memories, but what could I do about that?

All that went through my head at the time was the fact that they would be fine. That's all that truly mattered to me at the time and it still mattered to me now.

However, everything was coming apart at the seams. It wasn't like it came out of nowhere either. She had warned me about this when we made the deal.

She said that it was only a basic wall to keep most of the memories at bay and safely hidden, however, if they were to prod at the wall, it would fall apart. She couldn't exactly change the soul. The soul was unbreakable as it were and could never be altered, but she could put a dam to shield it.

With all that said, I barely handled Rose remembering her memories. A poke at the wall that I bargained for. It took all my willpower not to fall apart and beg for the opposite. She didn't remember anything prior to her ascension, but she did remember everything afterward.

After a minute to recover, I realized I could be okay with it if I tried. It would take a day or two, but I could force myself to come to terms with it if nothing else sporadically happened in the meantime.

But then Jade remembered everything and now they are physically and mentally trying to remember and I don't know really what to do!

I… liked the peace I had. It was calm. It was nice. It wasn't cold-blooded murder accompanied with the loss of guardians and the death of friends. It wasn't homicide. It was peace and something relatively normal that I could grasp onto with the history of the game in mind. Granted the normal life may not be working in my favor either, it was still something better than a mass funeral.

And now, since the… the change, it was all going to hell.

I still didn't know why Jack did this. It was confusing and seemed a worthless characteristic. I mean, now my skin is gray and my eyes are yellow instead of white. That didn't change me. It affected my mentality and if that was his goal then he succeeded… but it felt like he was aiming higher and was too disappointed to do much else at the moment.

My mirrored self stared back at me as I glared at it.

I hated seeing myself this way. I couldn't place why but I did.

Perhaps because it wasn't natural. It wasn't me. It wasn't who I was. It wasn't even the right race or species.

Or maybe it was because it had caused so many unnecessary problems. Dave brushing me off or Karkat arguing with him. Events that could have been prevented had the change never occurred.

Whatever the case may be, I couldn't place the reason beyond annoyance.

I just didn't belong in this form.

A troll with nubs for horns on the top of my head barely hidden by my black locks. The blue eyes were mine, but they were surrounded by a pool of yellow as they stared back accusingly. Sharp canines that appeared when I smiled or scowled as if they were itching to shred meat.

It made me appear like a monster and not like the leader I was. I didn't recognize the leader in this form. I didn't see the confidence or the anticipation my past self held.

I was a Gog damn monster. There was no way to sugar coat that and no contradicting pleas could change that.

Granted if the trolls heard me say this, they would be quick to argue the fact that they are about as human as the rest of us. Emotions, drama, and crushes all being similar to the human ways if we bothered to connect the dots.

And I just knew Karkat would be the one to point this out.

Smiling, I chuckled softly but it seemed breathless.

I felt like the outcast. The pariah. The black sheep. The red-headed step child if you will for I wasn't meant to be a troll. I wasn't meant to be like this.

The urge to laugh came up again as I thought of my actual human form and thought of the cuts on my arms.

Well, it wasn't like I was doing a grand job at being human anyways.

You were never good at being anything, Heir of Breath. A simple little mistaken existence. Jack reminded me from my nightmares and I growled angrily.

Before I knew what was happening, my fist pounded into the glass mirror, shattering a corner into small shards. A few of the pieces nicked my skin and caused it to bleed crimson. Some of the shards got stuck into the skin and I sighed, pulling my hand away to take out the shards.

If Dave or Karkat saw this, I knew they would think it was self-inflicted.

I mean, I would think this was self-inflicted.

There was a constant tinkling sound as I dropped shard by shard into the trash bin beside me. There wasn't a lot, but the slivers were beginning to become a pain to drag out.

I managed to pull out the last shard when Karkat banged on the door.

"John?"

Exhaling, I opened the door after making sure all the glass was brushed off into the trash bin.

Like I expected, Karkat's vision immediately went to my bleeding fist. I would have attended to that, but I knew that if I didn't answer the door, Karkat would have picked my lock or something to get into here. I could just imagine the frantic expression as he expected me on the floor with my own blood leeching onto me.

Definitely not the image I ever wanted him to have on his mind.

"I didn't do it to myself," I started, raising the injury to Karkat's face, "I just got-"

"Angry? Yeah I can relate," Karkat spoke as observed the markings on my fist and nodded to himself as if for reassurance. I smiled a little at the thought, but dropped it when he glanced up again.

"Not what you imagined was it?"

It wasn't a large jump to assume that he was referring to the sudden realization that my friends were remembering their past lives with barely a few hours in between.

Lying to Karkat was definitely out the question. He had his memories from the start, an aspect I still don't understand, so he could tell if I was lying without batting a lash. Not to mention that if I did lie to him he would definitely not hesitate to rant how I shouldn't do that.

So, truth it is.

I shuffled, rubbing the back of my head. "No. Not at all. I was used to them being blissfully unaware and not worrying about me. I liked them being that way. It was easier to deal with I guess. You know, having them not know what happened to them and all."

Plucking out a piece of glass I missed, Karkat laughed softly. "I know. It was easier, but you should have expected it from them. Lalonde is a meddler, the best in class I would like to say, so it was only a matter of time before this all unraveled." He rotated my fist to check the other side before nodding as if content.

Karkat led me to the edge of the tub and I sat down automatically. Grabbing the same medical supplies he used to help me earlier today, he began to clean out the scratches.

I didn't like this. I only let him do this because I knew that if I didn't he would be suspicious of me, but in reality I didn't want him here mending me. I didn't want to be dependent and now with all this happening, I couldn't exactly afford to be either. If I was dependent on everyone, the same result as the game would occur.

I wanted the pride I had back then. The foolish naivety that I would be able to do anything if I set my mind to it. More than anything I wanted the confidence and leadership, but I feared I wasn't strong enough to actually contain it.

Karkat poked me in the chest, effectively knocking me into the tub as I flailed.

Raising a brow, I glared accusingly at him.

"I'm done," he replied simply and I scoffed.

"Done with bandaging me up or done with being a dick?"

Karkat laughed at that, a genuine laugh, and I found myself chuckling with him. It was easy to smile and laugh with Karkat. He understood what I was going through. If I had known he remembered from the beginning, this whole mess would have been easier to deal with or to avoid completely. Now that I did know, I realized that I could be myself and say everything that was on my mind around him more than the others.

I felt a little guilty about that, but it was the truth. People always said the truth wasn't made to be sugar-coated.

Extending his hand, I grasped it as Karkat pulled me out of the tub. I stumbled but with his other hand he stabled me.

The change in distance was immediately noticed by the both of us. We could actually feel each other breathing. How weird was that? I could see Karkat's eyes clearly enough to spot specks of red that reminded me of molten lava. They were so pretty and different and I wondered absently if I stared at them long enough if the lava would pour out to reveal the true color.

Oh God. That was weird. That was too weird. I'm not a homosexual. Those were homosexual thoughts I just had.

Staring into Karkat's eyes? Really? Of all things, it was his eyes? I mean, he was adorable as well with his hair all mussed and messy with the little horns sticking out just barely, but that was it. Friendly compliments. Yeah. That is all this was.

Uh, but why am I not moving away?

Karkat opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but ended up closing his mouth as if the words left him. Well, at least he could open his. I had a feeling that if I tried to speak, this embarrassing squeak saying "I'm not a homosexual" would come out.

Closing his eyes, Karkat cleared his throat and removed his hands and backed away until he leaned against the wall. His face was flushed like a cherry, and I knew that mine would be the same.

I wanted to speak and apologize or something, but I remained quiet and messed with the new bandage on my fist.

After a minute, Karkat pursed his lips in thought.

"It's weird, you know."

"What is?" It was such a sudden phrase. The proximity we had earlier? Me? Jack Noir?

Karkat held up a finger. "First of all, your troll issue? It seems purely cosmetic from the looks of it. I mean, glass cut you. It takes a hell of a lot more to actually break troll skin." As if to make a point, he grabbed one of the glass shards I threw away and slashed his skin before I could protest.

It didn't even make a sliver of a cut on his skin. No blood oozed out or even a single mark was made.

Throwing the shard away, Karkat continued, pulling another finger up. "Secondly, everything is happening too fast. Way too fast.

"You turn all troll. Rose gets her memories. Gamzee is losing his shit again. Jack Noir decides to make his debut. Jade getting her memories back." He narrows his eyes. "All in a span of two days? It seems too fast. Like there was a trip wire when your transformation occurred."

He paused. Dropping his fingers, he motioned towards me. "And it seems to revolve all around you, idiot. I don't know why and I don't like it at all, but it seems you're in the middle of this. You're the one that is directing this show."

I thought it over.

It made sense. Prior to the transformation, everything was as it always had been. Dave, Jade, and Rose being their normal selves while I dealt with Noir Nightmares and other problems. It was the usual around here mixed in with the occasional troll skype call to see how everyone was doing or even a visit if they wanted to.

Then, all of a sudden, I'm a troll and everything is being shown like some big revelation behind a red curtain.

It was deliberate and almost too much so.

"Anything from Kanaya?" I asked. It seemed like an attempt to change the subject, but I was genuinely curious. If all of these events were happening on our end, I was concerned with what was happening on their end. Gamzee was a thing for sure, but I meant memory wise.

Karkat caught on quickly. "Nothing involving our past, no. She says that Nepeta is still out, but it's mostly sleep. Those who were injured with the Gamzee epidemic seemed to be alright now if not a bit concerned and afraid. Everyone else is okay and accounted for, except for Gamzee of course."

Scoffing, Karkat continues. "It's going to be hard to tell them that this isn't the first time we have dealt with this. You had to relay your story to three people. I have to do it to eleven or ten or to whomever is fucking present and preferably not dead."

Humming in agreement. I glanced at the bandages covering my fist and my arms. So many. Underneath, it itched and I wanted to rip them off and scratch them until my heart was content.

"Don't even think about it."

I flinched, looking up with wide eyes.

"I know that look. I know when you are about to do something incredibly stupid and brainless. Don't do it or I will physically hold you down." He looked one hundred percent serious and I found myself cracking a smile despite myself.

"Like you ever could hold me down, Karkat."

Smirking, Karkat took a step forward until they were close enough to feel each other's breaths. Again. Like the first time wasn't a sign things would get awkward. "Might I remind you that you actually lost a few inches in that transformation? I'm taller than you right now."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but that means I can move faster than you. You know. Like in ."

Karkat furrowed his brows. " ?"

Laughing at his confused expression, I smiled. "It's an online game that is similar to eating those smaller than you and running from those bigger than you. The smaller you are the faster you are." Taking a step back, I motioned to myself. "And since I am smaller than you, naturally I would be faster than you. Logic."

The troll grinned. "As if."

They both laughed for a while, the tension breaking into ease. After the laughter faded to giggles and then chuckles, a yawn decided to betray me. Karkat rose a brow in my direction.

"You were supposed to sleep earlier," Karkat stated matter-of-factly and I shuffled my gaze to the door.

"I… couldn't sleep. You know. It was too quiet and all that. Besides, the sun kept interfering and-"

Karkat scoffed. "Yeah right. You were probably listening to Dave and I get at it, hm?"

I smiled guiltily and he sighed. "I bet Jack Noir didn't help with all those complications either, huh? Can't believe he decided to go after you directly instead of your dreams. I'm beginning what his angle is in all of this exactly." He began to make his way back to my bedroom as he continued. "What was the point in appearing to not just you but all of us? It was like he wanted to spur everything that happened today. I guess he figured out quickly that you're not just some dormant-powered idiot."

I shook my head and sat on my bed. I was far too lazy to actually go through the effort of changing into pajamas and Karkat's shirt was comfortable anyways so it's not like it would be a problem sleeping in my current attire.

Wait, sleeping in his clothes?

… You know what? Never mind. Too tired to rant to myself.

Stretching, I listened as Karkat spoke again. "Well, considering the fact that I myself am about to pass out, you might as well go to sleep as well. It's like… eight o'clock right now I think? Anyways, everyone is asleep or getting to it."

Karkat began to make his way to the door when my hand shot out and grasped his sleeve. It felt strangely like a déjà vu moment.

He turned around slowly, obviously waiting for an explanation.

Pulling my hand back, I motioned to the bed. "Let's just share a bed. I doubt the couch is comfortable."

"John. I'm not exactly sure how your friends would react if they legitimately saw us in bed together."

"Now you're worried about that?" I sighed. "Dave has slept with me multiple times when he gets too lazy to leave. It's fine. Just lay down already. As you said, you are basically about the pass out."

As a last minute comment, I added. "Besides, I don't want you to fall down the stairs. They are dangerous."

Karkat rolled his eyes, but he was already sitting down on the bed. "Yeah, right. They are just stairs"

"No, seriously." I tried to pull every ounce of seriousness in my face, "If you just tripped a little, I swear to Gog that Dave will jump out or do something."

"You speak like you know from experience."

"Oh I do," I shook my head, amused. "Every time I got my foot caught on a step up or down, I would always here a "Warned you about the stairs bro." It's kind of creepy really since one second he's not there and then BAM! He's whispering that at you. One time I actually fell down the stairs and he said that after helping me up. He's such a dick."

Laughing, Karkat pushed me down and I smiled.

"Yeah yeah. We all know that already. Time or memories can't change that. Let's go ahead and sleep. Too much shit has happened today for my liking and I'm tired."

Getting under the blanket, I waited until Karkat followed suit before turning off the lamp next to me and quickly falling asleep with a mumbled "Good night."

Karkat POV

I didn't go to sleep immediately. With all the Gamzee mess, I wanted to check Pesterchum before I passed out. My friends were probably waking up just now, but I knew Kanaya would tell me if anything was up no matter what time of day it was.

Leadership and all that stupid shit was not a part of me anymore, but I still held a certain responsibility for all those idiots. They didn't remember anything, so I would be the only one to really help them until they do, especially since I didn't try to help them regain it sooner.

But no little blinking light met my face. Nobody was even online at the moment.

Changing my Pesterchum to offline, I turned off my phone and put it on the stack of movies beside John's bed. It was a stupid amount of movies. Too much movies. And how did they have such short titles? We long ago ran out of short titles with all the movies we made.

The only good thing about his ridiculous amount of movies was that he actually was interested in a few rom coms unlike Strider and his stupid action, "incredibly ironic" flicks. Still, when someone has enough movies to actually create a small end table, it should be a sign to reflect on your choices a little.

Eventually, I concluded to just drop it after coming to the conclusion that it was John and no one could understand him.

I didn't understand why he was the way he was and when I say that I mean unstable, sad, and eternally paranoid. Or why he would lie to his friends and then claim that keeping the memories a secret despite the fact that they were ruining him. Trying avoid any close relationships because of his fearful attitude and then when others tried to get close to him he would push off more lies to keep them at bay.

I didn't understand why Jack Noir was going after him of all people. Turning him into a fucking troll and messing him up to the point that if I hadn't intervened I knew that he would not be here. There were more people that could be debatably as strong as him and Jack decides that John was the best choice. What did John have that no one else had? What had he done besides made a deal to save our asses?

Lastly, I didn't even understand why he decided to perform self-harm even though there were better ways to deal with what he has than that. Like, oh I don't know, talking it out? Maybe I'm wrong, but the last time I checked, he had more than a few instances and enough friends that he could have mentioned this to earlier to get this on the road before it became a priority.

To sum it up, there were a lot of things that I didn't understand about John Egbert and I had a feeling that I would never understand him no matter how much I would like to.

Gog that was too much thinking for the little amount of sleep I have had so far.

Speaking of sleep, passing out was on the top of my list. I wasn't lying when I said that everything was happening too fast. One second John is a troll and then Jade remembers almost miraculously? Please. In my experience, that never happens unless there is trouble following suit and that itself is clearly Jack Noir.

Worry and suspicion were wearing me down quickly. Worry about my friends and suspicion about my enemies. Now why doesn't that sound familiar?

Oh, right, the game.

Well, fuck this. I said I wanted to sleep and I will go to sleep. Close my eyes and sleep on this crazy day.

I was about to pass out when a soft knock alerted me.

It took all my will to not curse at the knocker or to throw a damn pillow at the door. But that would wake John up and he needed every ounce of sleep possible so I didn't.

Instead, I resorted to just a simple heated glare made to turn anyone who walked through that door into a puddle of guilt for waking me up on the brim of sleep.

The knocker knocked again and I grumbled under my breath about inconsiderate idiots before speaking.

"Yes?"

Dave walked in, clad in a white-bear-whatever-you-call-it onesie. His shades were off for once, which was a shocker in itself. After all, he was the one that was always protective of those seeing his eyes for some reason. Not like I could really say anything since I was the same about my blood color, but he was even more paranoid than I had been if that said anything.

Catching my glance at his attire, he posed dramatically with a half-hearted, tired smirk. "You like what you see?"

I rolled my eyes. "Hardly."

He mocked me. "'Hardly' my ass. These are legit and too sweet for you to comprehend. Pure, Japanese-y, kawaii Rilakkuma pajamas. Everyone loves these."

"Everyone but me, Strider," I deadpanned sarcastically.

Of course, instead of getting the point that I was not in the mood, he went on a long rant about how I should care about his "awesome" attire.

I just blinked at him until he finally decided to shut up which took one second too long than it should have.

Glancing nervously at John, I caught the question easily and shook my head. John had passed out the instant he hit his pillow. Since Dave's rant on his pajamas being "legit" and "kawaii" didn't wake him up, I doubted that anything would until morning.

Strider nodded and sat beside the bed, leaning his head back until it hit the mattress. He let out a soft sigh and I almost groaned. I could just sense the kicked puppy emotions from here.

"What do you need, Strider? Not to be rude, but I am fucking exhausted. I'm about to crash and go to sleep. Dreamland. Derse. All that nonsense. I do not want to be the ears of your pity party that I frequently have been invited to. I'm not going-"

"Look, you said it takes time, right?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Huh?"

"To regain my memories."

A groan escaped at the topic this time. Of course he was bringing that up. Fucking hell. Well, there goes sleep. Fuck sleep. You know what, clearly I was not meant to have it. It just wasn't my day. I was just not supposed to sleep when an angsty Strider wished to be consoled.

If I hadn't been tired, I would have been tempted to throw him out the window without batting a lash.

Glaring at the blonde, I answered, "Well, yeah. It isn't going to come spontaneously for you. Or anyone really. It's supposed to be gradual and natural. I was as surprised as you were when Harley remembered who she was in a span of half an hour."

Pulling down the bear hood over his head, he mussed his hair as he spoke again. "I… knight to knight, bound by blood and loyalty and all that 'knights around the round table' shit, what if I don't remember?"

Are you kidding me?

That window sounded very, very tempting right about now.

Yeah, there was definitely no chance of my sleeping. If this was the question on his mind, it was going to take hours to talk about this. Didn't he have school in the morning? Classes? Whatever? He should be asleep too. Any reasonable human would be asleep, fuck, any reasonable thing would be asleep.

And why wasn't the angsty Strider asleep? Because of memories of all things. Thank God John wasn't awake for this. I could just imagine the expression he would have at this.

"You will. I know you. You're too stubborn to stop and too stupid to give up. It's one of your "Strider Charms" as you liked to put it in the past."

Dave offered a wry smile. "Thanks. That helps a lot let me tell you."

"Anytime." I flopped back on my back, glancing at John for a moment. He looked blissfully unaware like he described his friends earlier. From what I could tell, he didn't have any nightmares going on.

I was about to look back at Strider and tell him to leave so I could sleep as well when John suddenly grabbed my arm and held it close like it was some stuffed creature.

The look on Strider's face was hard to decipher but I thought I saw a pinch of jealousy and acknowledgement.

"You know."

It took me a minute to figure out what he was saying until I realized he wasn't looking really at John but the bandages on his arms and hand.

Rolling my eyes, I replied snidely. "Gee what gave it away? The punch to the face or how pissed I was at you before Noir? Yeah I know. I still don't forgive you either." It was going to take a lot of redemption before I bothered to accept that it was a brief lapse in judgement.

I'm sorry. Well, not really actually, but it was easier to assume I was. Strider fucked up, to put it bluntly and John could have very well have died from blood loss if I hadn't intervened. If Dave hadn't flipped out so randomly and rejected John like he was a mistake of all things, it wouldn't have happened in the first place! So no, I didn't forgive the dick.

"It's fine. I don't either." When I focused on him, I realized he was genuine and I was impressed. He looked honestly guilty about what had happened.

That's another first: for a Strider to reveal emotion openly.

"What would you do to remember?" he asked after a minute of silence.

I laughed. "Me? Considering that I do remember, I can't give you a good example to go off of. However, if I were you, I would probably think of something, or someone, important to me. Someone I know was involved and I guess go from there."

The pajama-clad Strider fell silent once again. Letting him be, I relaxed against the pillow under my head, closing my eyes for a brief moment of peace.

At least, until I felt the bed shift where Dave's head rested.

"Karkat."

I opened my eyes unwillingly. "What now, Strider?"

"I'm getting something."

I was up immediately, cursing when I felt John's weight on my arm not relaxing a bit. Getting something? As in memories? Are you fucking with me? I just mention a way to help him with his problem and suddenly they are appearing? Like I said earlier again and again, way too fast.

"Memories?" I clarified, looking at Dave as he stared straight ahead at the door. He didn't turn to look at me and it took him a minute longer than necessary to respond.

"Maybe? All I am seeing are clocks and lava… gears and a lot of… time? I'm seeing time. I'm feeling time. It's in my bones, Karkat. Ticking. Tocking. You know, time stuff."

I listened quietly. It was definitely memories. No doubt about that. I couldn't really say much to help him through so I listened.

"Is it just me or is it hot in here?" I stared dryly at him as he continued without sensing my unamused glare. "I feel like I'm burning up."

It wasn't just in his head. I could see the sweat bead off his skin and fall down as his breath sped up rapidly. When I reached out toward him, I could feel a feverish amount of heat radiate off of him. It was like he was a furnace. My eyes narrowed in concern.

"Maybe it's your land. The land of Heat and Clockwork."

"Maybe," he replied absently. He was staring at the door, but his eyes kept shifting like he was somewhere else. He probably was. If he was seeing and feeling all of this, he was definitely no doubt feeling some sort of memory. Since I didn't see Jade's realization, I didn't know if what was happening was normal or not.

"Wait," I flicked my gaze back to his face. "Heat and Clockwork. I know that. I…" he broke off.

I waited for him to continue but instead he went rigid. Stiff as a board and quiet as the wind. I reached my hand to shake him, but hissed and brought my hand back when I touched him. He was like an open fire now, lava in an extreme case. When I glanced at my hand, there was a burn on the tender skin.

I needed to put cool water over it, but I wasn't going to leave the Strider alone. I didn't know what was going to happen if I left him for five seconds.

Cursing, I nurtured the hand to my chest as I called out to him.

"Dave?"

That's when I noticed it. At first, it was quiet. I thought perhaps it was the dull throb or high pitched hum of lacking sleep and extensive silence, but when I focused on it enough I realized it was the small ticking of a clock. It was growing louder and louder as Dave became less and less responsive.

"Dave? Strider? Are you doing this?"

I didn't get a response. As if I expected to. I doubt he was actually here anymore. My voice was probably being drowned out if all he heard was ticking and memories.

Did Rose and John go through something similar with Jade? I should have asked what happened after we came to terms with it, but I was too stupid and dumbfounded to actually think of it.

I didn't have the slightest idea what they went through with Jade, but it would have been nice to get a heads up because the ticking in my ears was certainly not me.

Everything in my head began was ascending quickly. Whereas before there was one clock, now there were multiple. It felt like a million tiny clocks were ticking off sync from each other. The heat he talked of earlier also began to affect me as I began to heat up. I didn't know if he was getting hotter or the fact that I was so close to him shared the symptoms with me.

Minutes passed by with the Strider's silence and my growing discomfort. It was getting really hot in here. John seemed unaffected by it, but I was practically boiling in my own skin and the ticking made it hard to do anything.

When it seemed like I could no longer move without getting seared or couldn't think with all the loud, obnoxious ticking, everything suddenly fell. The ticking stopped and changed to silence. The heat began to roll off and disappear into waves.

Next to me, Dave collapsed to the ground.

Easing off John's arm, I climbed off the bed and crouched next to the unconscious blonde.

God damn it.

He wasn't responding. He was still breathing and a pulse was there which meant he was thankfully alive, but I knew he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. The sudden burst of memories must have exhausted him. I would have left him collapsed on the floor, but it would be hard to explain if Rose came in in the morning to look for him.

Picking him up, I staggered for a moment before carrying him out of John's bedroom.

My burnt hand was painfully throbbing under his still-heated skin. Of course, there was the additional strain on my slashed forearm, but it didn't bother me nearly as much as the burn. I wanted nothing more than to just drop him outside of his door to attend to my hand, but if I was going to carry him to bed, I might as well go the full mile.

I'll just kick his ass later.

On the way to his bedroom, I realized that Dave was becoming heavier and heavier with each step I took. Carrying him was already a pain in my ass so I was more than a little unimpressed when this fact had finally been noticed.

I looked behind me and stifled a groan. Behind us, attached loosely to the Strider's caplet, was a long cape. With each step, the cape followed suit, as red as blood and lava. I didn't have to guess to know that he probably was in his full gear. Every annoying piece of God Tier material was on his body. Great.

Grand timing Strider. Let me tell you. You certainly know when is the right moment to finally remember who you are.

I guess it wasn't completely his fault. I mean, he didn't control when he remembered. He was just talking to me like I had all the time on my hands to actually do that. I was just more than a little annoyed since I was, you know, tired as all fucking hell and didn't want to deal with any boyband drama at that particular moment.

Opening the door gracelessly, I cursed in whispers as I placed him on his bed. With each tug at the cape I offered a colorful swear. Stupid cape. Stupid knight role deciding he should have a cape. Stupid fabric. Stupid aspect. Stupid everything. Just stupid every-fucking-thing.

When the idiotic thing was finally off his shoulders, I pulled off the red shoes that materialized out of nowhere, scrunching my nose and holding them away as far as I could.

I spotted the sword – something that certainly wasn't there earlier – and decided to toss everything unceremoniously over top.

Glaring daggers at Dave, I stumbled to the bathroom in John's room and began to rinse my hand in cool water, wincing at the pain. I knew the second I pulled it away, it was going to flare again, but at least it was a little more bearable.

Flipping off the lights, I crawled back to bed where John was sleeping peacefully and undisturbed. He didn't hesitate to grab my arm when I got comfortable and I found that I didn't really care. Protesting seemed too much effort after all that nonsense. Sleep sounded absolutely amazing compared to protesting about weird sleep-cuddling-things.

It was when I was on the brink of passing out, of course, that I heard someone laugh. It was faint, almost like it was in the background barely noticeable by the audience. When I listened closer, I realized it was two people not one.

One was Jack Noir. That much was obvious. The other…

Oh Gog.

The other was a laughter I hadn't heard since the game. Back when I didn't know what the hell I was doing.

Gamzee.

The last coherent thought ringing through my head as I passed out was the wise, sage word of "Fuck."

Other little notes. I'm posting this first and, after another few hours of editing, the second chapter will be posted. It will be up today. Promise. I'll try not to sleep before that happens.