Chapter 14

Rose quietly closed the curtain that separated John's sleeping space from the rest of the library, walking over to Kanaya and sitting down on the floor next to her small bed. The past few hours seemed like a big nightmare, and she didn't seem to be waking up from it anytime soon.

The only source of comfort was that Kanaya was looking much better and almost close to waking up. She really needed someone to talk to. Dave was still wound up in attack mode, his sword twitching every time he heard so much as a creak, keeping a vigilant watch over Karkat, who was sleeping off being asphyxiated for the second time that day. Terezi was helping Vriska with wherever they decided to stash Gamzee, and Rose was left watching over John.

The Heir was still twitching and shaking in bed, every once and awhile letting out sharp explicatives before calming down. It was honestly more reminiscent of someone going through detox than someone being controlled with mind games. She absently wondered of Gamzee had been feeding him anything questionable.

She looked up when Terezi walked in. "…Is everything okay?" she asked. Terezi sat down with a heavy sigh.

"….He's contained, if that's what you're asking," Terezi replied. We couldnt find a sturdy-enough box and we kind of need the walk-in…so she improvised with a room with no vents, a LOT of chains, and some tranquilizers." She leaned back against a chair, taking off her shades and rubbing her eyes.

Rose frowned. "…Are you alright?" she asked. Terezi put her shades back on.

"…It was weird," Terezi said. "…I came with the tranquilizers just as he was waking up. He was screaming for John." She hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. "He started threatening us….saying he'd slaughter us if we hurt him." She glanced in the general direction of John's little sleeping corner. "I'm starting to think they have a…thing."

Rose scowled. "Well correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think even troll romance makes someone end up like John!" She gestured back at John's corner. "I just watched John deliberately try to hang Karkat and get Gamzee to kill him! I'm pretty sure filling a Quadrant doesn't mean suddenly going insane!"

Terezi nodded. "You're right. It doesn't." She hugged her legs tighter. "Something just…" She rubbed between her eyes. "…something is telling me that keeping them apart is only going to make things worse."

"…Can you See it?" Rose asked. Terezi shook her head.

"No. It's…difficult to see what Gamzee would do…he's too unpredictable. And John…his mind is too much of a mess. And that's what's frightening. Too many unknowns, going down the same path that's too veiled for me to see."

Rose rubbed her arm, frowning. "It's still not right," she said, then looked up when John started to get fussy in his corner. "He's hurting right now. And it's HIS fault." She picked up a bottle of water, heading back behind the curtain.

John was shifting around in his bindings, sweating hard, whimpering. Rose set the water bottle down, brushing his damp hair off his face. "John, it's Rose…calm down, okay? You're safe." She picked up a cloth soaking in a bowl of water, wringing it out and putting it over his forehead.

John jerked awake when the cloth hit his forehead, his eyes glassy and panicked, jerking around harder. "G…Gamzee…!" he stammered. Rose shushed him, easing him back down.

"Calm down John, please…" Rose said quietly. She turned and shooed Dave back out when he poked his head in to see if everything was alright. She petted at his head until he relaxed back, though still in a shaking, pale mess.

"….where….where is he…?" John muttered, his eyes flicking around almost blindly. "…is…he okay…?" Rose only guessed John was talking about Gamzee, her jaw tightening.

"He's fine," she replied shortly. She poked a straw into the water bottle, putting the end into his mouth. John drank half the bottle in deep, needy gulps before lying back, refusing to drink more.

"…where is he…?" John asked again, looking over at her. "…he…needs me…"

Rose shook her head, finding it hard to keep her mouth shut to avoid upsetting him. "He's secure, John," she said, standing. "Vriska is keeping watch. I'm going to get you something to eat." She turned to leave, jumping when she felt a strong hand around her wrist. She jerked back around to see that John's arm had gotten out of the bind. How…?

She realized with a start that John's arm was almost transparent and shifting slightly like a short gif of smoke in the breeze before solidifying. From the coolness around her wrist, she guessed that John had turned his arm into wind to get it free.

"…Rose…" John's voice went soft and almost scared. "Get Vriska away from him…! She'll hurt him!"

Rose tugged on her arm slightly, feeling no give to John's grip. "John, she's the only one who will make a decent guard in the room he's locked in," she said. "Let me go—"

"ROSE!" John's eyes got wider and more fearful. "Rose…it's not his fault…he…they HURT him, Rose…!" Tears fell down his face. "Vriska KILLED someone he loved….she's…she's POISON, Rose…!" His pupils constricted to pinpricks, rage crawling over his features. "THE BITCH IS MOTHERFUCKING POISON!" His hand around her wrist clamped down hard.

"John!" Rose yelped, tugging hard. "John, please, let go! Calm down, please…!" She stumbled back into Dave, who came in just in time to catch her when John let go of her wrist suddenly. "John—"

John clenched his hand into his hair, jerking around harder. "SHIT!" he shouted, hyperventilating. "FUCKING SHIT! GODDAMN FUCKING—" He broke out into sobs. "MAKE IT STOP, ROSE! THE MAGGOTS ARE EATING MY BRAIN!" He turned on his side, curling up tightly. "Gamzee…..where are you...make it stop…."

Dave pulled Rose out of the corner, scowling. "Still don't think the chucklefuck has to go?" he hissed, glowering at nothing in particular. He clenched his hand around the sword before stalking for the transportalizer.

"Dave, where are you going!?" Rose hissed, tailing him. "DAVE!" She held back when he transportalized away. "Damn it…" She headed back into John's corner, gently uncurling him and leaning him back.

John was settling down, but he was still pale and shaking violently. "R…Rose…" he stammered. "…I…did bad things…didn't…I…?"

Rose paused, biting her lip hard. "…Don't worry about it, John," she said softly. "It wasn't your fault…" She dabbed at his head with the damp cloth again.

"I did…I….Karkat…he…..and….!"

"Shhh." Rose bit her lip harder to keep from crying. "John, please. It's okay. Really. It's okay…" She put the cloth over his eyes. "….Sleep now, okay? Just relax and sleep…it'll be okay when you wake up."

John settled down, his shaking getting less violent. Rose sighed with relief, tidying up his area before turning to check on Kanaya.

"Rose."

She paused, glancing back. John's face was turned to her, the cloth still over his eyes.

"…Tell Gamzee if…he starts getting mad again, I'm here…" He held out his arm. "…My blood calms him down…I don't want him to hurt himself…"

Rose stared for a moment, almost dropping the cloths she was carrying. Something started clicking in her head, and she nodded, even though he couldn't see. "…I'll…I'll tell him, John," she said, swallowing hard. "Go to sleep now."

John sighed, relaxing back, a faint smile on his face.

Rose hurried out to Kanaya, sitting down next to her. "Kanaya, you have to hurry," she murmured. "I need your help."

Vriska leaned against the door to the secure room, her arms crossed, looking ill at ease. It wasn't just the fact that before she tranquilized Gamzee he had been screaming for John, it was the fact that the juggalo was now sobbing in the room so loudly she could hear it. She was half-tempted to walk in and kick him in the head until he stopped, it made her so uncomfortable.

She looked up when Dave walked over. "What's up, Strider?" she asked.

"Relieving you of your post," Dave said, his hand flexing around his sword. "Go take a break, Terezi looks like she needs someone to talk to."

Vriska arched a brow. "Cant bullshit a bullshitter Daaaaaaaave," she drawled. "I know what you're up do."

"What's it fucking to you?" he growled. "Either way, not your problem." He jerked his head in the direction of the transportalizer. "Beat it."

Vriska snorted, pushing off from the wall. "Be my guest," she replied. "Try not to make TOO big of a mess." She headed off.

Dave stared at the door, listening to the sobbing behind it, clenching his teeth tightly. He wasn't about to give in to the clown's tears. FUCK that noise. He grabbed the handle and unlocked it, pushing the door open.

Gamzee was curled up in the corner, his arms, wrists, thighs, and ankles bound in heavy chains, his skin bruised a deep purple from where the chains squeezed against him. Dave grimaced, seeing Gamzee wasn't given anything to wear, but pushed the squick back. He stepped inside, seeing the troll tense up and choke back a sob.

"J….John…." Gamzee rasped. Dave clenched his hand around his sword.

"No," he said, seeing Gamzee twitch hard. He watched as Gamzee lazily shift around and sit up, leaning against the wall tiredly.

"…oh. It's YOU." Gamzee's voice was heavy and grating, thick with the tranquilizer-induced grogginess. "….the motherfuckin' blasphemer." He didn't turn around. "The motherfuck…do YOU want?"

"Right now? To cut your fucking head off. To slice you into pieces. To KILL you, and make sure you don't get back up." He growled, his red eyes blazing. "The ONLY reason you're alive is because Rose thinks you're of use. But I think differently. I think John will be better off with you dead. He'll go back to normal, once your sick mind games with him are over and DONE with."

Gamzee growled, the chains clinking slightly as he shifted around, the corner of his eye glowering at Dave. "Mind games?" he growled. "WHAT motherfuckin' MIND GAMES? Like the ones YOU motherfuckers played!?" He hissed, the yellows of his eyes turning light orange. He shifted to turn around, facing Dave.

"I'm motherfuckin' EVERYWHERE, blasphemer," he said. "I watched you motherfuckers…I saw you welcome Johnbro into your little motherfuckin' group….and then leave him aaaaaaaall alone." He let out a shriek of laughter. "I WAS MOTHERFUCKIN' THERE WHEN YOU MOTHERFUCKERS WERENT! You motherfuckers didn't even know he was GONE until he was motherfuckin' MINE!" He spat out blood-gobbed saliva at Dave's feet.

"You're just as motherfuckin' sinful an' disgusting as the motherfuckin' peasantbloods," he growled. "You all spit an' point th' motherfuckin' fingers at me, but ACT LIKE YOUR SHIT DOESN'T MOTHERFUCKIN' ROT UP THE MOTHERFUCKIN' PLACE!" He paused, leaning back against the wall, his expression going almost gentle.

"…..Johnbro….he…saw the motherfuckin'…THINGS I did…but unlike YOU motherfuckers…he asked me WHY….." He jerked up, screaming bloody murder, startling Dave into almost tripping back. "THE MOTHERFUCKIN' INDIGO PEASANT CALLED ME A DISGRACE FOR SWEEPS, AN' HAD THE MOTHERFUCKIN' ARROGANCE TO DEMAND THINGS OF ME! The motherfuckin' kittybitch got in my motherfuckin' bloodlusted way. AND THE MOTHERFUCKIN' SPIDERBITCH KILLED MY TAVROS!"

Fresh purple tears were running down the track already left on his face, his eyes blazing red with a gleam of purple in the irises. "But you motherfuckers don't give a shit about THAT, do ya?" He growled, baring his teeth. "I hope Johnbro KILLS ALL YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! YOU ALL MOTHERFUCKIN' DESERVE IT!"

"Shut the fuck up," Dave hissed, his hand shaking. "You shut the FUCK up! If ANYONE deserves to fucking die, it's YOU! JOHN IS GOING FUCKING CRAZY BECAUSE OF YOU! HE WAS NEVER LIKE THIS!" He blinked back the furious tears. "YOU TOOK THE MOST COMPASSIONATE PERSON IN THE FUCKING UNIVERSE AND MADE HIM INTO A MONSTER! YOU TURNED MY BEST FRIEND INTO A FUCKING MONSTER—"

He hurked, covering his mouth with his free hand, his nerves making him sick to his stomach. He leaned against the wall to keep his legs from collapsing, shaking. "I want him back," he whispered harshly, clenching his hand around the hilt of his sword. "Give him back to me, you son of a bitch! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!" He rushed at Gamzee, kicking him onto his back, raising the sword over his head. "GIVE HIM BACK TO ME, YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH!"

A strong hand around his arm, made him jerk away and drop his sword. He turned and saw Karkat standing next to him, looking like death warmed over twice in a dirty microwave. Karkat's hand stayed firm around Dave's arm, lowering it down, shaking his head, Dave getting a sight of bruising of the skin above the bandages that were around his neck. Dave clenched his hands tightly before burying his face in them, his shoulders shaking hard.

Karkat curled his arms around Dave, petting his back quietly to convey the comfort he couldn't verbally give before reaching down and picking up Dave's sword, handing it to him and pushing him toward the door. Dave walked out silently, emotionally drained.

Karkat watched him leave before turning to look at Gamzee, who was glowering up at him with eyes brimming in hurt and jealousy and betrayal. He bit his lip hard before turning on heel and walking out after Dave, shutting the door and running a hand down his face at the howl of agonized rage echoed from the room behind him.