OuO so here have some more, I'm bored. Review if you like, homestuck belongs to the Huss. –edited-

You are John Egbert and you're freezing again. Dave hasn't stopped to rest since he woke up and you can see the sweat beading on his skin. You're watching him as he walks along through the dark, and you worry that he might be pushing himself too hard. It's the middle of the night and under the mist you're shivering, teeth chattering. Dave seems unaffected by the cold, though his tail makes a snapping sound occasionally as it whips from side to side. He's agitated about something.

Finally you decide to broach the subject. "Um… Dave? Shouldn't we stop? I mean, you are injured and it's h-hard to see right now." Your shivers make it hard to talk, even causing you to stutter at one point while you rub your arms.

Dave looks back at you, still walking. "No. I have to get back to my brother before those witches decide to take advantage. Dirk has… well you know about the torture thing, right? Even ancient demons don't walk away from what she did without scars. I'm worried about leaving him by himself." He almost seems to be rambling and you realize that no matter what he says, he really shouldn't be up and about right now. His eyes are even glazed over a little.

You're silent, watching him more intently, looking for anything that might prove your theory right. You notice it soon enough. He's staggering a little, blood dripping along as he walks, and from the way he's moving you realize the only reason he's still standing is cause his tail is keeping him balanced. It's not that he's agitated, it's that he's struggling to keep going.

"Dave, stop." You snap, or at least you try to. For you snapping is just talking a little louder. He doesn't listen and you narrow your eyes, reaching out to grab his arm and pull him to a stop. You don't meet much resistance, and he seems to lose his balance, falling back into you a little bit.

"DAMMIT, John, what do you need!?" He growls, fangs bared.

You meet his glare with your own, starting to get angry yourself. "You need to stop. If you keep going you're going to pass out. You can barely keep walking as it is!" You tell him.

He growls at you again and you can see his hands balling into fists. "You have five seconds to remove your hand. Before I remove from your arm."

You know he could do it. But you're too concerned for him right now to care. "Then do it, cause I'm not gonna let you keep going if it's gonna risk your health!"

Dave roars at you, literally roars, and picks you up by your shirt. "I'm an arch-demon John. You don't tell me what to do. And you sure as hell don't treat me like I'm a weakling who'll die from something like this!" His arms are shaking with the effort of holding you up.

You're glaring right back at him, ignoring the pain of the position. "But you're not immortal. You were wounded by your own blade. And I'm guessing wounds from that that thing are more than capable of killing you. I'm not going to let you kill yourself trying to drag your hide to who knows where, in the middle of the night, when you can barely stand. How do you expect to help Dirk if you can't even lift me without struggling? You'll be worthless to him like this, or am I wrong?"

Dave stares at you, his face unreadable for a few seconds before he slowly sets you down. Neither of you speak for a moment before he sighs. "I'm sorry. I lost my temper. I think you might be right…"

"It's ok. I know you're in pain. And you're concerned for Dirk. But pushing yourself so hard isn't gonna help." Dave doesn't answer, just steps over to a side wall of the canyon, slipping down to rest against, favoring his wing. You move to sit next to him on his uninjured side, not saying anything else.

The silence stretches on and another shiver runs through you. Dave just wraps his good wing around you, pulling you in close. You let out a soft breath and lean against him, soaking in the heat of his skin. You know why the cold doesn't seem to bother him now, with his skin feeling like he's got a hundred and five degree fever.

Something crosses your mind a little while later and you look up at him. "This is why you offered. You were afraid you would lose your temper with me. Back at the ranch."

Dave doesn't react at first and you think he might have fallen asleep until he sighs. "Yes. Though it's more than that. I'm…. I'm not one of the best people to date John. I'm volatile. And normally I'm calm, or at least I try to be. But… I'm possessive. I'm jealous. And I play… games John."

You listen silently, head leaning against his shoulder while his wing curls tighter around you. You can smell him, the scent of blood and cherries and something almost like hay. Considering he's worked at a ranch for who knows how many centuries, you suppose the hay is expected. The cherries are definitely new though.

"I'm dangerous for your health. Dirk was trying to look out for you. To prevent me from returning to old…habits. He advised I break it off with you. I decided to leave the choice to you, and you agreed." His voice is cold as stone and you wince, thinking about that evening in his room a couple days ago. When he asked if you wanted to leave and you had said it would be for the best. Your troubles with your parent's disapproval seem like a pathetic excuse when compared to Dave's reasons for offering. Then another thought occurs to you and you bite your lip, curling up closer to him.

"Dave? What do you mean when you say… games? And…it has to do with what happened to Karkat doesn't it?"

BE DAVE STRIDER