A/N: So, no one was around to beta this again, so I'm sorry if something sounds strange. This chapter has some serious build up though, and will be the base of pretty much everything that happens. I hope you enjoy it.
You spend the next few weeks getting settled into your apartment and new life. You were initially worried that it would be hard to adjust to your new life, but really it's better than you thought. Everything is made a hell of a lot better being around your friends. You probably wouldn't get through half of the shit that you've gone through without them.
Like the day, about a week after you found out about your gender when you started, for lack of a better term than the one you learned in your schooling, actually developing your physical sex. Yeah, you'd learned about what would happen, how your previously neutral areas would begin to form to match your sex. For school, you read it in detail what happens for either gender. But reading about it didn't even compare to how it actually felt.
You woke up the Monday exactly one week after your seventeenth birthday in unexplainable pain. You freaked the fuck out, because you initially had no clue what the fuck was happening. In fact, you even went as far as to wake Dave up to ask him what was going on. He wasn't happy to be woken up at four in the morning, but when he realize how scared you were he stopped complaining. He had pulled on his shades ( it was semi-normal for you to see him without his shades for a few minutes every day, his red eyes didn't even faze you) and asked you a few questions. After a few moments, he realized what was happening and told you what it was. He quickly made his way to the bathroom and returned to where you sat on his bed with some pain medication and water and told you,"Take these and you'll feel better bro. I remember when it happened to me. Hurt like fuck and Bro wouldn't buy any meds. I swear he sat there laughing at me for the first three days until English came home from some schooling-thing and took pity on me and gave me some of these."
It took the entire week and nearly a whole bottle of pain medication for the whole ordeal to be over. And when it was, you were glad. It was weird for a while, looking down and seeing, well, that, but you've sort of now gotten used to it.
You were contacted the week after that about the new school session that would be starting within the next month. All of your friends were, actually, and on the day you got the course catalogs, you all hung out in the cafe you spent your first day after your Awakening, picking out courses and deciding what you wanted to do.
Rose, it was no surprise, decided on the course path that would allow her to major in psychology. It wasn't really a surprise to you or the others for that matter. You and Jade clap her on the back and tell her that you're proud of her. Dave is the only one who complains that there 'doesn't need to be any more psychoanalysis bullshit popping up in his message inbox'. She discusses in detail with the group some of the classes she would be attending. Some of the courses she decided would benefit her decision made a lot of sense, like the course on personality analysis. Some were obscure, like biology ( you really didn't understand how the subject would even play into psychology!). But you knew she would be happy with what she was doing, so you were happy for her.
Jade also decided on a science as her specialization. Agriculture to be precise. You remember a few times that she had expressed her love of gardening. But you didn't realize just how much she loved it. In fact, you found out that day that the garden that served as an inner courtyard in your apartment complex was actually her doing in just the few short months she had been out of her home. It really is a magnificent garden, a lot of nights if you couldn't sleep you would spend time there calming down, if you weren't on the roof that is. You and the other two congratulate her on her decision while she gets to work circling her choices in a pen a color reminiscent of her text color on the computer.
Dave decides on something completely different from the other two. Then again, none of you are surprised when he tells you he wants to go into digital music. You and Jade thought that it's super cool, but Rose wonders and pesters him the entire time how he would market himself. She also brings up the point that going into music of any sort was risky business. And it's a good point. Any music produced was regulated by the government, and if it wasn't approved, the file was destroyed completely. Having 5 musical inquiries turned down meant the termination of a musicians music license ( which was very, very hard to obtain). Dave just shrugged and blew her off, selecting his courses that he would need as well as a few extra courses in photography and one in cinematography.
Everyone looked at you expectantly to hear what you wanted to do. After looking through the catalogs, you still had no clue what to do. You remember on the day of your Awakening that the voice had told you ectobiology was not in your future (although you still think it would be really cool to be the one creating and placing the next generations in their homes like your dad had done). After a while, you just decide that you'll chose your specialization later, after you've taken some courses and have figured out what it is you want to do. Your friends assure you that it's okay as you chose to take courses in musical studies ( with specialized piano courses), cinematography, computer programming, and comedic theater.
Life settles into a pattern as classes start, and you begin to feel at home with your new life. Everything is pretty much normal now. And sometimes, you ask yourself if it could get any better than this.
You do have some interesting events happen to you though. These happen mainly when it's you and Dave hanging around the house. Like a conversation that you had with him just the other day. Quite interesting in fact. It started while you and he were playing a video game.
"You know, it's a hella lot better playing video games with you than it was my bro, Egbert." Dave says to you, " Hell, it's a shit ton better just living with you than it was him."[
"It couldn't have been that bad." You say.
"Dude, you don't even know. Shit was ridiculous. Between random strifes and smuppets falling out of jesus christ knows where, living with Bro was fucking ridiculous. Not to mention he was fucking English every god damn night, and those apartment walls were fucking thin."
You had been taking a swig of some Tab just before he said the final part of that statement, but found yourself literally doing a spit take when he did, "Dude, you're joking, right?"
He gave you a look over his sunglasses and you knew he did, "Every. Fucking. Night."
"But that's -" you're about to finish but he interrupts you. He sighs, "Yes John, it's illegal. You know it, I know it, they know it, and you know what? It never stopped them. Shit, Bro would never admit it, but he loved and still fucking loves English. Is it so wrong if two people are in love and all that shit? I mean, they were pretty much together before their Awakenings, even before they got their gender assignments. So is it really that wrong? I don't even understand why that shit is illegal"
You stop and think about this. As in seriously think about it. And you realize he's right. It doesn't mean that you in particular would go looking for a homosexual relationship, but, you guess if it did happen to you...no, you weren't going to let your thoughts go there. It's still illegal, although you don't know why, and you are not a rule breaker. You move away from that subject, attempting to smoothly transition to another subject, "So, when are you going to ask Jade out?"
It's his turn for a spit take. He wipes his mouth and curses how uncool that just was, "Egbert, what the hell makes you even think I have any interest in Harley in that way? I sure as hell don't wear a sign around saying that I'd even want to do something like that. Jesus dick, I don't think I've even implied any shit like that."
"You so have!" you exclaim. You recall to him the conversation you had with him before your awakening about how he'd either be asking you or Jade to be together with him after everything had settled down. He just shakes his head and starts the game up again, not saying anything on the matter. And being the good friend you are, you let it go and don't pester him about it.
The whole conversation though makes you think about what living with Dave was like. It was strange, living with him. Dave Strider had some weird quirks. Like the fact that half of your fridge was occupied by quote-unquote "shitty swords". And the smuppets that ended up various places within the house ( even after you watched him attempt to get rid of them all, they just kept showing up). What was really strange were the days when suddenly there was a new puppet in the apartment. The first time you found him, he was sitting on top of the living room t.v. Dave explained that he was Lil' Cal and that he just did that sometimes. To be honest, the damn thing scared the shit out of you every time it would appear. It was like it was possessed or something, and its eyes looked like they were going to steal your soul. Dave just shrugged it off, and sometimes you caught him giving the thing a fist bump. But whatever, to each his own you guess. Dave had some other quirks too, like spending time on the roof feeding the crows or creating "sick beats" at random times like two in the morning. But hey, that's what happens when you live with Dave Strider. And you get used to it.
Everything becomes normal for you, everything systematic. You conform to your new schedule with ease, and everything is going great. But, as they say, all good things had to come to an end. And when they did, the explosions it set off would change your life, and the life of the rest of your world, forever. You just didn't know it yet.
It happened a month and a half into your first school semester. Everything was going great. Your classes were awesome, you got to spend a lot of time with your friends, and even make some new ones, and everything was perfect. Hell, Lil' Cal hadn't even shown up for a few weeks. Which actually meant more than you ever thought it would.
Dave came back to the apartment one day when your only class for the day had been canceled and you had decided just to hang out. His clothes were ruffled, like he had been running, his sunglasses askew, with a look on what wasn't obstructed on his face that read total panic. You sprang up, quickly moving to check on your friend, "Dave, what's up? Don't you have classes? What happened, why are you so-"
He cut you off, "They arrested them, John."
"Arrested who?" You asked, confused. Arrests never happened, and when they did, they happened in a different part of the city to people you would never had known.
"Bro and Jake." He says. He's shaking, and you can tell he's trying not to lose his cool demeanor, "They were found out. They were so fucking careful not to let on about what was going on, but they were still caught. Fuck, I don't even..."
The floodgates open, it's too much for him. He's sobbing and you quickly hug him and hold him tightly, rubbing his back and murmuring calming words in his ear. You don't blame him for breaking down. You know how he idolized his brother, even if he complained about him often. You stand there for quite a while, until his sobs have ceased, and even a while after that. When you finally do let him go, he rubs his eyes free of the last few tears, and you finally speak up, "Is there anything we can do?"
"I'm going down to the holding cells to talk to him later." He says slowly, "I'm going to find out what happened, who turned him in. I don't know what I'll do after that, but hell if I'm not going to do anything about it."
He does go down to the cells and talk to his brother later. He tells you about how today he and Jake were doing their usual thing (without any ugly details) and something felt off to Bro. The only thing he noticed out of place was that Lil' Cal had appeared and was sitting on one of his dressers. They were quiet and discreet as usual. Neither he, nor apparently Jake had any idea. And it wasn't as if the officials were going to tell them.
For the next few days, Dave stayed home and spent countless hours sitting on the roof, watching the skyline blankly. You spent any time you weren't in class or spending a little time with other friends with him. You're worried about him, and you don't know what to do but be there for him.
Not even five days after it happens you receive more news. It comes in the form of Jade rushing into your apartment, having obviously used your spare key to get it. She had the same look on her face Dave did when he had told you about Bro. But you know it wasn't any of her family, so you initially had no clue why she was here with you in such a state. Until she told you what she knew.
Jade was Rose's neighbor and you knew that. But what you didn't know, what no one in your group knew, was that Rose was in a secret relationship. With her roommate, Kanaya. It came as a shock to you, just as it had to Jade. Just as it had been a shock to Jade to watch Rose and Kanaya being dragged out of their apartment, under arrest. Just like Bro an Jake. Dave was on the roof when she told you this, and after she relayed it, the two of you bolted up the stairs to tell him. You comforted Jade as she broke down when she told the story again, and watched Dave's mouth turn into a hard line, obviously trying not to flip his shit.
This time, it's your turn to go down to the cells and visit. You try to visit Jake and Bro, but you find out that they're both gone. Off to god knows where, considering no one will tell you when you ask. You know Dave will be broken when you tell him, but before you do that, you attend to the other business you have there. Visiting Rose. She smiles when you come to stand on one side of the clear cell wall. You ask how she is and carry out a normal conversation for a few minutes before getting down to the questions you really want to ask. How was she found out, was there anything off about her surroundings, and most importantly, why didn't she tell the small band of friends about her relationship? She answers you effectively. No one would have turned them in, they, like Bro and Jake, had been careful. Rose told him that the only thing was off was this strange puppet that had shown up out of no where. And from her description, you know exactly what puppet it is. And there's no way it was coincidence that Lil' Cal would be at both of your friends who was arrested's homes. She also says something about someone called Lord English, but she doesn't really know how it relates to what happens.
And then she tells you why she didn't tell your group in the first place. She tells you she was afraid, afraid of what the three of you would think of her if she told you. She tears up, and you wish you could get through the wall to comfort her, but you know you can't. You tell her that it's okay, you tell her that no one would have thought any different of her. You comfort her as well as you can until a guard comes and kicks you out because visitation hours were over.
You hurry home and relay everything you found out to Dave, and then to Jade. Both look troubled, and Dave looks borderline outraged. You put together the pieces that you can, and promise to work on putting the rest together within the next few days. You knew now that you only had five days until Rose was probably going to be carted off who knows where. And you knew that the three of you had to do everything you could to stop it from happening.