Notes: Here we go guys! Chapter 10 is finally here!

I got a little carried away with this one and it has over 4,000 words? Ops?

Anyways, get ready, because this is, more or less, the "beginning of the end" and the next chapter is where hing star getting... Intense. So yeah, get ready!

Now, enjoy your reading!

Chapter 10: The Stranger, Your Brother And A Friend: All Hard To Deal With

The conversation between Dave and that so-called Mike guy lasted longer than the younger Strider expected. The stranger was quite inquisitive about his hobbies, and Dave thought there was no harm in sharing that aspect of his life with him.

i like photography
and i dunno
i make music sometimes
i also like collecting dead things

Collecting dead things?

What does that entail?

it's like
dead things conserved in jars and shit

Dave was pretty damn sure such an exposition would weird out whoever was on the other side of the screen. But alas…

That is quite the unusual hobby.

I never heard of anyone who did that. I would like to hear more.

I'm also interested in whatever kind of music you do.

Jesus, this dude certainly was into him to not be turned off by him having jars with unsettling things scattered all over his room.

At least he seemed interested in his music. Dave wondered for how long he could distract the guy with the subject before they got to the inevitable.

it's mostly remixes
and some raps but they are kind of rusty
still have ways to go

Really?

It's kind of adorable that you rap to be completely honest.

Feeling his cheeks get warm almost instantly, Dave let out a huff of air, arms crossing in front of his chest. For some reason that was a lot more flustering than all those ridiculously perverted messages he got on a regular basis.

He just sat around for a while, not really feeling like answering to the last message, when a new one popped up, twenty minutes later.

Did I make you upset?

I apologize.

I'll remember to keep my compliments to a minimum until you and I are better acquainted.

thanks I guess

For the remainder of their conversation – which was interrupted just once by Bro, when he asked Dave what kind of pizza he wanted for dinner – Mike kept his word and no other random compliments were throw in the middle of his messages. Then again, they were just idly discussing about music, and Dave was surprised to find out that stranger was more knowledgeable on the subject than he first assumed.

They exchanged messages the whole night, and when the clock stroke midnight, Bro once more showed up at Dave's door, arms crossed.

"Hey, aren't you going to bed? You have school tomorrow in case you forgot." He leaned on the door frame, as the younger Strider spun on his chair to face him.

"I'm going, I'm going." Dave's voice came out with a tone on annoyance to it. He was actually interested in the conversation he was having.

"You've been there all fucking evening, I barely saw your face. You sure like chatting up with those friends of yours, don't you?" Bro chuckled, clearly blissfully unaware of what his younger brother had been up to all day.

"They're nice to talk to I guess." Dave shrugged, hands resting on his lap.

"You've been 'guessing' they've nice for the past three years." It felt like it was just yesterday that Dave came by the kitchen, excitedly telling him about this three kids he met online: some dorky four-eyes, a somewhat cryptic and well mannered blond girl and some solitary and yet easily excitable girl from a remote island.

Honestly, Bro was incredibly relieved when he got those news from his younger brother, because, at school, he was hardly the most popular. He wasn't left in the corner, but he rarely spoke about his colleagues and didn't seem very eager to go visit them and whatnot. There was a point where Bro began to grow worried and feared Dave would end up as a loner.

And in a way, Bro blamed his own lack of social skills for that. He never really taught Dave well on this area of life. Strifing, irony, dolls with dubious meanings to them… Those were things he knew and tried to pass on to him. Now interacting properly with others? That was another story altogether.

"Yeah, whatever…" Dave rolled his eyes, more or less faking his irritation.

"Either way, you better scurry off to bed. Last time you stayed up it was a struggle to get you to go to school." Bro moved from the door, and off to the hallway, leaving his younger brother alone again.

With a quiet sigh, Dave turned to the computer screen again, looking at all the messages he exchanged with that stranger. Well, he wasn't really that much of a stranger anymore, but Dave couldn't really call him an "acquaintance", let alone a "friend".

Just for the hell of it, he decided to let Mike know he was calling it a night.

dude
gotta go to bed
you may not know but I have more things to do in life than chatting up with you and posing with colored dolls

Getting up from his chair, he went to his cramped closet to change into his PJs, and while he did so the sound of an incoming message reached his ears. He walked to the computer again, shirt in hand, to check whatever Mike was saying to him.

What a shame that you have to leave. I could have talked to you all night.

But we'll have plenty of time to talk in the future I assume?

Either way, sleep well Dave.

The subtlest smile appeared on Dave's lips as he read the message. He simply couldn't believe the guy.

To say that the following morning was an uneventful one would be an understatement. Everything was far too slow and boring. And the fact that Dave and Bro barely spoke to each other while at the apartment and on the way to school didn't help. Not that it was nothing "new" to them, but for the past few weeks they had been a lot more talkative towards each other.

Dave was mostly to blame though. For whatever reason his mind kept drifting back to the messages he exchanged with Mike, even if they were pretty mindless. And at some point he was even bothered by it. Why was he giving those so much thought anyway?

He did his best to pay attention to his classes, hoping to distract his mind from them, and that seemed to work for a while. Although, the closer he was to listening to the school's bell ringing, the more distracted he got.

Maybe he should vent to Rose a bit. After all, she did ask him to keep her informed about the situation, and far from him to break his promise, especially when she was so understanding of his current position. He could be a bit of a douche to her at times, but being a complete tool wasn't in his plans.

When the school bell rang, Dave only noticed how fast he was walking towards the front gate when he was already at the end of the hallway, and he cursed himself mentally for such an action, because he knew that wasn't only due to his natural willingness to leave the school grounds as quickly as possible.

Stepping out and scanning the streets, he was surprised to see Bro's pick-up already waiting for him at the corner. He was almost never on time.

"So, how was school?" Was the first thing Bro said when his younger brother entered the truck.

"Passable." Dave shrugged, closing the door and fastening his seat belt.

"Wow, your enthusiasm for learning sure is admirable." Bro shook his head, a smile on his lips as he started the truck's engine.

"Not my fault if that place is the most boring thing in existence." Dave rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

"But this utterly boring thing is important for your future. I don't want you to grow up to be some jackass loser with no education." Bro briefly looked at Dave from the corner of his eye, more or less glaring at him.

"Fine, fine…" Dave put his hands up in defeat, before his brother could extend his discourse even more.

"Speaking of learning, yesterday I realized I've been neglecting your training a lot. I mean, when was the last time we dueled anyway? It's been more than a week. We gotta fix that" Bro said as he drove, and even without looking at Dave he could feel his disapproving stare.

"Really? Today? It's a fucking Monday." Dave put his head back, letting out a groan.

"Would you rather do it Saturday?" Bro asked, knowing his younger brother wouldn't be willing to sacrifice his weekend for the sake of strifing.

"OK, we'll do your cruddy training today."

The rest of the trip back home was silent.

When they finally arrived at the apartment, Bro wasted no time in asking for Dave to go fetch his sword and meet him at the rooftop. The younger Strider just nodded and went to his bedroom to get his katana. He was certainly not in the mood for training. He rarely was, but there were times he would rather chew glass than partake in those duels against his brother. That was one of those days, and there was no glass in sight, so he had to comply with Bro's orders.

Throwing his backpack on the bed and fetching his sword, Dave glanced at his computer briefly, shaking his head right after. Why was he thinking about those messages again?

Maybe getting his ass handed to him could help with distracting his mind.

Dave climbed the stairs to the rooftop slowly, in no rush to reach his destination. When he finally arrived, he could tell Bro was slightly glaring at him through his shades.

"Took you long enough." Adjusting his pointy shades, the older Strider got in position to start. "Now take your stance."

With an almost inaudible sigh, Dave did as he was told, firmly clutching to the handle of his sword. If he couldn't genuinely enjoy what was about to unfold, he could at least try and do his best, and see if his brother would give him some time off from strifes.

As usual, Bro jumped at Dave without any real warning, and if it wasn't for the fact that the younger Strider was used to such an action, he wouldn't be able to block the incoming attack aimed at his shoulder.

Taking a step back, the boy tried an attack of his own, only to be blocked and pushed, causing him to almost lose balance.

"You're not paying attention." Bro said, going for another attack which was barely countered whilst Dave was still trying to regain his footing.

"We've just begun asshole." Dave canalized his frustration at his brother's remark into his next move, aiming to hit his brother's torso, but only being able to push him back a bit.

"No difference." Bro flash-stepped to his younger brother's side, sword pointed at the boy's ribs. "You have to be alert from the very first second." And with that he thrust his katana forward, with Dave barely blocking it again.

With a grunt, the boy leaped towards the man, sword above his head as he tried a more decisive approach, which failed too, his brother's block sending him back a few steps.

The sound of metal against metal kept echoing through the rooftop for minutes on end, with both Striders taking turns trying to hit each other and trying to counter each other's attacks, with Bro barely nicking his younger brother while delivering line after line about focus and dedication, and Dave tried his best to protect himself while hopelessly trying to land a hit on the older man, all the while throwing insults at him and telling him to shut up.

All in all, it was more of the same they were both used to.

At some point, while trying to flash-step towards his older brother, Dave suddenly lost balance and fell face first to the floor, with Bro pausing his actions almost immediately in response.

"Hey, what happened? Are you tripping over your own feet?" He asked, walking towards the boy.

Dave pushed himself up, sitting up and looking down to his own feet.

"Fucking shoelaces…" He said under his breath, staring at his untied shoes.

"That's why I keep telling you not to use these stupid sneakers while we are…" When Bro was just a feet away from Dave, he noticed a small red drop on the rooftop's concrete floor, and crouched almost too fast, grabbing his younger brother's chin to tilt his head up. "Fuck, what a mess."

It took Dave a second, but then there was a sharp pain on his nose, and his hand almost automatically went to it, and he could feel the blood under it.

"Shit…" Dave's voice came out as a murmur while he wiped the underside of his nose with the back of his hand.

"How much does it hurt?" Bro asked, hoping for it not being a broken nose.

"A whole fucking lot." Putting his hand down for a moment, Dave sighed. Such a thing certainly wasn't going to give him that "free pass" he was aiming for. If anything, training would only get harder, thanks to him being clumsy.

"C'mon, let's go downstairs and take care of that." Bro said as he offered Dave a hand to help him stand. His voice was almost too neutral for the situation, but there was a small hint of worry deep down.

For a brief moment, Dave just stared at his older brother's hand. He was kind of expecting the man to force him to keep strifing to, more or less, punish him for his fuck up. Clearly, he was wrong.

Grabbing Bro's hand, Dave stood up, hand still under his nose to prevent it from bleeding all over the place, as they walked back to the apartment, his brother picking up their swords on the way. Once there, they went to the bathroom, with Bro telling Dave to sit down at the toilet, as he got a wet towel to clean up the boy's face, putting his head back to get the bleeding to stop a bit.

"It was really graceful, the way you feel flat on your face." Bro joked, after getting Dave's face clean, going to the bathroom cabinet and grabbing the first aid kit they had there.

"Screw you." Dave held his head back, rolling his eyes.

"But really, next time, do as I say and don't wear these stupid shoes with ridiculously long shoelaces." Bro opened the kit and grabbed some cotton from it. "I'm actually surprised it took you so long to trip on those after all this time."

There was no response from the boy, as he just sat there, his older brother stuffing cotton balls inside his nose.

"Does it look bad?" Dave asked, feeling a sting every time Bro pushed the cotton up.

"Not much. But if it keeps hurting, you tell me, OK?" Bro finished his task with the cotton balls and went to put the kit away, as Dave slowly straightened his head. "You also should put some ice on it."

Nodding slowly, Dave got up from his seat, looking at the bathroom mirror and touching the tip of his nose as delicately as he could.

"You really scared me back there lil' man. I thought it was something a lot more serious." Bro sighed in relief, watching his younger brother.

"Why? Were you afraid that I had damaged my face beyond repair so we couldn't use it as our source of income anymore?" Dave said before he could stop the words coming out of his mouth. He really didn't mean it.

"It wasn't for such a shallow reason you dumb fuck." The glare Bro was giving towards his younger brother was clear even through his shades.

"Sorry…" Dave ran his fingers through his hair, getting his sword and walking out of the bathroom. "I'm going to my room."

"Hey, we're going to have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner today, and I want you to help me." Bro said, watching his younger brother walk away and making a vague hand sign at him to show he had heard him.

Weird kid… Bro thought, shaking his head and smiling a bit. It was rare of Dave to swing between moods like that, but whenever that happened, it was always amusing, even if a little worrying. He would have to talk to him later on.

Inside his bedroom, the younger Strider flopped on his computer chair, throwing his sword on his bed. He eyed the black screen of the computer. He was in such a shitty mood he didn't even feel like turning on the computer to satisfy his curiosity and see if Mike had sent him a new message. Still, he had promised Rose he would talk to her after contacting the guy, so he had to do at least that. Maybe chatting up with her a bit could improve his mood.

When the computer was properly booted up, Dave didn't even bother checking his e-mail. He straight up opened Pesterchum, letting out a frustrated sigh when he saw Rose was offline. John was online though. He decided to talk to him a bit, since it had been a while since their last chat.

They talked about school, the past weekend, and Dave even told him about his embarrassing fall during his strife against his brother, with John responding with laughter, but also telling the blonde boy to be more careful next time.

Then, Rose got online, and a window with her nick on it popped up almost instantly on his screen.

tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG]

TT: Are you there Dave?
TT: I am anxious to hear news about your mysterious admirer.
TG: you sure are interested on that arent you
TG: but what am i saying
TG: you are probably so into this because you want to use your weird psychoanalysis bullshit on both me and the guy
TT: Oh, so your admirer is a man.
TT: I expected so. After all, the percentage of men which are attracted to younger boys is bigger than that of women.
TG: oh you did your homework goodie
TG: and yeah its a dude
TG: or at least thats what they claim to be
TG: told me his name is mike
TG: probably a fucking empty lie
TT: Did you give him a name as well?
TG: yeah
TG: gave him my own name
TG: but pretended it was a fake one
TT: I have to admit, that was a pretty clever move on your part.
TT: Didn't know you had it in you to "play" with someone like that.
TG: i guess all this contact with my brother is teaching me how to mess with people
TT: Could be.
TT: Speaking of him, he's still unaware of your activities, right?
TG: he doesnt have a clue
TG: and if he does hes doing a really pro job at hiding it
TG: im impressed I was able to keep something from him for more than a day though
TG: dude is everywhere like fucking oxygen and knows everything im doing
TT: Maybe he's realizing you need your own time and space.
TG: yeah and hell may freeze over
TG: rose were talking about my brother here
TT: Ok, enough about your guardian.
TT: What kind of exciting conversation did you have with Mike?
TG: actually it was far from exciting
TG: he just asked me shit like
TG: what I liked doing and my hobbies and stuff
TG: to be honest it was a pretty normal conversation
TG: especially when he stopped throwing compliments at me
TT: What kind of compliments?
TG: telling me that im pretty and adorable
TG: for some reason this weirds me out more than those disgusting messages people send to my bros site
TT: Probably because he's showing something more than superficial lust towards you.
TT: Affection can be scary at times.
TG: affection?
TG: really rose
TG: theres no affection here im pretty sure of that
TG: he pretty much admitted wanting to bang me right off the bat
TG: but mentioned some bullshit about wanting to know me better
TT: If that's the case then maybe there's more to this man than uncontained lust.
TT: Dave, didn't you ever consider the possibility of him being genuinely infatuated with you?
TG: you gotta be fucking kidding me lalonde
TG: dude is just being nice because hes hoping that wont make him sound super creepy when he finally exposes his weird side
TG: but guess what
TG: it will still be creepy no matter how well he knows me
TT: I think you are being needlessly judgmental.
TT: If that guy was only after some tail, why would he go through all this trouble?
TT: I think you should keep talking to him, get to know him better.
TG: im beginning to suspect you are the author of those messages
TG: you are supporting him too much
TT: You think I'm the mysterious Mike, trying to woo you?
TT: As much as I would have enjoyed coming up with such a plan, I can guarantee I'm not involved in this in the least.
TG: so you are honestly serious about me throwing myself at this strangers arms with wild abandon
TT: Well, not really throw yourself at him, but more like give him a chance.
TT: Maybe he's not as perverted as you think he is.
TT: Or maybe he wants to know you better to fit his perversions to your taste.
TG: well how considerate of him then
TG: still doesn't change the fact he wants to bone me
TT: It doesn't, but he at least seems better natured than regular folks who visit the site.
TT: Did you talk to him today?
TG: nah
TG: first thing my bro made me do when we got here was to strife
TG: which went kind of awful

Dave softly touched the bridge of his nose, remembering he still didn't go fetch the ice Bro told him to put on it. Then, almost as if his brother had read his thoughts, he showed up at the bedroom door, holding a small towel with some ice in it.

"Here. You completely forgot didn't you?" Bro handed the already cold towel to Dave, a smile on his lips.

"Kind of. Thanks… And sorry for being an asshole back there in the bathroom." Placing the ice over his nose, Dave looked up at his brother.

"Pft, forget about that. It was no big deal." Bro shrugged, shaking Dave's shoulder a little. "Hey, what you talking with purple text over here?" He leaned closer to the screen, which made Dave let go off the towel and throw his arms in front of the monitor to block it.

"Damn it Bro, a little privacy here?" Dave protested, barring his teeth.

"Oh, I see what's happening here." Bro grinned, letting out a chuckle. "You flirting with the smooth, blond girl, aren't you?"

"Oh my God no, that's not what's happening at all!" Dave felt his cheeks and ears burn almost instantly, and he tried looking anywhere but at his brother's face.

"Hey, calm down. I'm only joking. And besides, I always seemed to have a thing for island girl anyway." As soon as Bro was done talking Dave's fists were hitting against his chest.

"Just go away, Jesus fuck!" Dave almost shouted, and Bro stepped back, laughing to himself as he left the room.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Dave grabbed the ice again, bringing it to his nose once more. He looked back at the screen and saw some new messages from Rose.

TT: What went so terrible during your fighting routine?
TT: Dave, are you still there?
TT: Or are you too embarrassed to tell me what went wrong?
TG: sorry about that
TG: bro came around and started being his usual asshole self
TG: and the thing is that i was klutz and tripped on my own shoelaces when we were fighting
TG: fell flat on my face and my nose paid the price
TT: Don't you think you should be resting then, instead of sitting here talking to me?
TG: im fine rose
TT: If you say so.
TT: Either way, so you didn't talk to your admirer today yet.
TT: That's no way to keep a relationship you know?
TT: Especially at the beginning.
TG: rose i dont want a relationship with him
TG: i would rather let john talk to me about his shitty movies for all eternity
TT: OK, you want nothing with the guy.
TT: But at least entertain him for a while.
TT: I'm interested to know what kind of thoughts he has towards you, aside from finding you cute.
TG: ok i will try to get him to spit up some of his deep dark secrets and pass them on to you
TG: how does that sound
TT: I would highly appreciate it.
TT: But really you should lay down for a bit.
TG: ugh fine

turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering tentacleTherapist [TT]

Without saying anything else, Dave decided to do as Rose said. He could use some rest to put his thoughts in place and get that stinging pain on his nose stop.

Still, he couldn't resist checking his e-mail for any new message from Mike.

And there was one, sent to him somewhat early in the morning.

Good morning Dave.

I can only hope your morning is a pleasant one.

Message me whenever you have the time, yes?

Dave just closed the message and got up from his chair, going to his bed. Dude could wait a bit.