Chapter Text
You sit on your bed staring at your computer as those annoying chat boxes appear on your screen.
Moving was out of the quesetion but if you didn't do something about that blasted noise, it would never cease.
Slowly but surely you make your way up to the desk, and click on "unavailable" so you didn't have to talk to anybody.
You knew what they were going to be about.
It was going to start with Rose and her snarky comments, then John asking you if you're okay.
What an idiot.
Of course you weren't okay but you weren't going to let anyone know that.
It was uncool and you were a strider for God's sake.
Cool was practically second nature.
Then it would escalade to Jade trying to inadvertantly get you to fess up on what happened due to her lack of being at school today.
Sure enough those trolls would be in on it too.
Tavros and Gamzee witnessed it, which meant Karkat was sure to know soon, which meant Sollux would know too, which meant Cronus was going to be jumping down your throat.
You shake your head.
No.
That was just too much hassle and drama and you were not going to let yourself be apart of it.
You were graduating this year.
So whether they liked it or not, you were going to ignore everything, and continue on your days as if it never happened.
Despite Rose's constant proding at you with trying to get you to tell anyone.
That wasn't so bad at first, she was sort of your friend and she was just trying to help you out.
However she drew a very thick line when she mentioned that you should tell Bro.
Let yourself make one thing straight, you were Dave freaking Strider, and you told Bro nothing.
Bro wasn't just Bro, he was the Bro Strider.
The one everyone needed at their party, every girl grew weak in the knees for, every man became a boy over, and you were just his kid brother Dave.
Sometimes he asked you to go with him, just to show you how things work, you assume it's because there was nothing to eat in the house.
He hated your constant "whining" and "nagging" him about anything.
So sure enough, you eventually just never said anything,
At all.
He'd ask you something and you'd respond with a simple nod, or shrug,
Eventually you assume he's fed up with you because he just gets up and goes to his room in the middle of one of those "conversations".
You just assume you were too frustrating for someone like him to put up with something like you.
Yes, something.
You are not a person.
You're just some object that exists and goes on through out the days wishing you didn't.
However, there was a reason you still hadn't done anything about it.
Every time you got close to doing something to take your burden on people away, Bro would come home, and stand in your door way staring at you.
He'd make some comment about "Why are you still up?" or "Go to bed." then there was your favorite "Don't you have school tomorrow?"
He didn't need to know that in past three months you've gotten maybe three days of sleep.
He didn't need to know school was more of a hell to you than it should have been to any teenager.
He didn't need to know what you were thinking.
Your computer chimes with a persistant noise of an e-mail, but it wasn't who you expected.
It wasn't Rose or Jade, it wasn't Karkat or Sollux or Cronus.
It was Gamzee.
Of all people, it was that clown that couldn't stand your existence and you're pretty sure saw him smirk a little before he dragged Tavros away from the scene.
Hesitantly, you open it, expecting some snide remark insulting your coolness as always.
"HeY. i KnOw We DoNt Y'KnOw, tAlK tO eAcH oThEr AnD aLl, bUt ArE yOu OkAy BrOtHeR?"
That was new.
You read the mail over and over again, just to make sure one of the blows you took to the head wasn't obstructing yor vision or whatever.
Nope, that's what it said.
You blink and stare at the keyboard, for a second, you forgot how it worked, or what it was.
"Yea man."
You reply, simple enough to let him know you don't need help, or a friend.
What even were friends.
You go into the bathroom, it was Friday, and Bro always got off early on Friday's because that meant he could have more time of watching the shows you recorded for him.
You check your phone, it was five.
You have about three hours to clean yourself up and tend to your mutilated body, take a shower, and conjure up a good excuse to why you can't chill.
You shut the door and stare at the mirror in disgust.
You hated that piece of glass.
With every piece of you, you wanted to destroy that thing and never have to see the hideous demon staring back at you.
Shakily, you take your broken shades off and set them in the box with the rest, putting it in the back of the cabinet, in a hole you found a while ago.
Then you pull out a new pair from another box, move the broken piece of wall over the box, rearrange Bro's crap to it's usual clutter, and close the door.
You pull your shirt off slow and careful, and stare at it.
It was torn and practically drenched in blood.
It was pointless to save it and you throw it away in a black trash bag, then you take off your pants and boxers and sigh, throwing them away too, and you spray the bag in your cologne, throw some random things away so it didn't look so obvious.
You stare at your body and rub your face, you were bloodied and cut, covered in bruises and it was hard to believe there was a boy beneath all of the red, black, and blue.
You grab a rag and get it in some warm water, cleaning yourself up and scrubbing off the blood.
Then you grab some stitching equipment Bro used whenever he got you with his katana a little too deep.
You figure if he asks you'll just shrug and show him one, and he'll probably chalk it up to you were practicing and hurt yourself.
He always did.
After you clean yourself up you throw everything away and tie up the bag and set aside.
Turning on the shower, you stare at your black eye and slowly remove the pieces of plastic from the lense shattering into your face.
You flush them then step it and it takes everything you have to not burst into tears.
The water hurt, but it felt so good and you knew you needed to wash off everything you couldn't get.
Your body was numb for the most part anyways, and you decide that firstly, you need to wash your hair.
You scrub fuiriously at your hair, mindfully of the cuts and stitches and sigh as the water going down the drain slowly but surely goes from a bright crimson to its usual clear bubbles.
When you're finally done you decide to just sit under the water and relax.
Time to think of some excuses.
The homework excuse could do it for the most part, but after a few hours he'll just bug you about how bored he is and ask if you wanna strife, or go get something to eat or something.
You decide you could just pretend to sleep, that worked sometimes.
After about an hour and a half you get up and get out, drying yourself and pulling on some sweat pants and a sweater, as well as your new unbroken shades, fixing your hair to dry it and make it look normal.
Then you grab the trash and throw it away under some of the other things, and pad back inside.
It was 6:30 now, so you had about half an hour to go.
You store some things in your room, some drinks and food.
Then you steal Bro's jacket and one of his shirts, and you wrap your pillow in his jacket, now you had to wait for him to come home, just to avoid him.
You decide you should put in a movie or something so you go into the living room and turn on Hercules.
When you finally get comfortable, you relax and stare at the T.V. it wouldn't be long for Bro to get home now and you had a whole plan.
You were good at this, you've had yeears of practice, and your lack of sleep has given you plenty of time to devise the perfect plan to hide it.
You hear the truck pull up and the door close before keys are in the door.
Now was your moment of truth.
The door turns and you watch him step inside, closing the door and staring at you.
"Take off your clothes right now Dave."
You blink behind your shades.
I'm sorry what?
Excuse me?
You tilt your head, furrowing your eyebrows and he growls slightly.
"Quit playing games. The school, Rose, and Rufioh called. Take off your clothes before I rip them off for you."