Chapter Text
Up, down, left, right. You only just manage to block your bro’s unrelenting attacks. Your name is Dave Strider, and this is normal for you.
At some point in the fight, your brother's stony expression morphed into one of unadulterated contempt.
You are thrown off balance for just a moment, but it's enough to get knocked backwards and a sword pointed at your throat. Bro’s glare intensifies right before he walks away.
You cough weakly as you try to push yourself to your feet, but your muscles scream in protest and you collapse. You grit your teeth in pain.
It takes awhile, but you manage to get up and limp down to your apartment. You head straight to the bathroom to dress your wounds.
Your name is Dave Strider, and this is normal...
Right..?
Dave Strider: Be Davesprite==>
You are now Davesprite, and watching your charge get hurt is torture. Unfortunately, your request to intervene hasn't made its way through the Guardian Angels Inc. Department of requests yet, so for the time being, you're stuck.
You flinch as Dave is pinned to the ground by his guardian. This is the literal definition of horrible. Since you can't do anything about it, you decide to take your mind off of it. It does no good to stress out over what you can't control. You fly to the edge of the city and land on a skyscraper. Not like anyone can see you.
You take out your standard issue communication device and scroll through the apps. You click on SpriteSpeak and select Jadesprite’s handle in your SpriteList.
TrainingaGod {TG} began speaking with GardensGalore {GG} at 4:14
TG: hey
TG: jade
GG: hi dave! :D
GG: whats up?
TG: my charge got hurt again
TG: how do you handle not being able to try and help cause your request hasnt made it through either
GG: i dont! i found a loophole instead! :)
TG: wait what
GG: i cant appear to jade, but i can whisper to her!
TG: once again what
GG: you can give dave ideas by whispering in his ear because we aren't normal guardians. We came about from near death experiences, so we are more tightly connected!
TG: wow why don't they tell us these things
GG: i dont think they know.
TG: huh
TG: thanks jade
GG: one last thing!
TG: what is it
GG: when you try it out, tell him to text karkat.
TG: why
GG: just trust me! :D
TG: okay then...
TG: talk to you later
GG: bye dave! :D
TrainingaGod {TG} stopped speaking with GardensGalore {GG} at 4:28
You fly back to your charge’s apartment to try out Jade’s advice. You find him sitting in his bedroom scrolling through the Internet, likely to take his mind off his wounds. You float down next to him and whisper,
“Text Karkat.” Sprites who aren't authorized to interact usually don't talk much, and you are no exception. Your voice is hoarse from disuse, but it doesn't seem to matter. Your charge pauses what he is doing. He then opens Pesterchum and does as you suggested. You grin with triumph.
Suddenly, you get an odd idea. You go through the walls to your charge’s legal guardian’s room. He's sitting on the bed watching TV.
“Stand up.” You wait for a few beats. Nothing happens. You frown. That's the end of that idea, you guess.
Davesprite: Be Dave==>
You are now Dave, and you aren't entirely sure why you want to text someone named ‘Karkat’. You don't know who that is. The longer you try to ignore it, the stronger the feeling gets. You give in and open pesterchum. You have no idea how you know this person's chumhandle. You type it in.
TurntechGodhead [TG] began pestering CarcinoGeneticst [CG] at 4:37
TG: hey
CG: WHO THE FUCK IS THIS?
TG: dave strider
CG: I DON'T KNOW YOU. WHY ARE YOU TEXTING ME?
TG: dunno
TG: i just
TG: its hard to explain
CG: WAS IT LIKE YOU JUST GOT AN IDEA
CG: AND IF YOU TRIED TO IGNORE IT, IT FELT REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE.
TG: yeah it was just like that!
TG: how did you know
CG: IT'S HAPPENED TO ME TOO
TG: and its almost like someone else is in the room
TG: you can feel a presence
TG: they feel really familiar but also foreign enough to be odd
CG: YES, YES EXACTLY!
CG: EVERYONE I'VE TOLD ABOUT IT DIDN'T BELIEVE ME
TG: and yet here we are
The two of you keep talking for quite some time, talking about the ‘mysterious force’ that compelled you to do things. You suppose it's likely a helpful force, because it brought you to Karkat.
Dave: be Karkat Vantas==>
You are now Karkat Vantas, and you feel so alone. Well, you're not actually alone, but it sure feels that way.
Your father, stepmother, and older brother Kankri are almost never home. They're always at peaceful protests for civil rights. Meulin and you have nothing in common, so even if she wasn't out clubbing you wouldn't hang out. Nepeta is usually with her girlfriend Feferi at the animal shelter, so that's a no go.
The silence is suffocating. You hate it so much. You hate yourself.
Then the idea comes.
It tells you to cut. To let your mutant red blood run so you can feel anything at all, even if it's pain. The ideas aren't always so bad. Sometimes they're even helpful. This is not one of those times. You desperately look around for a distraction. Anything to keep you from relapsing. You hear your phone ping. Someone's pestering you.
It's from someone you don't know. Normally you wouldn't answer it, but you need to keep your mind off of cutting, so you accept the message.
Dave claims not to know why he thought pestering you was a good idea. You have a sneaking suspicion of what he was experiencing, so you describe what you feel. He adds more details. They're spot on.
You want to tell him to be careful which ideas he listens to. To always use his better judgment. Never take the ideas at face value. You don't. Of course not.
Karkat: Be Crabsprite==>
You are now Crabsprite, and you breathe a sigh of relief. Your charge, Karkat, is safe. You turn to glare at Curse, the demon next to you.
“I can't believe you tried to make him do that!” you snarl. “I been trying to get him to move on from his addiction and here you are, screwing up all the progress I've made!” Curse smirks at you.
“Your charge is cursed. I am a demon of curses. It is my job to ruin his life. Besides, this is hilarious!” You resist the urge to tackle him, because you know he's on a different corporeal plain than you. Nothing would happen.
“We have very different ideas of funny,” you say through gritted teeth.