Hey guys! What's up? Sorry for the long wait, it's explained after this prompt, but I'm alive! So here I am with another prompt, just for you all.

In hindsight, you should've expected this much. You, Dave Strider, were pretty good at being a laid-back cool kid. Only your closest friends knew the truth about you, and that's how you wanted it to stay. Okay, maybe you should've been paying more attention to where you were going, but you were on the brink of an anxiety attack and you couldn't bother with checking to make sure you weren't rushing into the girl's bathroom.

This always happened whenever one of your teachers talked about child abuse. Your health teacher was doing that a lot now, and it always reminded you of when you were a little kid. Too weak to fight back. Bro wanted you to be strong, so you could protect yourself. You understood that. You love your older brother, who had given up so much to care for you. But sometimes, you could feel his fists pounding against your face and chest, his swift kicks to your stomach that would bruise your ribs. His sword leaving bloody cuts on your arms and legs, ruining some of your favorite clothes.

And suddenly you couldn't breath. It was as though your lungs had collapsed and you heart was beating rapidly, it hurt. It hurt so much. Your fingers were numb. Your body didn't feel real. You wanted to let loose a piercing wail and run far far away from everyone. But your legs didn't work and you couldn't stand so you stumble into an empty stall and fall to the ground, tears staining your cheeks. Loud, ugly sobs are racking through you, and you bite your hand to silence yourself.

Go back to being cool. Relaxed. Relax. Relax. Let yourself breathe. You gasped for air and wiped the tears from your face. Your legs were numb but working and you slowly got to your feet. Of course, you were still ignorant to where you were and walked out if the stall to the sink, so you could check in the mirror and see if it was obvious.

And then she said, "Hi?" to alert you of her presence, and you whipped around terrified.

Fuck.

How long was she in here? But you didn't ask, and kept your voice at a calm tone as you replied, "'Sup."

"I don't think you would've come in here to use the bathroom," she said, rubbing her hands together nervously. "Is something else going on?"

"Damn, you got me. I was being a peeping tom."

She grinned, but said, "I heard you crying, Dave. I'm not going to pry, but if you need to talk about anything, I'm here."

"Crying? C''mon, that's for wimps, not swagalicious cool kids like me," you said, trying to leave.

She gripped your arm and damn was this tiny girl strong. She held you back and you sighed. "Dave."

"Nepeta," you whined, her name coming back to you. She had a huge crush on your friend Karkat for a while, but that was more akin to childish infatuation, and she had grown out of it. You never really talked to her. She hung out with Rose more, probably because Rose's mom had like, a thousand cats at least. You weren't about to open up to her, no matter how adorable she was.

"Dave," she said firmly. "I get it. We haven't ever been really close, and I understand that, but if you ever need someone to talk to and you feel like you'd bother anyone else, you can always just talk to me. You know my pesterchum handle." She let go of your arm and said, "It's okay."

You left promptly without replying, not sure how to continue that conversation.

Bro had challenged you to a match that night. You had expected it; after all, you hadn't sparred in a week and he didn't want you getting rusty. At the age of sixteen, you were more of an even match for him. Of course, he always won, but you could hold your own and usually avoided getting any cuts or bruises. That was the case for today, and you were now laying in bed, an hour later, listening to music. In the shower you were fine, the water calming your nerves. But now you were left with a shaky feeling, and for some reason you wanted to cry.

You thought about talking to someone. Rose was your first thought, because even if she psychoanalyzed everything you said she gave great advice and calmed you down quickly. But you remembered that she had a project due soon, and didn't want to distract her. John was next, but damn, last time you freaked out you came running to him, and you didn't want to annoy him. And Jade's sleep schedule was erratic as it was, she didn't need you keeping her up late.

Then Nepeta crossed your mind. Would she still be awake? Was she really serious about what she said? Even if she wasn't, it wouldn't hurt to say hi. So you sent a quick greeting to her on pesterchum, not expecting a response.

turntechGodhead [TG] sent arsenicCatnip [AC] a message!

TG: sup

AC: :33 hi dave

Well, that was a surprise.

TG: youre still up

TG: wasnt expecting that

AC: :33 whats up

TG: i just needed to talk to someone right now

AC: :33 oh okay. whats the matter

TG: nothing really

TG: i just feel sick

AC: :33 do you think youll miss school tomorrow

TG: its not like that

TG: its like earlier today kind of sick

AC: :33 oh

AC: :33 dave do you feel comfurtable telling me whats going on thats b33n bothering you

TG: its hard to explain

No it wasn't. It was terrifyingly simple, but the words never fell into place. You just couldn't say it outright, that you were abused.

AC: :33 are you okay

TG: im fine

TG: its just

TG: sometimes i have panic attacks

TG: and theyre triggered whenever someone explicitly talks about abuse or something

AC: :33 oh

AC: :33 dave are you safe right now

TG: yeah im fine

AC: :33 do you need somewhere safe to stay

TG: what no

TG: nepeta im fine really its nothing to worry about

AC: :33 dave

TG: nepeta

AC: :33 your brother is abusing you

Your breath hitched. Fuck. Yes. That was true.

TG: yes

AC: :33 i can ask my sister to drive me to your house right now. you can sl33p over at my house if you want. youll be safe

TG: i am safe right now

TG: im perfectly safe nepeta calm the fuck down

arsenicCatnip [AC] left the conversation!

Fuck. That couldn't be good. You really doubt that her internet cut out. Odds were she had convinced her older sister to drive her here so she could 'save you' from Bro. Even though you were safe.

In five minutes she had climbed up the fire escape to your room. "Hey Dave," she said with a grin.

"What the actual fuck Nepeta?" you asked, more than slightly annoyed.

"I already explained myself on pesterchum. Now let's go, you can sleep at my house until we get help for you."

"No, I'm safe here. I've been safe for years, we just fight sometimes. Okay?"

"Sporadic fighting doesn't lead to a teenager having panic attacks!" she huffed. You couldn't respond, so you crossed your arms and refused to move. But she was a strong girl, and almost effortlessly dragged you down the fire escape. The thought of Bro kicking your ass as soon as you got home crossed your mind, for leaving without a word in the middle of the night, but you didn't need to worry about that. Maybe you could convince him that you were kidnapped by a cat girl. But before you could think of a good excuse for Bro, Nepeta nudged you into the back seat of her sisters car.

"Hey, you must be Dave. My name's Meulin," the driver said with a smile. There was a vague resemblance between the sisters. They had the same eyes, nose, and mouth. But Meulin was thinner with a more angular face.

"Yup, that's me. Resident cool kid, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Nepeta sat next to you. "You're welcome, Dave." You rolled your eyes. Soon enough, this would be over, and you'd thank Nepeta for her concern, but ultimately, tell her she's insane.

You had been living with her for three weeks now, and you never wanted to leave. Mrs. Leijon was an absolute sweetheart and kindly let you live there. She had called child services and they agreed that Bro was unhealthy, and she was fine with letting you live with her for the last two years of your childhood. Meulin was cool, even if her boyfriend was a bit creepy, and you learned that Equius was only a little weird.

And, oddly enough, you were very interested in Nepeta. She was cute, and one of the nicest people you have ever met. Your heart raced whenever she looked at you, and holy shit you felt lame. Why did everything you thought about her sound like you were reading off a script for the next hit romcom that Karkat would probably watch the shit out of.

You weren't sure if it was a good thing that you had practice in the area of hiding your emotions, but it didn't even matter around Nepeta. After this time with her, she read you nearly as well as Rose did. And damn, was that nerve wracking. Besides, you doubted Mrs. Leijon wouldn't be as lax with letting you stay with them if you were dating Nepeta. You had a new job at Starbucks but you didn't have enough money to offer paying rent, and you really didn't want to live in a foster home.

Were you over thinking this? Probably.

But you couldn't do this anymore. You talked to John at school when you had a chance. "Would your dad be cool with me staying with you?"

"Yeah, probably. How long?"

"Fuck man, I don't know. Until I'm eighteen? I can pay rent."

"That should be fine. You might be forced to eat cake though." John's eyes widened and his face contorted into a caricature of pain. "So. Much. God. Damn. Cake."

"Sounds horrible. All Bro would buy for ten years of my life was apple juice, mountain dew, and Doritos. I am down with cake every day."

John rolled his eyes. "Right, so why do you need to move in with me?"

"What, can't we just live together, best bros, sailing our broship into the distance, the purity of our bro bond holding us together and keeping us safe as we live in brosperity." John blinked at you, and you said, "I have a huge crush on Nepeta and it's actually killing me."

John grinned. "Aw, how cute. Falling for your knight in shining armor."

"If you mention this ever again I'm telling Rose that you think her sister is hot."

"T-that's not fair! Even you think Roxy is hot!"

"Yeah, and I also think Jane is hot, because she is, and I'm not embarrassed by finding them attractive."

"Do you think Nepeta's hot?" John asked.

You blushed. "No."

John smirked. "Riiight."

"Okay, so I think that Nepeta is hot!" Uh oh, that was louder than intended. Fuck.

"Thanks Dave, you aren't too bad looking yourself." Speak of the devil. You turned around and saw Nepeta, smiling at you before she walked away. Your jaw had dropped the moment you heard her and John was now laughing his ass off.

"That just happened," you whispered, completely horrified. John, still laughing, nodded. Holy fucking shit. This.. This is it. Your life is as predictable as a sitcom. "John. John help me. John."

He gathered himself and said, "Okay, I'm sorry. I guess now just go for it man. She said you're good looking so you have a shot."

"Right, thanks," you replied. With shaky legs you mustered up a facade of confidence and went after Nepeta. You found her at her locker, talking with Equius. Perfect. That means that no matter what you do, you might end up with a broken bone. Oh well. She didn't have time to greet you before you kissed her, and then Equius had grabbed your arm and pulled you away. Man, that guy was sweatier than normal. Your sleeve where he was holding your arm was already wet.

Nepeta, who was blushing slightly, said, "Eq, let him go." He hesitantly released you, and you grimaced. She gave Equius a look and shooed him away, and he listened, although he didn't look like it.

"Sorry," you muttered.

She grinned. "I don't mind."

You cleared your throat awkwardly. "So, would you like to go out on a date with me one of these days? I might be able to clear my busy schedule."

She laughed. "I'd be honored."

So uh... Fun story, I actually had this chapter done for a while, I just kinda... Got really sad over a webseries and Tumblr took over my life? Anyway, 10th grade sucks, much homework, so I don't know when the next chapter will be. But worry not, I'm seeing this through to the end! So, I hope you enjoyed, leave a comment if you want to tell me how I did, what I can improve, and I will see you all later.

Alright, I'm out.