To the untrained eye, one would think that the Strider household was one of abuse. It wasn't just the shitty swords lying in wait to attack an unsuspecting bystander trying to open the fridge, or the horrible piles of smuppets that Bro left lying about. The two siblings within it sparred dangerously, often times leaving themselves with wounds that would take any normal person to the hospital.

The Striders were not normal people, however. They would rather mend their own wounds rather than take themselves to a doctor that would surely have the younger of the two taken away. It was a ritual of sorts. Bro would harass Dave into a strife, leading them to the rooftop until Dave was beaten into submission. Then came the wound mending, sometimes leading into stitches, for the both of them. The cycle would continue as such.

For Dave, though, it wasn't abuse. It was skills he found more valuable than anything. Not even his sick beats or his irony could top it. After all, those two skills didn't save his life those countless times against imps and ogres.

When Sburb came around, he found himself, with his closest friends, stuck in a medium full of danger around every corner. Certainly his sword fighting kept the enemies at bay. Prevention was always key. However, when a strike would land, on either himself or one of the other kids, it would be Dave that sat there and stitched them back up. He was the team medic.

When he found himself on the troll's meteor out in the furthest ring, outrunning an overpowered Bec Noir, it was him who helped with everyone's wounds when anyone strifed. He certainly learned more about troll anatomy than he had hoped, but it was him that those grey skinned kids turned to when they found themselves wounded.

It had been his medical skills that he found most valuable. It had helped him and his Bro escape escalating medical bills (and the wrath of child protective services.) It had helped him care for his team mates; it had helped them stay alive.

Even after the game had been won, after the human's and trolls universe melded into an Earth populated by trolls and humans, Dave still considered his ability to patch up a wound his most important skill.

After all, it would be after the game had been won that he would be reunited with his Bro. While his life would never bee the same, Dave soon found himself back in the ritual of pester-strife-mend.

For the most part.

Before Sburb, Dave found himself rarely leaving his apartment. After all, he had been home schooled by Bro. Now that the younger Strider found himself with a group of friends, now closer than ever, there were days he would hang out with them instead. All of them, even the clingy fish-face Eridan, who had calmed down considerable after his revival. Being sawn in half by his now new moirail certainly did a number to calm the aquatic troll.

The only troll that Dave hadn't found himself hanging out with was the yellow-blooded Sollux Captor. Even stranger was the fact that they were neighbors, the Gemini living just across the hallway from Dave and Bro. Dave rarely saw Sollux leave the apartment, though he simply chalked it up to the troll holding on to his nocturnal habits.

Dave would soon find out that no one had seen much of the mustard blood. Karkat had, begrudgingly, asked Dave to keep an eye out on Sollux.

"Make sure that nook-stain fuckass of a best friend eats. Oh, and takes a damn ablution every other day. That way, when the smell of beast leavings floods into your apartment, we'll know that he actually kicked the bucket and is beginning to rot." Karkat yelled, much like he always did. It certainly didn't seem as if the knight of blood was a friend, and Dave certainly made sure to snark a comment about how he wouldn't want to see Sollux's enemies if the nubby horned troll was his best friend.

Still, he knew that Karkat couldn't be there everyday, and the fact that the mutant-blood was coming over to Dave, of all people, meant that the troll actually gave a damn.

So Dave did as Karkat asked. Knocking on Sollux's door ever so gracefully. There was no answer at first, so another knock. Nothing once more.

The third time was the charm. Dave found the door wide open, himself up against the ceiling, held by tendrils of blue and red.

"What the fuck do you want, Thrider?"

Despite his surprise, Dave's face managed to remain at his usual deadpan, until a frown began to tug on his lips.

"Seriously, dude. It might be best not to throw someone against a ceiling. You know, in case they're trying to be friendly or something."

The troll gave a growl. His hetero-chromatic eyes, glowing softly, not hidden behind his usual red and blue shades, narrowed into a glare, lip curling to show off a couple of long fangs. Dave, through his shades, got a good look at Sollux's face. Off-colored yellow bags formed around the odd colored eyes, sharp cheek-bones jutting out a bit further than Dave had ever remembered seeing.

"What the fuck do you want? I'm more than willing to throw you down a thtairwell for dithturbing me, tho you better make thith good."

Dave crossed his arms, thankful to find that they weren't being held back by psiionics. "Well, crabcakes has been a bit worried about you... everyone has." a smug smirk began to play on Dave's lips. "Even I have been, and it takes a lot to make a Strider worried." the smirk faded as Dave went serious. "And, from the looks of things, we all should be. When was the last time you ate?"

Sollux growled, the glow around his eyes fading, letting the human drop unceremoniously onto the ground. Dave, with grace owed to him from his martial arts training, contorted his body, landing gracefully on his feet.

"I'm fine. You can tell Karkat that. Now leave me the fuck alone." with that, Sollux slammed the door.

Sollux was far moodier that Dave ever remembered.

Still, Dave wasn't one to give things up so easily, not when he had been trusted with a task. Not with a nubby horned, mutant blood troll hassling him. So he plotted.

He figured that Sollux was more frustrated than usual, having been disturbed. So Dave spent the next couple of hours working on his mixes, giving the troll some time to cool down. Once he had some quick, sick beats he was happy with, he quickly synced them to his MP3 player, running to the kitchen to make a couple of sandwiches.

If there was anything he learned at keeping any of the trolls, especially Gamzee, at bay, it was that they certainly enjoyed a sick beat and a good sandwich.

Dave, once again, found himself across the hall, gifts in hand, rapping against the door. It only took once this time, the weary troll at the door.

Dave inwardly thanked whatever deity prevented him from being pinned against the ceiling this time around.

Sollux gave a frustrated sigh. "I told you to leave me alone." he growled, the anger in his voice much more faded than the first time around. He moved to close the door once more. Dave flash-stepped to stop the troll.

"Look, bro. I know something has to be bothering you." Dave held out his offerings. "But maybe you can break your solitude long enough to listen to some music and eat some sandwiches? Bro's out, and, well, fuck, I'm bored."

Sollux's eyebrow quirked up. "Tho you figured you would bother me."

"Yup." Dave's voice was flat.

"And you're not going to thtop bothering me until I give in, are you?" there was a tone of defeat in the troll's voice.

"Nope."

Sollux sighed. "Fine." he grumbled. "Could you at leatht come back in a half hour? I want to get cleaned up."

Dave smirked. He knew he was wrong, but he figured the troll was just trying to get rid of him again.

"No can do. Next time I come over, you won't answer the door."

Hetero-chromatic eyes narrowed. "I could jutht eathily throw you down the thtairth and shut the door. I promith I will anthwer. Pleath, I really need some ablutionth."

"Nope, not going anywhere."

Another sigh of defeat, and Sollux opened the door. "Fine, but I'm thtill getting in the ablution trap. You can wait in the... living room, or whatever you humanth call it." a turn on the heel, and Sollux disappeared into the bathroom. Dave smirked, his pestering a success.

Sollux had hoped that Dave would end up bored enough to go home, the troll taking his sweet time cleaning off. Considerably longer than he needed too.

He glared at the human on his couch, face softening when he realized that Dave was far more persistent than he had originally given credit.

Figuring the sooner he gave into Dave's plan, the sooner he could get rid of him. So he sat down on the couch. Dave handed him an ear bud, popping the other in his own ear and offering the far-too-thin troll a sandwich.

Sollux's ears perked at the sound of the music. He had to give Dave credit, he knew how to throw together a song, even if he didn't know how to make a meal. The beats certainly helped Sollux choke down the mustard and cheese abomination that the human called food.

Sollux wouldn't admit to himself that he enjoyed the company. He sure as hell wouldn't admit that his mood certainly improved while listening to the music.

He would deny any accusation that he had fallen asleep against Dave, who had then decided to stay the night, so as to not disturb the troll that obviously had forgotten what sleep was.

Sollux had promised himself that it would be the only time this happened, vowing to remain secluded as soon as Dave left.

He broke that promise when Dave came back the next day with some new tracks, sandwiches that Sollux found far more edible than the last, and some photos of the city scape.

The vow was thrown down the stairs that it had been warned about when a week passed, and the troll had found himself waiting for Strider to show up every day.

Soon, Dave found himself a new ritual, outside of the battles between his brother. A nice peace in his storm of a life. Sitting around Sollux's living room, listening to Dave drop it like it's hot on the mp3 player, eating whatever human brought over.

Sloppy make outs may or may not have soon become a part of the equation.

Dave was certain Karkat was going to have an aneurism when the mutant-blooded troll found out.

Time passed by, and preparations for college crept up on everyone. Most others moved away, or onto dorms. Sollux happily found himself with a new roommate.

A trial that would test both of them.

Medical training didn't prepare for the mood swings of a frustrated troll, or his own frustrations with his own class. Nor did they help in easing any of the horrid migraines that would incapacitate Sollux. Dave cursed that his knowledge of stitching up a wound didn't help his knowledge on poison when Sollux got desperate enough to take human pain killers when they had run out of anything formulated for a troll body.

They certainly didn't train Dave in the horrors of a hangover.

However, these were small things, something they both got over. It was a soothing routine that they had both gotten used to. School, food, sloppy make outs, the occasional strife with Bro.

It was simple. Simple compared to the trials that they all once went through.

Simple enough for Dave not to expect the worst.

Not to expect that his medical skills would soon be put to the test.