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Dead on a rivalry

Chapter Text

Dave sat on the bed in his room, after he’d escorted Sollux to his room. He clenched his eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

He opened his mouth, signing what he wanted to try.

“S” he coughed, his voice not having been used in years. Bro had said it had been there when he arrived, but... He almost didn't believe him.

“S-hhoooo” he gasped, rubbing his throat. It was pointless. He wasn’t going to be able to do it. No real sound was coming out of his throat. He may as well have had his vocal cords cut out. Just pain. Nothing but pain.

He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes, shaking with rage-at himself, at the feathered asshole, at the fucking cluster-fuck of universes that created him. He’d take a lisp, a stumbling block like a fucking stutter, a thick Texan accent. ANYTHING but the silence he was stuck enduring. Had been stuck with as long as he could remember. He'd watched other people

He flopped back, trying to press the building tears of frustration away. Davesprite had it easy. His voice came fluid with his prototyping. His voice was clean and flawless. Everything he wanted his to be.

The door opened and the feathered FUCK HEAD came into the room, scowling at him. Dave quickly let the dark shades drop onto his nose sniffing to make sure no embarrassing nose drool slid down his lip.

He studied the angry, jealous look on the sprite’s face, fingers moving fast to express his frustration.

what the fuck is your problem?? he signed to him, scowling, peering at the other him with his piercing red eyes from behind the black lenses.

“You get the girl and what the fuck do I get?”

hes not a girl asshole.

“You know what I mean.”

why the hell are you jealous?? he signed in firm, clipped motions. does this mean I get to be jealous of the things youve gotten to do since you prototyped yourself to asshole sprite??

“What? NO. You don’t get to do that! What the fuck man?”

you got to speak to bro

you got to see his face at our voice

even with it being corrupted by your fucking caws

you get to speak to Vantass and all of them

youve got all of that

why can’t you let me have a little bit of happy??

“Because what’ve you done to earn it, except a little bit of stock trading with the bitch that got Kaat killed in another timeline?”

fuck you

that was a stroke of motherfucking brilliance

it got the other trolls to sit pretty and take interest in us

convinced them that their brilliant leader wasnt a fucking moron

ever consider that was what I was doing?

“Except it wasn’t.”

you don’t know that

you’re not in my head

youre me from another doomed timeline

a feathered asshole that can use his fabulous voice to impress ideas upon other people

youre even hovering here in front of me taunting me and my handicap

“You could speak if you tried.”

“hhhh” he tried, wincing at the pathetic hacking sound. “ssssshhhhhh” he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t make the word come out. His throat felt like someone had shoved glass into his trachea and was grinning like a sadistic FUCK while he tried to breath. It felt like his throat was being ripped apart by the vibrations he should have been able to make into useful sounds.

ill never be able to speak

i can’t make it work

ill never be able to work

and youre taunting me with it

floating there like a smug football player watching his rival team throw foul balls toward the goalie

The sprite gave him a look that was a strange combination of pity and disgust.

“You’re not trying hard enough. If you really wanted to, you’d give it your fucking best, but you’re sitting there like a pathetic ball of chump, feeling pity for yourself.”

youre jealous of a disabled kid getting the attention of another disabled kid

Who’s the self pitying chump?? he quipped, lifting his head proudly. i feel i swallowed glass or something

it hurts like hell

it might be bleeding bro

youre sitting there acting like a kicked puppy and your charge ripped his fragile

petal soft throat open trying to impress you

“I’ll try to make you that tea bro cooked up after those nightmares.” Davesprite sighed, resigned, rubbing his forehead. There was no way he could be mad at himself for long-Not when he had a point AND he was in pain. “But you’d better come with me and have my back.”

because everyone on the asteroid reads asl and would know its just part of an ironic breakfast

The sprite sighed again, motioning to the door, expecting Dave to follow after him.

Bro had told him Dave was his responsibility now. To take care of the kid, and be the responsible one. That the boy wasn’t as strong as he appeared and needed a little bit of support and prodding to make it through to adulthood.

“You’ve got what he doesn’t. You’ve got experience enough to last two lifetimes. Share a little of that with the little guy. He needs to know he’s not alone, bro. Don’t let me down, OK?” The fact that Bro had spoken to him was an honour. Bro had once promised not to speak to him until he could listen and understand what he had to say.

Dave was right. He had a few things over the boy. Things he’d never share with him. Lesson learned. Dave didn’t need to know Bro had turned over custody.

It didn’t stop him from being indescribably jealous of the kid’s first kiss.

Fuck him and the horse he road in on

Chapter Text

There was Blood on his hands.
Thick, dark red, slicking his fingers. why was it there? He couldn’t make his signs, his hands were heavy and caked with the thick, copper scented grime.
Who’s blood? Someone else’s or his?
He lifted his head, staring up into identical red, disappointed eyes.
“You could have done better, little man.”
Dave opened his mouth, trying to respond, knowing that was what his Bro wanted of him, but the words wouldn’t come.
A shadowed figure stepped up behind the taller, stronger brother, and a blade went through the older man, the tip an inch from his nose.
Bro crumpled, and the figure behind the man smirked with his face, behind HIS shades, then motioned around.
Hundreds of identical hims lay in crumpled heaps. Some burned, some decapitated, a few with blades run through their torsos.
A scream split the air, and he wasn’t sure where it was coming from.
His eyes shut, then flashed open on a dark room, firm hands shaking him, a glowing bird-winged asshole shaking him awake.
“Dude, bro, calm down. Deep breaths. You’re hurting yourself.” he urged, brows drawn together, shades shoved past his hair, eyes worried-however jealous they were of each other, they still cared. Dave knew it, Davesprite knew it.
The scream faded into silent sobs, tears rolling down his cheeks, fingers burrowing into the feathers of the other Dave’s back.
“It’s ok. It’s not your fault. It had to happen.” Some how he knew what the boy was dreaming, running his fingers through the mute, tormented teen’s hair. “It’s ok.”
It wasn’t. It would never be ok. Dave would never be able to forgive himself for the hell that was SBURB. Neither of them would.

Chapter Text

Dave had music. That was something he could give the one the two of them loved. It was something Sollux could feel and hear and appreciate.

The sprite, however.

Dave, the sprite, the game construct...

He was lucky he was tangible.

"Dude. I need to lay a question on you, little bucktooth." the sprite chirped at a particular troll-Jontan?-As he passed by.

Jon frowned, bewildered as he came to a stop, carrying a load of clothing in his arms.

"Um. Sure Dave. I guess I have time?" he tilted his head to the side, frowning. A second later the basket was on the floor and the glasses he'd confiscated from the pile of 'useful stuff'(A pile, Dave noted, that he had not allowed anyone to have their 'feelings jams' on)

"You look like the geekiest wanna-be-hipster-douche in the universe." He huffed, frowning at Jontan's giggle. "What the fuck, Jon?"

"No it's just... These used to belong to a 'hipster douche'." the giggle died and the boy frowned, growing sombre. One arm crossed over his chest and he rubbed at his arm. "We just had the same prescription."

"Chill. I didn't mean anything by it. Picking on you is like kicking a three legged puppy for licking your toe. I get it. I'll knock it off." The sprite sighed heavily.

Jontan obviously had no idea what a puppy was, and shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his shoulder as he took the sprite in.

"You needed me for something, Dave? Or is it ok if I just keep going to the laundry room?" he offered, moving to pick the basket up again, only to have the sprite do it for him.

"Lead the way, Egderp." he held the basket in front of him, careful with the bandages that were still wrapped over the bleeding hole in his torso.

"Oh. Ok then...." he studied the sprite thoughtfully before making his way down the hall. "You needed my attention, though. What's that about? Usually you Striders seem to try to stay pretty far away from me and my hammer"

The tone said that he was trying to sound fierce and tease at the same time, and it... No, it just didn't work on him.

"Striders you say like it's a race." Dave felt himself rolling his eyes behind his glasses.

"You float 'round with things on your face." Jon turned and made a breeze scoop him up. "yeah yeah I know your deal feather-face." he stuck his tongue out at the sprite, smirking. "Kaat's not the only human I've been watching. Just the one I've watched the closest. NOW. Strider-elder, orange Dave, feather-beast-for-a-think-pan, what'd you need me for that made you come allllllllllll the way down here and offer to carry the laundry for me?" he rolled in the air, peering at the sprite upside down, red wings popping out as he shifted to god tier for kicks and giggles.

"I forgot, you're the perky one." he groaned, earning an eye roll from the grey-signed troll.

"Quick quick someone get the Rose-human. She's got competition for 'MOST BORING HUMAN EEEEEEVAAAAAAAAAR.'" Jon yelled, then giggled at the sprite's wince "Seriously dude, get to the point!"

"Ugh this was a mistake." He started to put down the basket, pausing when Jon planted himself on the floor and reached up to poke a single yellow claw into his forehead.

"GOSH you don't take well to teasing, do you? C'mon. You're officially with me today!" he motioned to the hall, starting down the path once more. "I promise I won't pick on your downy-human-thinkpan."

"Woah, enough with the bird shit already. We get it. Joke's dead, and burried. we had a funeral and bagpipes played 'amazing grace'. The sermon was beautiful. You should have been there."

Jon giggled brightly, nearly doubling over from the force of it. It made Dave's eyebrow arch over the lenses of his glasses.

"Alright, you're going to be doing a Disney Heyena impression for the rest of the day, cool." he frowned, hefting the basket as he peered down at the red-blooded troll.

"Oh man, no! I just can't believe I actually got you to say it!"

"Say what?" Dave gaped at Jon, confused.

"You said bird...um...birdshit" he rushed, giggling louder.

The sprite felt his shoulders slack, a laugh bubbling up. God this kid...Were trolls EVER this happy? Seriously?

"An-ahn-ahny--anyway" he managed, trying to stifle the giggles. "Sing birdy~" he snickered, and Dave gave in to the urge to swat him in the back of the head with a wing.

"I was going to ask permission to court your fair Moirail, properly, like a decent southern Gentleman, asking for permission to eventually ask the father of a bride's slip of a daughter to marry him. Then maybe ask what's the best way to go about it that might knock the more vulgar competition out of the water the way the ice burg bumped the Titanic all 'move bitch get out the way' but since you're intent on tormenting the humanity challenged game-construct, maybe I'll just let the vulgar Strider win out and teach your little nerdy moirail all the bucket-based innuendo he can come up with."

Jontan stopped giggling about half way through and narrowed his eyes, growling softly.

"Oh you would SO not let that little vulgar SNOT of a human get away with that!" his teeth came out, hand itching for the hilt of a hammer. "If you let him hurt Sollux or put something WEIRD in his head, game construct or no-"

"Woooooooah chill. Chill." the sprite urged, trying to fight the way his brows furrowed in concern. "Isn't there like, some sort of rule..."

Jon's shoulders slumped and he nodded, turning back down the hall, toward the laundry room.

"Kaat says I'm not allowed to threaten anyone vaguely Dave-like with my hammers." his cheek puffed out, stomping dramatically, hands slung behind his back. The four, tiny, blood-drop-shaped wings were folded against his back.

"Good to know the kitty-cat's looking out for all the Daves..."

Jon shrugged.

"Just get on with it." he sighed, unlocking and opening the laundry room.

"Why's it locked."

"I'm hiding twelfth perigree's eve gifts in here." he rolled his eyes. "It's because the laundry soap is green and I'm not entirely sure Gamzee can tell the difference. Better to cover the bases." wind whipped around his legs and lifted Jon up so he could grab said soap off the top shelf, starting the machine in a few quick flicks of the wrist.

"I thought he was getting better..."

"There's no 'better' for think-pan rot." the short troll shrugged, reaching for the basket. "Libra, Aquarius, Irons, Leo..." he recited, tossing black garments into the machine as the water rushed in. "You could talk while I sort." black shirt after black shirt into the wash. "What's the best way to court him? Alpha-Dave has the music front covered... That and strifing is our only skill." he fidgeted, and Jontan paused, straightening up to peer at him as he emptied his clothes 'dex card into the machine.

"I'm sure that's not your only skill." Two more 'irons' Cancer shirts met with the water, being sucked down with the beginning of the agitation process.

"It's just... The weird crow part of me is saying 'shiny things' and..."

"You think he'd be insulted by something he'd have to see." he tilted his head, peering at Dave. "You're more thoughtful than Red-Dave."

"Thank you, I guess."

"You're wrong though." he closed the lid on the washer and moved to the next, this process going a little faster, all pants and socks. All black.

"'Scuse me?" he floated back as Jon moved through the small space.

"I said you're wrong."

"Yeah, but about what, Shrimp?"

Jontan smirked, closing the lid, moving to the next--reds. "Cog, crab, record, 'blood'..."

Dave eyed the necklace Jon pulled from the bottom of the basket. He watched as Jon seemed to try to decide whether or not to toss it to the side. "What's with that?"

"It's an ugly piece of jewellery that some people worship as a representation of a troll who said all the right things to the wrong people and got himself killed... Back to Sollux."

"er...Right. What was I wrong about, Egderp?"

"Sollux appreciates things, even if he can't see them."

Dave quirked a brow as the last washer dropped shut. His eyes were following the swing of the shining silver cancer symbol.

"But shiny things kind of need to be seen...Can I have that?"

"No they don't, and no you can't." he shoved it into his sylladex, frowning. "Alright bird brain. I'm going to show you something, out" he pointed to the door, waiting for him to float out ahead of him.

Dave swam through the air, and glanced back when he heard the snick of a tumbler lock sliding into place.

"Where are we headed Crabby-two?"

"Places." Jon said cryptically, grinning. The wind swept him up, and Dave rolled his eyes, trying not to be knocked over by Jon's rambling winds.

"Cryptic." he followed down the halls, quirking a brow as he drifted through the hallways after Jon, following the twists and turns of the tunnels deep within the asteroid.

Jon touched down just in front of a teleportation platform, turning to look at Dave as the one-winged sprite came to a stop as well.

"Can you use these?"

"I usually have to put my hand on Alpha's shoulder, then I'm stuck wherever he leaves me unless I want to take the long way."

"Oh geeze, ok." he grabbed Dave's hand. "Welp! I guess you're going to have to ride down with me, then, Dave."

Dave squawked, and would have stumbled, if he had legs, simply flailing after John as he fell through he teleportation platform with a loud zap.

Jon immediately started off down the hall the moment they were through the other side. Dave gazed around bewilderedly, following after Jon, who had yet to relinquish the orange sprite's arm.

"You see, yeah, Sollux appreciates music and food like any other troll, but he also likes...well... a lot of things." he shrugged, turning down another corridor, then a third, through the maze within the asteroid. "Computers, a shoulder to cry on..." he stopped at a particular door marked with a painted pair of jagged lines. He brushed his claws over he lock on the door and it sprang open, revealing several piles of things. Wands, guns, coins, and clothing. "Or understanding." Jon's voice was soft as he ushered the sprite in.

"Egbert, what the hell is this?"

"Trolls are typically hoarders." he explained, going over to flop onto a pile of weapons, snuggling in.

"...Ok. Why are you cuddling a shit-ton of guns?" he hovered in front of Jon, who just cracked an eye to peer up at him.

"Dude, this is comfortable. This is the most awesome thing in the universe. Piles are amazing. Let's start there. Trolls like piles. They like being surrounded by things that are comforting and familiar. Vriska had a horrendous amount of treasure, Gamzee has his horns..."

"What about you?"

"Movie cases, books and sun-awnings. Sollux had all kinds of computer equipment, disks, grubsticks, clothes. I tried to sort his piles more times than I can count and got nothing but grief from him." he laughed, watching Dave float around. "Dude, pull up a pile. Get comfy."

"Is this necessary?"

"You wanna understand the guy you're trying to seduce into the flushed quadrant, you've got to drop the stone-faced cool-guy stuff. C'mon. Soll laughs, he cries, he sits in piles. Um....Ummmm... Pop a squat?"

"...What the hell has Vantass had you watching?"

"a lot of things." he stuck his tongue out. "Point stands..." he hopped up from the weapons and flopped in the clothes. "Gitcher bird-butt over here. I have somethin' to show you." "More piles?"

"Just sit." he rolled his eyes, patting one side of the pile, before twisting to dig into the other. "What's this about, Jon?"

"Hang on hang on." he huffed. "Close your eyes and take off those silly glasses." He peered over his shoulder, flicking his wings around the hood.

When that didn't happen, he snapped a hand out and snagged the glasses, replacing them with Eridans, shoving the shade on his own face, with Dave flailing in frustration as he tried to stop him.

"DUDE not cool! Give them back!"

"Close your stupid eyes and lay back. No cheating." he grinned, watching him with rapt attention.

Dave, for his part, indulged in a heavy sigh, flopping back and flinging an arm over his eyes.

"Oh mister Egbert oh... Won't you have your way with me? I'm at your mercy...Seriously Egderp, you're wasting daylight here."

"we're in the veil. There is no Daylight, or moonlight. There's only artificial light. Get with the program, Orange." Jon rolled his eyes, dropping something heavy on Dave's lap. the sprite's eyes blinked open and he took off the large, black framed lenses, setting them on top of the pile. It was a black velvet bag, oddly shaped, and it rang with a sort of holiday jingle.

"Dude. What's this?"

"Open it."

The black velvet bag slipped open with a little working of Dave's orange claws. He lifted it to peer inside, and frowned, pulling out a large ring with the same symbol carved into the purple stone, as was on the door.

"Jontan, what's this?"

"It's called a signet ring, duh. Don't humans have them?"

"Yeah, but... i gues what I mean is 'who's is it'?" he looked around, frowning. "Infact, Who owns all of this crap?" he looked around with a deep frown, arms crossed over his chest. "His name was Eridan Ampora. He was one of my best friends. Second only to Soll." he said softly, toying with one of the capes. "They were very important to each other, and neither ever knew. The dumb thing was, they'd both sworn me to secrecy..."

"They had 'feelings'?"

"Yeah, ED was flushed for Soll, and Soll was flushed for ED, for a very long time. Fef had to go fuck things up though." he glared at a stray crown, reaching for it to peer insolently at the piece of royal wear.

"'Scuse me?"

"Yeah... Fef wasn't a good Moirail. Obsessed with making herself look good. Trying to pretend to be a Sufferest, so when she moved to take the throne she'd have the support of the rebellious religion's support. 'Oh, all people on the hemospectrum should be equal. The land dwellers are our fronds. We're no better than they are. Sollux is a yellow blood and he's still a better person than you are sometimes Eridan.' HER words, those last ones, sent to me in log form from Eridan." he sighed, stretching out. "She dumped ED out of her pale quadrant, right as we were entering the game. I never saw him so broken... He was afraid that she was going to work her way into one of Soll's quadrants, bump me out of pale, or wedge her way into flushed and leave caliginous for ED."

"Why would she do that?"

"Dude, her ancestress was Her Imperious Condescension. Empress of Alternia, she-who-rules-all-trolls-and-aims-for-more. Mass producing genocide on the universal level. Marking 'defective' or 'mutated' trolls for death for their legs being in disrepair or bleeding the wrong colour. It was in Feferi's blood to be a bitch. Whether she knew it or not." he sat up, toying with the circlet-crown. "When she made her move for Soll's quadrant, ED was trying to challenge Soll into a caliginous duel. She was GREEDY. She didn't want to share his quadrants. She shanghai'd him for feelings jams on the horn pile when I was busy with research. Like 'excuse me. that's MY moirail.'..."

"oh...kay."

"She threw herself in the way, hoping Sollux would show pity for her and grab her away... I dunno. He did exactly what I would have done, if I'd been him and she'd tried it with me. Sure. Sacrifice yourself. Bleh... But... She knocked into Soll. It really messed him up... Before I knew what was happening, Eridan had run off..."

Dave stared at the ring in his hands, holding it carefully.

"Why does this matter? What's important about it?"

"Don't fight over him. Please. Sollux deserves more than to have people needling and dancing toward black rom around him..." Jon reached out, resting a hand on Dave's. "He needs to know how you feel, and he needs to know it straight up. No fighting, no hiding, no lying. No games or tricks. If you really pit--Love him. If you really want to take that step, don't beat around the bush. Don't fight with Red. Just..."

"the ring, Egderp."

"I'm getting to that." he smacked at the sprite's forehead. "Interrupting cow says what?"

"...That's childi-"

"moooo~"

"Ok. Not even ironically funny. Point. Of. The. Ring."

"It belonged to Eridan's ancestor. It was his most treasured item ever. He was going to give it to Sollux on twelfth perigee's eve, if they came out of the game with their flushed quadrant empty." he said softly. "He was going to ask for Matespritship. It's a big step... Since he died, I hid it. I hid all of Eridan's jewellery... I've been giving it to Sollux in a sort of piece-meal way. It seems to make him happy to get these little gifts."

"And?"

"It's yours now. Use this new found power with responsibility my son." Jon puffed his chest, then sighed. "You have to know, you never forget your first flush-crush, and it's REALLY hard to get past it unless someone just as good steps up. Had I not wound up flushed for kaat... Had he not insisted on helping my confidence, and given me music, and human movies, and talked to me for hours of his own free will....eventually.... I would still be pinging over Soll..."

"Why didn't you make your move?"

"Trolls and buckets, man. You go to fill a bucket to toss your genes into the slurry, you'd better damned well have a colour in the acceptable range of the hemospectrum. 'Oh, what's this. Ketchup red? OOPS My culling fork slipped, are you o---oh you're dead. OOPS'" he laughed. "They wouldn't have known which one of us was the mutant until they killed us, and by then... I never wanted to be responsible for Soll's end. Ever. Or Eridans. The LAST thing I wanted was to fall into either of his quadrants and kill a PRINCE." "Damn... You're kind of a coward, aren't you?"

"Shhh the walls don't know--oh wait yes they do" he giggled. "No, yeah, I was. But I'm a red blood. The last time THAT stumbled onto the scene it went 'I have a dream!' and the empress said 'Cool story. Kill him.' and made his quadrants watch..." he eyed the ring, thoughtful.

"When you get back upstairs, I want you to go straight to Sollux room. You sit down on the bed, you put that ring in his hands and you tell him you know, and that it's alright. Sollux will appreciate it more than you can even fathom. There's your advantage." he said, snuggling into the clothes pile. "Bring him down here and I'll tear off your other wing. This is my emergency 'My moirail needs cheering' supply."

"Fuck you're weird." Dave said, tucking the ring into his bandages. "but thanks. You're not half bad."

"I'm not half good either." he joked. "You're welcome, Orange. If you can win him first, and tone your brother down, then the two of you will fill his freaky duality need and double fill that quadrant like nobody's business."

"yeah ok..." he frowned, glancing around.

"HEY While you're here... Want me to try and clean up that wound? It would be embarrassing to have his hand sink in during sloppy make-outs wouldn't it?"

The sprite cringed and perched next to Jon, who tugged at the bandages rather insistently. "Off with these. I need to see, mister 'i prototyped myself with a shitty bird to take care of my dumbass self and forgot that there was actually a wound in the center of said bird.'"

The bandages fell away and Jon let out a whistle through his front teeth. "Alllllllrighty. close your eyes." he dipped his head to peer at him, centering a whirl-pool of wind over the spot.

Two hours later Jon slumped back on the pile, exhausted.

"Ugh. Someone else can go get the laundry. Secondary powers are ridiculously tiring." the injury was dried, at least, scabbed over where it needed to be scabbed. The sword could be sheathed, when he found it again, once it was completely healed. "Don't pick at that. You've got a cool colour, but I don't want to see it on you again."

"Why are you helping me?"

"First of all, You asked...." Jon was quiet for a moment, then: "And second, I watched my moirail cry in heart break when he realized his flush-crush was dead. I NEVER want to see him cry like that again. It was the single most painful thing you could ever see. The two of you bring a smile to his lispy mouth. You make him happy, so... if you're what he needs, so-be-it. I'll help you all you need to keep that smile on his face."

"Whats...What is a moirail, anyway."

"It's... the best word I can think of is 'soul mate'. Platonic and knowing. The person who knows you well enough to calm you down when you're angry, help you up when you fall, wipe your tears when your quadrants fall through, or you have a nightmare. You usually have one in your ENTIRE life, and once I realized I had a love waiting for me, someone who taught me something BEYOND Quadrants, that there's more than just pity and hate... well... it was at that point that I realized, Sollux will be my Moirail until the day my blood pusher stops. I know that now... And I want to make sure he's the happiest he can be. If that's with you, then I see nothing wrong with coaching you." he explained. "so if you need advice, I'm your troll. I would do anything to keep the smile he had after that music-date on his face. It made his face light up in a way I've never seen it do. He was all smiles and totally peaceful. It was a look that I couldn't get out of him, even with knowing him since I was two...Or was it three?"

"Really?" Dave was surprised, eyeing Jon thoughtfully.

"Really. You lift him up and you give him that joy. You open up his heart and camp there. But know this:" his mood shifted, eyes turning dark, hooded with a true threat. "I don't care WHAT Kaat says. If you hurt my Moirail, if those joyful smiles turn to tears of pain and heart break, I will shred you AND red, limb from limb, and I'll make damned sure it hurts. You would suffer a billion times worse than you made Sollux hurt."

"You wouldn't..."

"I'm a troll, Dave. You never know if I can, or will. It's best not to test me. If there comes a time where you no longer pity him, you let him down gently, or you weather the storm and wait till the feeling comes back. Now go back and find your brother."