Work Text:
DAVE: hey man
DAVE: so youre hiding out too huh
DIRK: Hm?
DIRK: Oh, hey Dave.
DAVE: sup
DAVE: parties not your scene huh
DIRK: Nope.
DIRK: How’d you find me out here? I thought I’d found a pretty secluded spot.
DAVE: yeah well your cigarette smoke kinda gave it away
DAVE: i think youre the only friend in our group that smokes
DIRK: Damn, too bad.
DIRK: Out of everyone to hold a conversation with right now, though, I guess you’re the best option.
DAVE: thanks man
DAVE: good to know that hiding how much you really care is genetic for the striders
DIRK: Yep.
DAVE: nice night out
DAVE: wish i hadnt left my jacket inside though
DAVE: cooler than youd think itd be for april
DIRK: Need to run back inside and get it?
DAVE: nah ill be fine
DAVE: dont wanna run into june or someone
DAVE: have to have a whole talk like
DAVE: yeah im sorry i ran out of your birthday party it was loud and i was kind of sick of having the same conversations with like three different people
DAVE: smilin and noddin cuz i know if i tried to contribute id go on one of my rants like i always do
DAVE: stealing the show of your birthday cuz i cant shut my mouth
DIRK: Did you tell anyone you were coming out here, at least?
DAVE: yeah i told kk
DAVE: hes better with the social stuff i think
DAVE: i mean he also gets overwhelmed sometimes but at least he was holding conversations tonight
DAVE: doin better than i was out there
DAVE: if anyone really needs to know where i am hes probably the first person theyd go to
DAVE: you tell anyone
DIRK: Nope.
DIRK: I made a comment to Roxy about running low on cigarettes.
DIRK: Seems like something she’d get the gist of.
DAVE: yeah
DAVE: ...
DIRK: ...
DIRK: Did he smoke?
DAVE: huh
DIRK: Your brother.
DAVE: does it matter
DAVE: youre not him
DAVE: i dont care if you do shit he did sometimes
DAVE: as long as that shit doesnt involve kids or whatever else
DIRK: Mm.
DIRK: Is that a yes, then?
DAVE: yeah he did
DAVE: but i dont care that you do if youre worried about that
DIRK: I wanted to make sure I’m not making you uncomfortable or anything.
DIRK: I can stomp this one out if you’d want.
DAVE: nah i dont care
DAVE: it really really isnt a big deal
DIRK: Have you ever smoked?
DAVE: couple times
DAVE: sort of as a way to toughen me
DAVE: i dont wanna talk about it
DIRK: That bad?
DAVE: no
DAVE: i mean it wasnt great
DAVE: but im not validating your weird self harm limbo by telling you about a fucked up version of yourself thats been dead for ten years
DAVE: hes been dead for a decade today if you think about it
DAVE: which means we dont need to talk about any of the weird shit he did when i was a kid because he hasnt been able to do them for years
DIRK: The passage of time doesn’t remove any pain that was there.
DIRK: Not if you haven’t put the work into handling it.
DIRK: Figured that’d be something you’d be especially aware of, considering...
DAVE: alright man
DAVE: shit this got hostile
DAVE: im just saying i dont need to relay every little thing that even slightly fucked me up
DAVE: doing that would probably worsen whatever problems i have from it anyway
DAVE: because im not someone that has to constantly remind myself of every little bad thing ive done or every bad thing that has happened to me
DIRK: Okay, okay, I get it.
DIRK: Shit, last cigarette.
DAVE: how many have you chainsmoked now
DIRK: Enough to feel sufficiently shitty about myself.
DIRK: As, apparently, is obviously customary of me.
DAVE: dont be like that
DAVE: look
DAVE: i get life sucks and knowing a past version of yourself sucked must be pretty sucky
DAVE: but you didnt even do what he did
DAVE: even if you act sort of similar
DAVE: at least you dont have a child in your care
DAVE: youre older now than he was when he had me
DAVE: fuck i feel like every real talk we have boils down to this
DIRK: I’m sorry, really.
DIRK: I guess my morbid curiosity about who I was to you comes off like a way to torture myself.
DIRK: I really don’t mean to trudge up these memories for you.
DIRK: I want to provide a place for you to talk about your troubles, but I get that–
DAVE: fuck what dont you get
DAVE: i dont wanna hear your self pity
DAVE: lets change the topic before i really get upset
DIRK: ...
DAVE: ...
DIRK: And that’s the last one.
DIRK: I guess I should probably head back inside anyway.
DIRK: Pretend someone was worried about where I could have been.
DAVE: yeah whatever
DAVE: you drive yourself or get a ride
DIRK: Roxy picked me up on her way here.
DIRK: I’ll play nice until she’s ready to leave.
DAVE: i can give you a ride home man
DAVE: karkats probably getting exhausted in there anyway
DAVE: or talked off the ear of whoever got stuck with him in my absence
DAVE: dont give me any of your Even though I did this and that? bullshit
DAVE: if you want a ride home now ill take you
DIRK: You don’t need to.
DIRK: I wanted to ask Roxy if we could stop and buy more cigarettes, and I’d hate to stop you.
DAVE: cmon man
DAVE: ill stop at the gas station if you want
DAVE: or take you home now and come back to get karkat
DAVE: even in your obsession with how youre apparently ruining everyones lives you cant think about how you could actually affect people
DIRK: What do you mean?
DAVE: do you think the girl with a former drinking problem would be any more okay with helping you in your addiction than your brother
DAVE: who frankly doesnt give a shit about this
DAVE: like i really dont think roxy cares that hard
DAVE: but do you really really think i care more
DIRK: I guess I see what you’re getting at.
DIRK: Even you’re getting sick of my bullshit, and I can respect that.
DAVE: im sick of every conversation we have turning into the strider pity hour
DAVE: im here for you when you want to talk
DAVE: but like i dont want to only talk about how much you hate yourself
DAVE: i think you should look back into getting a therapist or something
DAVE: ...
DAVE: you know its funny
DAVE: he never talked about himself
DIRK: Who?
DAVE: my brother
DAVE: my other one i mean
DAVE: youre a hell of an open book
DAVE: through all our strider refusing to talk about anything bullshit at least
DIRK: Yeah?
DIRK: You ready to go?
DAVE: yeah lemme text kk first
turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]
TG: gonna run dirk home you ready to leave too
TG: or do you want me to come back and get you afterwards
CG: ENTHRALLED IN A CONVERSATION WITH TEREZI.
CG: COME BACK FOR ME.
TG: alright stopping at the gas station for cigs want anything
CG: CHIPS.
TG: cool
turntechGodhead [TG] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]
DAVE: okay we can go
DAVE: comin back for karkat
DIRK: Alright.
DIRK: I can pay for gas, considering you have to drive twice as much for me.
DAVE: dont sweat it dude
DAVE: i offered to take you home
DAVE: were brothers anyway whats a bit of gasoline
DIRK: So you aren’t upset?
DIRK: Even with the words we’ve exchanged tonight?
DAVE: nah
DAVE: sorry i was being harsh
DAVE: i really do think you should try and get some professional help though
DAVE: or at least try it out
DAVE: it might be good to hear advice from someone that you dont see as the kid a fucked up alternate timeline bullshit version of you abused
DIRK: Thanks.
DIRK: I think.
DAVE: yep
DIRK: Is that keychain the one I got you?
DAVE: yeah man
DAVE: cuz its sick as hell
DAVE: little wooden crow on my keys
DAVE: so i know theyre for my caw
DAVE: thats supposed to be a pun on car but liek a bird squawk
DIRK: Yeah, I got that.
DAVE: i see you smirking dont pretend you didnt find it funny
DAVE: it was stupid as hell maybe you should lie and say it wasnt since its more embarrassing if you did find it funny
DAVE: but you did and you cant deny that
DIRK: I can appreciate a good pun, what can I say?
DAVE: hell yeah thats why youre awesome
DAVE: who else would laugh at the worst pun ive ever made
DAVE: including my old sweet bro and hella jeff shit
DIRK: For the record, Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff is a masterpiece, and I will not stand this slander from the creator themself.
DAVE: yeah whatever you say
DAVE: did you even read the original comic or are you a movie only kinda guy
DIRK: I read the comics.
DIRK: Both versions, from both timelines.
DIRK: You knew what you were doing as a kid.
DAVE: urgh this is embarrassing to think about
DAVE: lets shift the topic away from the bullshit i made at 12 please
DIRK: Whatever you say, man.