towerofanimus | Please will you wake up

Entry tags:

Please will you wake up

Characters: Dave Strider and Bro Strider
Setting: 2-10
Format: Either
Summary: An older Dave fell asleep in Bro's bed. Bro wakes up to a much smaller Dave in the morning.
Warnings: Stupid Striders. Strider potty mouths. The general confusion if someone who was 54 suddenly waking up 14.

The entire week had been some kind of trip. Everyone being different ages and no one quite sure knowing as to why. Dave had taken it with stride, considering that everyone was younger than he was and that was more relieving than anything. It means they hadn't been here as long as he has and that also meant that they haven't dealt with the Tower for as long as he had.

And seeing Bro younger was actually really nice. A lot nicer than he'd like to admit. At least this means Bro got to see him grown up. Sure, this Bro didn't watch him slowly age, but he got to see him as an adult. Someone who could actually stand on his own.

Last night was a blur. He spent most of his time with Bro that night. A lot of paper was thrown around. Silly drawings were made and a few more serious drawings were also made. There was a large stack sitting atop Bro's trunk. A mix of drawings and the notes Dave made to communicate to the other.

At some point they must have fallen asleep. Dave too lazy to go back to his room and deciding that Bro wouldn't mind if he accommodated part of the bed. What both of them probably were expecting to wake up to was perhaps a suddenly smaller body accommodating Bro's bed. Dave was dead asleep (a rarity considering this place) and curled against Bro. Bro's probably going to wake up to a significantly smaller Dave. It's almost as though he was never a thing, if not for the stack of papers sitting on the trunk. That, and the fact that when Dave wakes up, he'll sure as hell remember what happened within the last week.

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It's been a good week. If Bro is completely honest with himself, it's probably one of the best weeks he's had since arriving in this hell hole of a tower. Being able to meet Dave as an adult is probably the best gift he could ever receive, and he isn't even going to complain about the fact that he received it from this place, of all places. He can appreciate it no matter the giver. Because it was a priceless experience, and one he would never trade for the entire world. Seeing Dave grown up is something he never expected to see, and he couldn't have been any more proud of the way he turned out.

Spending time with him had been really fun. The two of them got along easily, and the previous night had been one of the best. He hadn't been so relaxed in a long time, which meant after they'd both settled down after the hanging out and the drawings and just talking, he fell asleep. He'd fallen asleep so much easier than he could remember in months, and maybe it was because he was still aware on some level that Dave was still there, even after he'd fallen asleep, but he'd also slept better than he can ever remember sleeping.

But eventually all good things must come to an end. He's slow to wake, but after a little while, he realizes there's something a little off. The body next to him is considerably smaller than it should be. He sits up, feeling groggy from sleep, not to mention confused as hell. When he looks down and sees younger Dave, it wakes him up almost instantly. And at the same time, he feels a mixture of emotions. Relief, because on some level he was afraid he would never see him again.

On another level? Sadness. Because in the week they had together, he'd grown attached to the older Dave. More than he should've, and knowing he was apparently gone? It made him sad. But even despite that, the relief was still there, and thankfully he hadn't jostled Dave too badly when he sat up. So... after a moment, he lays back down, turning slightly so that he can put an arm around Dave and press himself closer, hugging him.

It's such a bittersweet feeling, but he really is glad that Dave is back.

Dave was a ridiculously light sleeper. It was probably a mix of their homelife ("God damn it Bro, stop dropping smuppets on my bed!") and the Tower itself. Sleeping in a room of strangers, even if they were okay was still a little weird and just the paranoia the place caused in people was enough to make it hard for him to be a heavy sleeper. He wasn't really ever a heavy sleeper in the first place, so nothing really had changed in that regard.

He was still a really terrible morning person though. Getting up was too much effort and there wasn't really always reason to actually get up in this place. Sure, it was lazy, but it was also nice to just stay in bed. Especially because it was still pretty fucking cold and Missy made for an amazing transportable heater. Apply Ninetales to face or something like that.

Dave whined a bit being jostled a bit. Oh hey, Dave can make sounds again. That is an actual thing he can do again.

He buries his face against Bro's chest. You're warm and it's fucking cold out there. Or outside of the blanket in general. He doesn't want to wake up yet. "Mmph f've mmhoah minutshh." Was that English? Probably not. He's too content curled up against Bro. Because Bro is warm and also because he hates waking up.

If Bro wasn't so wide awake by now, he would probably go back to sleep himself. But as it was, he had entirely too much on his mind. Like the fact that Dave could make noises again, which meant he really is completely back to his old self and the Dave he'd come to know over the last few days really was gone. He couldn't help the stupid pang of sadness that came- because it was stupid. He'd known that Dave for far less time than he'd known his Dave. He shouldn't be upset over it- or at least not as upset as he was.

But it felt like he'd lost an old friend, in a way. It hurt. One of the best gifts the tower had given him had to be taken away from him. He wished he could have both Daves- he felt guilty for missing the older Dave, so instead of wishing for one or the other, he just wants both. Despite that, though... He would choose this Dave over the older one in a heartbeat. That's just how it is, because this is his Dave no matter what. He may miss the older one, but that doesn't stop him from wanting to keep his Dave forever.

Besides... This Dave could grow into that Dave. If anything, it's just made him determined to make sure his Dave grow up happier so that he can be more like that. And if growing up happier means letting him sleep a 'f've mmhoah minutshh' then that's exactly what he's gonna do. So instead of saying anything, he just combs his hair slowly through Dave's hair.

Dave's brain is slowly catching up with itself. He's not falling back to sleep now that he's awake and he's slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings and everything. Wait.

Holy shit. Wait. He can speak again. And there's definitely another body next to him. Dave sat up just a little too quickly and he looks around himself. He looked slightly confused, still disoriented from sleep. This is not his room or his bed. It took him a little longer to register that the body next to him was Bro. Oh. Hello, Bro. It's nice to see you.

Now that he was more awake though, he was actually rethinking what just happened. That was him. Definitely him. Mute him who couldn't speak at all and was really old him. Old him who had been stuck in this place for decades him. Remembering every conversation was kind of nice. It wasn't bad, but there was also that dread sinking in. A reminder that anything that changed meant that somewhere, a timeline was ending or disappearing.

He really hated this acute sense of time. That Dave didn't exist. He existed in memories, but that was only saying so much. And for some reason, that made him feel bad. A resignation that this was just a standard in his life. He finally glanced at Bro, trying to keep as neutral a face as possible. "Sup."

Bro suppresses the sigh that wants to escape when Dave finally does sit up. He won't admit it, but he's a little disappointed that the moment has to end now. Bro was enjoying it more than he would ever let on. Especially because it made it easier to forget that the Dave he'd gotten used to was no longer there. It'd also made it easier to want to fall back asleep, but that clearly isn't going to happen again any time soon now that Dave is awake too.

When Dave looks over at him, he offers him a small little smile. For as much as he missed the other Dave, he can't deny that it's damn good to hear Dave's voice again. "Eh, not much. I'd ask you the same question, but I already know what's up. Your hair."

Seriously Dave, you have a beautiful case of bed hair.

Dave squints at you. Wait, where are his shades? He's going to look for those. Hello, sunglasses. Where are you? This is not his bedside tabl-wait why does that matter, it's in the same spot as the one next to his own bed.

He might also be trying to smooth his hair down like it isn't a total train wreck right now. Ugh. Why did you have to mention how bad his hair looks right now. Now he's self conscious about his shitty bed hair. And he's trying to find his sunglasses at the same time. He's failing so bad. "Like yours is any better. Shut up."

Jesus Christ Dave, calm down. It's just bed hair, it's not like it's the end of the world. Honestly, it's kind of adorable, even if he wouldn't actually admit that out loud. Man, he wishes he had a camera right now. That shit would go right the hell into his wallet.

Though when Dave mentions that, he gets put in a similar boat. Goddamn it, where's his hat? And he needs his shades too, shit. Merrr. He'd rather just lay down and not worry too much about it, but whatever. He guesses he can wake up now. "It's better than yours, anyway. Where the fuck is my hat, anyway?" He looks toward the bedside table, running a hand through his hair slowly. "You had it last, I'm pretty sure."

Oh my god. Don't you dare ever take pictures of his terrible bed hair. You are the worst brother. It is you.

"You haven't looked in a mirror. Maybe your bald spot is showing." Not that Bro has one. But Dave can be a brat too. "I don't know. Somewhere in this room I guess. No, I lied. I ate it. It was fucking delicious and I have no regrets whatsoever for doing so. I lived a good life. Ate some good hats. Life is complete. I can die happy now." Everything that came out of Dave's mouth was stupid...

Despite the fact he knows he doesn't have a bald spot, he can't stop his hand from shooting up to rub at his head, trying to find the supposed bald spot. Goddamn it you really are a little shit. If he had a bald spot, he would probably cry. And a crying Bro is not a Bro anyone actually wants to see.

"Are you sure you got enough sleep? You sound like a fucking sleep drunk."

That would be mentally scarring. It's not particularly something he'd like to see.

"I got more sleep than I usually get, so yeah. Or maybe it wasn't me who got the sleep. I don't know." There's a tone to his voice that's hard to pin point. But he sounds like he didn't really want to bring up that version of him, but couldn't really avoid it all the same. "I'm totally awake. You can't be more awake than me to be honest."

So don't fuckin' tell him he's got a bald spot again, or he might convince himself he does and then cry and then you would be fucking mentally scarred forever.

He shifts a little at that, feeling the weight of the situation really hitting him, the fact the older Dave is gone now. "It was you... You were him," he says after a few moments of silence. "It's not like you just faded out of existence while he was here. You were still inside there." He knows because despite how different that Dave was, there were still qualities from the Dave he knew there.

It was funny, okay. You're old, but not that old. At least he thinks so. Bro with a bald spot would be kind of funny for a few seconds.

"No. I wasn't him. He was me," Dave replies back. His sense of self was really skewed. It was hard to tell if that was him or an alternate version of him. "I can't take those memories as mine. That's not fair to him. Me. Fuck, whatever." Being the Time Player really fucked you up in this kind of situation. "Even if he was me, he already knew his existence was flimsy at best." And Dave feels bad about that.

"It's the same difference, isn't it? He's you, you're him. It doesn't fucking matter." At least not to Bro, and he feels a little annoyed that Dave is making this difficult when he figures they should just... mourn him, or whatever, and try and move on. Or maybe Bro is the only one who has to move on, because losing him hurts in a way that he honestly can't explain. "Don't over think it. Just this once, let it be, okay?"

"That's not fair to him. I don't know. That's like taking credit for whatever crap he's done when I didn't actually do it myself. I guess he was me? Maybe I can be him eventually, but..." He trails off. This is really just giving him the hugest headache.

"Sorry. I shouldn't be thinking. Thinking and temporal bullshit is usually a terrible thing to mix together."

He's legitimately about to punch you all over, Dave. Seriously. You're over thinking it. But no, he's not going to punch you. But he will sigh and just shake his head. "I forget sometimes that time is you're thing. Of course you're going to over think it all."

Bro pauses after a moment.

"...Do you want to be him?"

"I shouldn't even be thinking for it. If I think too much into it, I'm bound to fuck it up more than not thinking. It's usually kind of an intuitive thing. You can't really think it to be honest. Time doesn't really work on a logical level." Wow, that was a ridiculously intelligent but useless word vomit.

"I don't know."

Blah blah blah timey wimey bullshit. In his opinion, Dave is just overcomplicating it way too much. "What do you mean you don't know?" he asks, deciding to disregard that speech on time in order to focus on what he thinks of as the important part. "Is there something about him you don't like or something?"

"No? I don't know," Dave responds with a shrug. "He seemed pretty cool, which sounds weird to say since I can grow up to be him. I guess, I rather not be mute though? It's kind of like, if I can't say something, people are less likely to hear me." And he's scared of people not hearing him. For a plethora of reasons. "I guess I'm just saying that I know that's a possible route which is why I don't want to go down it. It kind of makes it seem premeditated for me."

Bro can't really argue with that logic, he guesses. So after a moment, he just shrugs and gives Dave a nod. "Yeah. I guess I could see why you'd want your future not to be premeditated or whatever. I mean, all things considered, actively trying to grow up mute is a little weird." Weird, but man he... honestly wouldn't mind. That Dave seemed pretty capable, despite the disability to talk. So obviously if it happened, Dave would cope well enough from it. "Y"know..." He's quiet for a few moments. "I really don't care how you grow up, as long as you just... do."

"Well. We always kind of got stuck in something that seemed premeditated." And it really sucks in hindsight. And when you're so acutely aware of time, it makes it seem even harder to avoid.

There's a long pause before Dave speaks. "You won't really get to see it happen though." Yeah. He said it.

Bro pauses, eyebrows furrowing a little. "What's that supposed to me?" he asks, folding his arms. "The last part. About me not getting to see it? What's stopping me from seeing it? Last I checked, you and I are both here and I ain't going anywhere."

"What if we find a way to reverse this all." What if everyone finally goes home? Home to a restored "home" and Dave has to go back to living out the rest of the session. There's no Bro to come back too.

What if one of them disappears?

"Oh."

He falls silent after that, his stomach no longer feeling quite right. He should've known that's what Dave meant, and... Somehow he can't help but feel conflicted on it. Of course he wants them to be able to go home, but... But he's seen so much of Dave here, and of what he's become, that he's no longer sure if he wants to actually go back home- or rather, he doesn't want to die. "Well then that'd be for the best," he finally says quietly, giving Dave a small smile, even though it's forced.

Dave doesn't seem completely convinced about that. "But is that for the best?" And maybe it's selfish to think about not going back. Because he knows another session is expecting them but...is it unfair to not want your guardian in your life? He knows what to expect when he heads back. He doesn't want to leave. This place was hell, but there were a lot of people here that he liked too. People he can't bring back with him. It's the first time he realizes that if they ever can go home...it would be a difficult choice.

"Yeah, it is." It's still forced, but he sounds confident in his words despite that. "You don't need me," he continues. "You didn't need me before I got here, and you don't need me if you go back." He's not stupid to think that Dave is just talking about him though, but he can't speak for other people. "I may not have experienced it first hand, but I died for you. It was just my fuckin' time to go. But you survived, and you'll keep doin' that. It's just what you do."

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Please will you wake up

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