Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/1340242. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Homestuck Relationship: John_Egbert/Dave_Strider Character: John_Egbert, Dave_Strider, Jade_Harley, Bro_(Homestuck), Karkat_Vantas, Dad_Egbert Additional Tags: Rape_Recovery, Angst_with_a_Happy_Ending, Emotional_Hurt/Comfort, Rape/ Non-con_Elements, Gang_Rape Stats: Published: 2014-04-04 Updated: 2015-06-17 Chapters: 5/? Words: 4961 ****** All of You ****** by SamxXxBluePulser Summary John's lying on the bed, his eyes wide as he stares at the ceiling. Tears pour down his bruised cheeks. His head is wrapped and so is his chest, you can see, underneath the thin nightgown he's wearing. You can see marks and bandages mar his pale skin. You feel like crying, and blink hard to keep those tears back. You clear your throat and step inside, trying to sound normal. "Hey Egderp." You voice cracks. Shit. Notes This is definitey a multi chapter fic, so stay tuned! And there most likely won't be any actual rape occurring, just flashbacks of John's. ***** Realizations at the Hospital ***** You sigh as you glance at the clock. It’s been dark for an hour now and John still isn’t back from the store. You have a slight feeling of worry, because god knows what happens when nighttime falls. But you’re sure John is fine. You flop onto the couch and start watching some drama. About an hour later, your phone starts ringing. Without looking at the caller ID screen, you pick it up, huffing, “Finally, Egderp.” “Is this Dave Strider?” An unfamiliar female voice asks, and your stomach drops. “Yeah….” “You are the first person listed to call in case of an emergency. John Egbert has recently been admitted into the hospital for several head injuries and broken ribs. We also highly suspect he has been taken advantage of and--" "Are you saying he's been raped?" Your voice goes up a notch as you cradle the phone to your ear, pulling on your jacket and running to your brother's room. "Yes, I'm afraid so." She sounds sad, and you hang up as you burst into Bro's room. He looks up from the smuppet he was stitching. "Hey lil man, what--" "I need to go to the hospital. Now." Normally he would have argued, but your voice is shaking and you are deathly pale, so you silently thank your brother as he gets his keys without asking any questions or making a scene. He drops you off at the front of the hospital, promising to pick you up in an hour. "I need to see John Egbert, I called earlier." You say quickly to the girl sitting there. She recognizes your voice and tells you his room number. You rush up to the right floor, open his doors, step inside, and nearly faint. John's lying on the bed, his eyes wide as he stares at the ceiling. Tears pour down his bruised cheeks. His head is wrapped and so is his chest, you can see, underneath the thin nightgown he's wearing. You can see marks and bandages mar his pale skin. You feel like crying, and blink hard to keep those tears back. You clear your  throat and step inside, trying to sound normal. "Hey Egderp." You voice cracks. Shit. His head turns and upon seeing you he tries to sit up, whimpering, "D-Dave. Dave. D-D-Dave..."  Your heart breaks as you rush to his side, dropping to your knees and holding his trembling, outstretched hand. He tries to sit up but you gently psuh him back down. He's shaking as he cries, and you feel yourself closer to the verge of breaking down. He tries to sit up, and since he's connected to only one IV thingy, you carefully take that out, get onto the bed, and put him in your lap. He trembles as he cries into your chest, wetting your shirt with tears, but you could care less right now. "Dave they--there were so many…so many…I tried to make them stop…they--they wouldn't s-stop!"  Your heart breaks again as you hold him close to your chest, whispering, "It'll be ok, sweetie, it'll be ok," as you stroke his hair with a gentle touch. He isn't flinching away from you, which is a good sign, but when Bro walks in, John gives a wail and practically melts into you, shaking. You motion for your brother to leave, which he does. John soon calms down, and you continue to gently pet his hair. Eventually, a doctor walks in, and John sniffles, curling up in your lap like a kitten. "Hello Mr. Strider, your brother is waiting for you outside. John, your father is here." This is a clear indication for you to leave. You don't even budge. "You need to leave, Mr. Strider." The doctor states after ten minutes of you petting John's hair. "No, don't go Dave, please don't leave me!" John's voice cracks as he starts to cry again. From behind your shades, you shoot the doctor a glare, holding your precious John close.  Since when do you start thinking he's yours? You give a shake of your head as Mr. Egbert walks in, eyes wide as he sees the scene. He can immediately tell that John needs you, and tells the doctor to give you three a minute. The doctor leaves the room as John carefully hugs his father, wobbling dangerously. "Oh John...how did this happen?" He breathes out, and there's a burning tightness in your throat as you try to swallow. You know it's your fault, and you hate that you don't have the courage to tell him that right away. "It was my fault. I sent him out to the store at night, alone." You look down, and John is in your lap again, arms around your neck as his wide blue eyes stare at your shades. "It wasn't your fault, Dave! Don't blame yourself!" His voice is panicked, and to avoid him having a breakdown, you just nod, hugging him close. "John, would you rather I or Dave spend the night with you?" Mr. Egbert asks, and John is silent, eyes remaining on your face. That's enough of an answer for his dad, who nods and leaves to talk with the doctor. You hold him close, kissing his head gently. You can see the unbruised parts of his face turn a light pink, and you smile. He's too cute. Soon, the doctor comes in and tells you that you're allowed to stay, and offers you an extra bed. You shake your head, motioning to John's bed. An hour later, after you've gotten something to eat, you lay down next to John, after taking off your shades, under the comforters, and hold him close, petting his hair. He soon falls asleep, and you just watch him, feeling sleepy yourself. You find yourself drifting off in no time. Your eyes fly open when you realize John is no longer laying next to you. You look around frantically as you sit up, and find him in a corner of the room, curled up in a ball and shaking with sobs. You flash step to him and kneel down, frowning. "John..?" He looks up quickly, his eyes wide and his face wet with tears. You bite your lip and reach out, pulling him close to you. At first he's hesitant, then he flings himself at you, sobbing loudly, and your heart breaks in half. You sit up, holding him to your chest protectively.  "Sh, it's ok, John. I'm here. It'll be ok." You whisper in his ear soothingly, gently kissing his head repeatedly. When he falls back asleep, you take him back to the bed, sighing softly. As you lay there with John in your arms, you realize something. It's going to take a long time for him to recover from this, and he may never be the same. ***** Chapter 2 ***** Chapter Notes Hope you like ^^' Your name is Dave Strider, and you are not a morning person. It turns out neither is Bro, but since he made the effort to come back for you after talking to Mr. Egbert about it, so here you are the next morning, in the bathroom of the hospital café, brushing your teeth. You wash your face then use a towel to wipe all the wet parts of yourself before exiting and grabbing something to eat—a mini box of fruit loops and a bottle of apple juice. You join your brother at a table and silently eat with him. “So. Do you plan on staying here all day?” Bro asks you after a while, raising an eyebrow. When you nod, he doesn’t look surprised at all. “You must really care about him.” The way he says this makes you fall silent, the snarky remark dying in your throat as you just nod and pop a few more pieces of dry cereal into your mouth. After a little bit, the two of you head back to John’s room. He’s sitting up and sipping some water, and looks up when you and Bro enter. His eyes flash a little in fear upon seeing your older brother. You notice this, and you’re sure Bro does too. “Hey John. How’re you holding up?” He asks the boy, who shrugs and looks down, nibbling his lip. As soon as you sit on the edge of John’s bed, his hand snakes towards yours, almost as if to take it, and then draws back just as fast. He ducks his head even more, but you can see the tears clinging to his lower eyelashes. You reach out and take his hand, making him look up with wide eyes. He isn’t wearing his glasses, so he squints a little, and it’s so cute to see his eyes crinkle at the edges like that. John squeezes your hand as hard as he can, which isn’t much, and you barely feel any pressure. You notice he has a few more IV’s hooked up to him than earlier this morning, and you frown. “John, are you on morphine?” When he nods, his reaction is a little delayed, occurring a few seconds after your question. You assume the drowsiness is affecting his ability to think clearly or move at a normal speed. Bro moves closer to sit in the chair near the bed, and John almost flinches, his eyes watering. You shoot your brother a look, which you are sure he can translate even with your shades covering your eyes and part of your face. He sighs, getting up after a few seconds and walking out of the room to who knows where. You don’t miss the way John’s shoulders slump in relief when the door clicks shut behind your brother. You look at him for a few seconds before shifting your gaze to the wall next to his head. Seeing the broken look in his eyes and the bandages wrapped around his head cause a lump to form in your throat and an uncomfortable tightness to squeeze your stomach. “He isn’t going to hurt you.” You say after a while, squeezing John’s hand softly, referring to Bro. He bites his lip and sighs, inclining his head a centimeter to indicate he registers your words, but he doesn’t believe you. You sigh as well, knowing that no amount of convincing will make him believe you. As far as you could tell, the only other male person John allowed near him without flinching, besides his father, was you. You don’t want to bring up the bad memories, but you know he’ll eventually have to tell someone, and whether it is selfish or not, you want to be that someone. “John?” You ask quietly, taking off your shades and looking him directly in the eyes. He gulps, a little nervous upon meeting your crimson gaze. “Can you tell me what happened that night?” You make sure that your voice is as gentle and soft as possible. His eyes grow wide and water, and his eyes flash with what you can only imagine is panic. But you just wait, wait while he takes a deep breath and collects his thoughts. “I was walking down the street towards the shop but I was it was closed. I turned and tripped over the sidewalk, so I walked to an alleyway near the shop and leaned against the wall to see how much it hurt. A—a group of guys walked past, and they stopped in front of the alley. I started to limp out of their way b-but they pushed me back. They h-held me down…and they were l-laughing—“ He breaks off, choking back a sob, and you slide onto the bed next to him and wrap your arms around him gently, as he starts to sob into your shoulder. His small frame shakes violently and you feel terribly guilty for causing him to be like this, but his story had to be said. You rock him back and forth, kissing his head repeatedly until he has calmed down.  ***** Chapter 3 ***** Chapter Notes I'm back with another chapter c; enjoy See the end of the chapter for more notes Your name is John Egbert, and the images haunting your mind are going to be the death of you. You shiver as you sit all alone on your bed, waiting for the doctor to come and check up on your head wounds. The flashes of the memories cause you to wince even though the pain is mental, not physical. You wrap your arms around yourself and sigh. When you first got to the hospital, you were freaking out because you were afraid they were going to come back. When Dave finally arrived, that was the point when your first felt relieved and not terrified. Dave’s been such a good friend this whole time. You feel so safe and secure when his arms are around you, and you are really glad he’s staying with you while you’re here at the hospital. Even now, before leaving, he had kissed the top of your head and told you he was right outside. You blush and smile to yourself, feeling a dart of happiness go through you. You look up as the doctor enters the room, knocking softly on the door. You tense up slightly when he puts a hand on your shoulder and smiles a bit. “John Egbert?” You incline your head a fraction of an inch, twitching your fingers nervously. He nods back and starts to unwrap your bandage, frowning a little. Your right eye flickers shut as a drop of blood trickles down your forehead. “Sorry.” The doctor wipes it away, and you reopen your eye, watching him carefully as he applies fresh gauze and throws away the old wrappings. “Thank you. Your friend can come in now.” He leaves, and Dave immediately enters. You can’t see his eyes, but you can tell he’s tense by the way his eyebrows are furrowing. A nurse bustles to your side and has you lie back down, preparing an IV for you. Dave sits by your side, and you snatch up his hand as the nurse slides the IV into your arm. “Hi.” You manage a small smile and twirl your fingers at him. His lips curl up slightly, and he squeezes your hand gently. “Hey, dork. What’s up?” He asks affectionately, and your smile widens automatically. “John, I have good news.” Your father enters, smiling with an air of someone who has just had a burden removed. “You’ll be released from the hospital tonight. You might have to attend a program though…” He frowned slightly, his smile fading just a tad. “What kind of program?” You question, tilting your head to the side a little. “Well, the doctor thinks you’ll have some mental scarring and wants you to attend a support group.” Your father tells you, and you cringe, looking down. You definitely don’t want to do that. “No way. He isn’t going. He doesn’t need that.” Dave snaps, and you look up in surprise to see Dave’s lips pressed together in a hard, angry line. “Dave, as much as I appreciate your help—“ Your dad starts to say, and Dave stands up, dropping your hand. “He doesn’t need it!” He yells, and you flinch, covering your face. A memory flashes into your mind—cruel laughs echo in your head, and tears press at the base of your eyes. There’s some whispering, and when you finally look up, only your dad is in the room. He smiles wearily at you, and you bite your lip. “Dad, I don’t want to attend the program.” You inhale shakily as he sighs and nods in understanding. “Alright, son. I understand. But if any feelings like those arise, let me know, ok?” He says, and you nod back, agreeing. The rest of the afternoon passes by eventfully. Dave still hasn’t shown up by dinnertime, and your dad can tell you’re still upset. As he takes away your tray of food and throws away the scraps, there’s a knock at the door and Dave enters. Your eyes immediately light up. “Hello, David.” Your father leaves to give you two some privacy, closing the door gently behind him. “Hey, Egderp.” He sinks into the chair beside your bed, gazing at you from behind his shades. You nibble on your lip and smile a bit. “Why did you leave earlier? I was waiting for you to come back.” Your face falls when he just stares at you, his face unreadable. “Ah, shit, John, it wasn’t your fault. I…I made you upset. That was wrong of me, so I decided to give you some time.” He says quickly, pushing his shades up on top of his head so you can see his ruby eyes. You smile slightly at the sight. “Don’t go next time, please. I always want you here.” You beam at him, and a light blush dusts his cheeks as he chuckles. “You’re too cute, Johnny boy.” He reaches out to ruffle your hair and lets his hand fall down to your face, his fingertips lightly grazing your cheek. Your eyes meet, and heat rises in your face as a soft smile crosses Dave’s face. ~x~ When all the paperwork has been signed and you’ve changed back into your regular clothes, with the help of Dave, you make your way to your dad’s car in the parking lot and sink into the backseat next to your best friend. You clutch his hand and smile when he squeezes it tightly, winking at you. Upon reaching your house, all of you get off and go inside. “Dave, can you stay the night with me? Please?” You turn to him and pout, giving him your best puppy eyes. “Of course, dork.” He grins and pets your head. The two of you head upstairs to your room and decide to watch a movie; it’s only 8 anyways, and you won’t sleep for another few hours. “Mission Impossible 4!” You suggest, and the blonde nods. “I’ll go and get snacks. You set up our cool fort.” He instructs, and absconds out the door and downstairs. You set up pillows and blankets on your bed, piling them up into a big mass. You then jump right on top and bury yourself in the warm huddle. You look up to see Dave standing by the door and laughing silently at you. You stick out your tongue and then wince suddenly as a sharp pain in your side causes your breaths to become slightly shorter. The injuries you accumulated included your head bleeding and bruising, your dislocated arm, all the bruises and cuts all over your body, the stitches on your side, and the gash on your leg. You assumed you should have been more careful, you muse as you topple over sideways and onto the floor. Your startled blue eyes make contact with concerned red before Dave scoops you up and deposits you on the bed, frowning. He puts a hand on his hip and tilts your chin up with the other. “If you ever put yourself in danger again, Egbert, I will be very upset.” He scolds gently, nuzzling your hair. You stick your tongue out at him but nod, feeling the pain slowly start to subside. You smile to yourself at his protective instincts; you like having him watch over you. It makes you feel…special. “Now, c’mon. Are we watchin’ this movie or not?” The two of you get onto the bed and cuddle while snacking on fruit snacks and popcorn. Eventually, you start to drift off, exhausted. Dave pets your hair slowly, and before you know it, you’re asleep. Chapter End Notes Please send feedback? (also i haven't been on here forever; when you copy and paste something to post, how do you double space it? ***** Chapter 4 ***** Chapter Notes Enjoy, children~ When you woke up, you were curled up next to Dave. His arms were draped around you and he was snoring softly. You wiggle a little and press your cheek to his shoulder, closing your eyes once more. Maybe this is weird, but he’s so warm and nice to hug that you don’t want to get up. In a few minutes, you feel him stir and start to sit up. “Hnnnggg.” You groan softly and snuggle into his side, clinging onto him and wanting him to lie back down. He chuckles softly and lets himself relax, turning to face you. “Morning sleeping beauty.” He grins at you, his red eyes especially bright in the early sunlight streaming in through the windows. “Dave, I’m not a sleeping beauty!” You giggle, knowing you drool in your sleep. He pretends to be shocked, bumping foreheads with you. “Please, my prince, never say that!” You laugh again at his words, burying your face into the pillow. Dave pets your hair softly, and you realize you feel a lot better than you had twenty-four hours ago. “Now, come on. Aren’t you going to make me pancakes?” At the word pancakes, you sit up, nodding. Dave loves the pancakes you make more than any other food in the entire world. Or, at least that’s what he says as he devours all of them and leaves barely any for you. The two of you get up and use the bathroom. You brush your teeth carefully, spitting water out at the blond. He makes a face at you, raising an eyebrow when you start to giggle again. “You’re in a good mood, dork.” He says, a soft smile spreading across his face. You beam back at him as you bounce out the door. Your side starts to hurt though, so you slow down and decide to walk down the stairs normally. You know your dad is at work, so you start to take out ingredients for the pancakes. Dave helps you, and soon enough you’re pouring batter onto the skillet and waiting for it to start bubbling at the edges. “So, since I’m obviously going to be hanging out with you today, what should we do?” Dave questions, and you hum as you think, flipping over the first pancake. “Maybe we can—“ You start to say, but the phone rings, and you race over to it and pick it up. Dave raises an eyebrow at your childish behavior, and you just stick your tongue out at him. “Hello?” You say into the speaker. “Hello, John. I almost forgot to tell you; a therapist is coming to the house at noon to see you.” Your dad’s voice responds, and you frown, glancing at the clock. It’s two hours until then. “Ok, Dad. Thanks for telling me!” You hang up and turn to Dave. “Slight change of plans: a therapist is coming to see me at twelve, so we can do things after that.” “Cool with me, Egderp. Now hurry and make those pancakes, my stomach is eating itself.” He clutches his stomach and winks at you. He helps you make the pancakes, calling you all these romantic yet cheesy names and making you laugh. Once the two of you finish eating and clean up, Dave gets a text from Bro telling him to come home. “I’ll see you soon, dork. Just call me when your therapist leaves and I’ll be right over.” He ruffles your hair gently and you hug him before he leaves. Now you have an hour of waiting to do by yourself until the therapist comes. You decide on watching TV to pass the time, so you settle yourself on the couch with a bowl of jelly beans—yes, jelly beans at eleven am—and put on a cartoon. Soon enough, it’s noon and the doorbell rings. You pad to the front door, opening it to see your new therapist. He’s tall and muscular, with a bored expression plastered on his face. He’s carrying a briefcase in one hand and a laptop is tucked under his other arm. You invite him inside, both of you sitting in the chairs in the fancy dining room. “Hello. I presume you must be John. I am Dr. Levitt. I’ll start off with asking what exactly happened that caused me to be summoned here.” He spoke in a brisk tone, his voice low, and his sharp, dark eyes caused you to be slightly wary. “Well…I was walking to the store two nights ago, and some guys cornered me in an alleyway. They-they forced me to take off my clothes and they raped me.” You somehow manage to keep your voice steady. “I see. Is that all?” When you nod, he pulls out a notebook and pen, taking a few notes. “I think you may need to be part of some kind of program.” He says, and you frown at his words, shaking your head already. “Hear me out, John. You can have one other person go with you, and it’s only three times a week. Think about it.” He shakes your hand and leaves. As soon as he’s gone, you call Dave over right away. You need to get your mind off of this stuff. ***** Chapter 5 ***** Chapter Summary Some John-loving from Dave's POV and a plan. Chapter Notes sorry this is short, I'm busy with my original works Your name is Dave Strider, and you are pumped to hang out with John. You just hope no one will trigger your best friend. He’s already fragile as he is, and you will personally kill whoever hurts him in any way. As soon as you get his call, you walk back to his house and slip in through the already unlocked front door. You catch sight of a mop of messy black hair sticking out from the couch, and you gentle rub his neck, looking down at him. “Hey Johnny boy. Ready for the park?” You say. John looks up, startled a little, but his face breaks into a smile when he sees you. He’s changed into pants and a windbreaker, as it’s a tad bit on the cold side outside, and you’re glad for that. Not that you mind lending your jacket to the adorable dork. Wait, adorable? You shake your head of these confusing yet alarming thoughts and smile at the raven. “Dave, can we take the kite with us?” He pleads, and you nod. “Course, Egderp. I’ll go get it while you put your shoes on.” You move towards the garage, opening the door and digging around in the box that holds outdoor equipment. Once you find the kite, you curl your fingers around the metal frame and carry it into the house. “Let’s go!” John bounds towards the door. You see a scar on his neck that soon is obscured by his windbreaker, and you try not to think about it. If you do, you get very angry at the people who hurt John. As the two of you head to the park down the sidewalk, John’s munching on some jelly beans he has stored in his windbreaker pocket. You chuckle and steal one, making him stick his tongue out at you before smiling. “My, my, what a cute smile you have.” You grin wolfishly at him, and he laughs again, swinging his arms upwards like he wants to touch the sky. As you both reach the park, the sun slinks behind a cloud, leaving the park in a state of shade. John doesn’t mind, as it’s still windy, and he still fly his kite. As he unravels the string and throws it into the air, a smile spreads across your face. The kite is the one you gave to him four years ago. It’s in the shape of a green house made up of various square sizes stacked atop each other. “Careful, John!” The raven-haired boy kicks off his flip flops and runs with the kite, and you jog after him. Damn, he’s fast. It’s like he’s one with the wind, you think as you try and catch up with him. The wind whips through his hair and he laughs, a bubbly and free sound that makes your heart beat faster. “Your turn, Dave!” John turns to smile at you, taking a few steps in your direction and holding the kite in his outstretched hand. Taking it from him, you let it drift in the wind before a draft carries it upwards. It soars in the sky and you tilt your head back to watch it through your shades. Your eyes dart to John. He’s standing with his arms extended outwards and his head tilted back, his long bangs flapping in the wind. His blue eyes are filled with a pure sense of sweetness that you can only associate with him. your gaze softens and you walk over to him, wrapping your arms around him in a gentle hug. Surprised but not minding at all, John flings his arms around you as the wind drags the kite to the side. You tighten your grip on it a little and smile a bit as the blue-eyed boy buries his face in your side, breathing in your warmth. “You’re cozy.” He giggles cutely, and your smile widens automatically. You can’t help it; he’s so sweet it’s contagious. “And you’re cute.” You peck the top of his head lightly, causing a light blush to dust his cheeks. “Is that a blush I sense?” You tease, just to see his reaction, and sure enough he blushes harder and hides his face in the folds of your jacket. You rub his back and smile, loving how cute and nervous he gets. Maybe he likes you back? Wait, when did you start liking him in the first place? You decide that you do in fact like John, and you want him to like you back. But he’s fragile, so you don’t want to push him. Maybe taking him on a date will be a good start. You come up with a plan, but it’s a baby-steps plan. You don’t want to force John into anything, and you want this to be his own choice entirely. You smile at the said boy, hugging him close again. No wonder you’ve fallen for him; he’s the most perfect being you’ve ever met. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!