For a second you simply watch him, but when he extends his hand to you, you cross over and join him, linking your hands together and just forgetting anything else.

"Look at us all Dave, we were all so young." You watch as Johns eyes flick between photos, a small smile gracing his face. You progress along the wall watching the children in the photos get bigger, and smile less. Johns smile drops ever so slightly as you drop from all the photos, not that you were in many to start off with, you were the photographer after all. But sometimes others would take the photo for you and you'd jump at the chance, but as you got older you started denying any and all offers. You'd taken to using your camera as a way to keep control and you didn't want to relinquish that to anyone.

"You aren't in any Dave." It wasn't a question; it didn't even need an answer. He just sounded sad and tired. He wouldn't look at you, just kept walking and studying the images papering your wall, hell, there are so many that you can't even see the wall behind them. Every single one is in age order, dated, from left to right with the oldest at the very left edge by the door and the most recent spilling across the corner and coming to a rest above the head of your bed. It must of taken Rose hours to sort them all and stick them up, too much effort for someone who didn't even live here full time. It was a recent installment she'd done; trying to make you happy, but you'd known she was frustrated at your lack of visibility in any recent photos.

John stops moving at an out of focus image, the only one of its kind on the wall because it was the only one Rose had allowed. The three of them were in the photo like usual, with the addition of Kanaya. All of them are laughing, the girls seated on the ground and John half standing hands wrapped around yours, trying to drag you into the image. You'd clicked the shutter button accidently and the end result had been with your arm reaching in from behind the photos perspective. You were going to toss the photo when you first saw it, but you knew the reason it was up was because you at least had some semblance of belonging and it would make Rose sad to take it down.

"I remember this day; it was the day I first knew I wanted to kiss you. You wouldn't put that damn camera down the whole day though, and you didn't speak at all. Why wouldn't you speak Dave?" He's watching you now, those beautiful blue eyes pleading with you, he had hold of both hands now. You don't answer him, you can't answer him, and so you just look away. You sense him when he drops his head; feel his thumbs stroke over your wrists.

"Dave" His voice is different somehow laced with what you think is disbelief. "Dave, look at me Dave"

So you do, but he isn't looking at you, his eyes are on your wrists, no, not your wrists, the lines, the bruises. His face is furrowed in a frown and his voice drops to a whisper. "Did you do this Dave?"

You nod then realise he can't see you. "Yes" You manage to force it out, though it sticks and leaves a sickly taste in your mouth, like the oversweet taste of rotten meat.

"Why Dave? What happened that made you do this, I thought you were fine, we all did. I didn't think you'd do something like this, you always seemed so impassive and strong." John spun suddenly, dropping your hands like lumps of burning embers, and glares at the pictures on the wall. Understanding flashes across his face and he walks backwards and collapses on the bed. "That's why you aren't in any photos, isn't it? You were distancing yourself; you were leaving us behind, weren't you? Weren't you! Here I was thinking I could stop you leaving us but you'd already left! "The panic in his voice does nothing to calm your own anxiety; you didn't want him to find out like this. Hell you didn't want him to find out at all. You watch as tears fall down his face with your fingers itching to comfort him but you can't, so instead you turn your back and retreat to the bathroom, random clothes in hand. You can hear him out there, sobbing, but eventually it stops. He shifts around the room a bit before knocking on the door between the two of you, and you back away as far as you are able before your back hits the sink.

You go for the handle, hands shaking, half expecting it to be locked but it gives easily and the door swings open. He's just standing there against the sink but he won't meet your gaze, red eyes fixed on some point far away.

"How long?" You keep your voice low, calm almost.

"Don't ask a question you don't want an answer to"

"How long Dave?"

"A while."

And suddenly he's looking at you, gauging your response, waiting to see what you'll do. You stumble forward blindly and bury your face in his neck, wrapping your arms around him. He stays frozen for a few seconds, before relaxing in your arms.

"You'll let me help you Dave? Promise me you'll let me help."

He pulls back to study your face, fingers fiddling with the collar of your shirt, well, his shirt but it's on you so therefore you claim it.

"I promise. "He smiles softly and presses his lips to your forehead.

It's been months since then. You spend more time at Rose's house now than you do at your own. Sometimes she surprises you with a freshly developed stack of your photos and the two of you sit together for hours sorting them and putting them up. More often than not you're in the images, but there are still a few you aren't, simply because you enjoy taking pictures of the lot of them.

Sometimes she doesn't have photos for you though and instead you'll fill the air with inane chatter whilst she cooks or writes, or you'll sit reading together, enjoying each other's company. There's a photo that John took that Rose adored, and at the last minute decided you couldn't put it on the wall, keeping it instead for her, now the framed photo sits on her bedside table, amongst others of her and Kanaya. In it the two of you are side by side, Rose holding a book and you with your head resting on her shoulder, reading along with her. Your wrist is beared to the camera and shows no trace of any bruises, and you're smiling. You think that's what Rose loves most about the photo, that you're happy. John asked if he could have a copy for his house, but Rose wont relinquish the file to him, it's been the ongoing debate for the past few weeks now, he doesn't even greet her anymore, just asks for the photo and every time she feigns ignorance at his question and pulls him into a hug. One of the nights you stayed over not long after the debate began you asked her why she wouldn't let him have it. And she'd responded with the fact that he could get his own because she wasn't sharing, even if john is your boyfriend.

One day the walls of your room were completely papered in photos. The next day when you returned Kanaya snuck a blindfold over your face before you even got two steps through the door, and she giggled like crazy. When she let you go you saw everyone there, John, Jade, Karkat, Terezi, Rose, Aradia, even Sollux, though you think he was just there because she was. They were all beaming and laughing, giddy with excitement as you turned to look at your room.

The photo wall had spilled out of your room and covered the entire side of the hallway. And as they rushed in to hug you, you saw a quote hung over your door, written in Roses calligraphy, Life is full of promise, so stay with us now and forever. Stuck below it was the photo she had hoarded so jealously.

AN

So this is officially the end?!

I had originally envisioned this to be longer but I changed my mind. I'll admit that I typed the past few chapters during frees at school

I'm kinda sad that it's over, because this will be the first I've finished in a long time.

My tumblr is pyrofirebug

And you can expect drawings to come from this

Xxxx