Dave had been running for too long.
He`d realized this about four villages back, but he couldn`t stop now. He couldn`t believe he`d pissed these people off so bad. It made him a bit indignant, thinking about it.
He wasn`t a witch; he was just different.
He had to give them some credit, though. They sure were persistent.
He kept asking himself the same question. Why didn`t he just return to his own time?
He knew the answer to this, of course. Some shitty actual witch had thrown some kind of stupid magic juju crap on him, rendering his powers slightly useless. He could only stop time, instead of travelling forward and backward through it as he had done before.
It totally blew, having, like, all of the fun taken out of his awesome powers.
So he just kept running, knowing he was safe staying a day or so ahead of those idiots from the village he`d appeared in.
He kind of regretted having accepted that dare from John now, to go back to these days. He hoped John felt shitty about having sent him back, too, because he`d been gone a few days now.
Dave was so lost in his thoughts that he at first missed the small house, but as he ran past it he saw something in his peripheral vision, causing him to skid to a halt as panic took over.
How the hell did those asshats catch up? I`m supposed to be miles ahead of them!
He quickly realized that what he saw was a house, not a mob, so, curiously, but cautiously, he crept toward it.
He heard a sound, as if someone were whistling a tune. Wait, someone was whistling a tune!
He decided, to hell with it, and called out to them.
"Hello?"
The whistling stopped, and Dave could hear leaves crunching, as if someone was turning, moving.
Then a voice responded. "Um... hello?"
The voice sounded oddly familiar, and, despite his instincts screaming at him to keep moving, he pressed forward, out of the cover of trees, and he saw... John?
"John? What the hell are you doing here?" Dave asked, his brow furrowing, just slightly.
John stepped back, looking a little freaked out, raising his ghetto-ass broom in a defensive manner. "How do you know my name? Who are you? Why are you here? What are you wearing?"
Dave smirked, barely. "Going a bit overboard with the questions, aren`t we there, Johnny-boy? And don`t act stupid, you know me." After a few moments of John just staring at him, Dave sighs. "Fine, I`ll play along. I`m Dave Strider, Cool-Guy Extraordinaire (that`s my official title, by the way) and we`re, y'know, bros for life? I`m here because you dared me to come here, back to this time. I can time-travel, by the way. And I`m wearing some Fly Shit, brought to you by the motherfucking 90s."
John blinked at him silently. "What," he finally asked (states?), looking utterly lost. "All I caught is that you`re named Dave Strider? What sort of name is that? And that you must hold yourself in high regard. I can see why, though, you are quite attractive." John blushed after saying that. "I apologize, sometimes my mouth goes before I can stop it."
It was Dave`s turn to blink dumbly. Did... Did John just call him attractive? All of his thoughts about John came rushing back to him, and he wanted nothing more than to start macking hardcore on his buck-toothed best bro.
But he didn`t. He couldn`t. Even if this John wasn`t his John, the John he accidentally let into his heart, he couldn`t do... he couldn`t hurt John like that. He could never hurt him, not intentionally.
But of course his stupid teenage hormones decided that right then would be a good time to kick in.
"Well you aren`t too bad-looking yourself, John-my-man," Dave found himself saying, shooting that stupid Strider smirk at the dark-haired boy.
Dave reached forward, casually sweeping some of John`s hair off his forehead, his fingers lingering a moment or two longer than they should`ve.
John blushed a deep crimson (he does that often, Dave had noticed) and he giggled. Actually fucking giggled. And Dave was struck by, in Bro`s words, how kawaii it was.
Dave smiled, his fingers somehow snaking up into John`s hair, pushing gently against the boy`s scalp. John hummed, his eyes sliding closed, looking content.
Dave realized how weird this was. John just met him, and now he was massaging his head? What?
But Dave wouldn`t complain. As long as John was happy, Dave could find it in himself to be happy.
Somehow, things got more heated. Dave can`t remember the details, but one second he was massaging John`s head, and the next he was creating a Time Bubble, freezing time everywhere around the bubble, but not within it, and it was just he and John and crushing silence.
And then he woke up, confused and groggy.
Startlingly blue eyes met his crimson ones as they slid open, and it was then he realized what he`d done.
During his sleep, the Time Bubble had gone down, and now it was night.
John smiled at Dave, and Dave forced himself to smile back, trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach.
Dave felt soft lips press against his, and could barely keep himself from pulling away.
John was happy, and for the first time, Dave wasn`t happy about that.
So he rose from the bed, gathering his clothes and sliding into them.
He heard John`s heartbreakingly confused voice from behind him.
"Dave?"
But Dave ignored it, finishing up getting dressed.
He felt strange. Lighter. As if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
He quickly figured out what it was.
His full powers were back.
Quietly, Dave exited the room, and a few moments later heard the soft patting of footsteps.
"Wait, Dave! Please wait! Where are you going?"
Dave felt a warm touch on his bare arm, and jerked away from it, stopping, trying not to look at John. "Don`t touch me." His voice was harsh, growling.
Dave could hear the shakiness in John`s voice when next he spoke. "Dave? What... What`s wrong, Dave?"
"I can`t... I can`t fucking do this to you, John." The blonde had tried to make himself sound strong, but his voice broke halfway through the sentence.
Dave could sense the tears on John`s face. "What are you talking about? Do what to me?"
Dave`s fists clenched, and he snapped his head in the opposite direction of John. "It doesn`t matter. I just... I`m in love with you, which is why I have to leave. Now."
Without another word, Dave left.
He heard no soft footsteps behind him, no words, no sniffling or wailing.
But he did hear the door creak open quietly, knew John was watching him go.
Dave noticed the sun rising, just barely bringing light into the dense forest.
He slid his shades back on, set his jaw, and pushed his shoulders back, standing tall as he disappeared from John`s sight, off into the woods.
Dave walked until he knew John couldn`t see him anymore, and glanced around him, finally finding the slight ripple in the Fabric of Time. He pulled it open, and stared into the Tear.
He finally looked behind him, and thought that, maybe if he squinted and tilted his head this way a bit... Was that John`s house? He liked to believe it was, as he stepped into the Tear.
It was always a strange experience, traversing the Tears. It felt like he was walking underwater, or maybe through lava? It was both a bone-shaking cold and a brain-melting hot.
But he liked the feeling, having heat and chill dance across his flesh as he walked through the endless grey matter.
He finally came to his stop, and glanced back one more time, at the Tear which was now only a slight ripple again. A sigh escaped his lungs, and he forced himself through to his own time.
The Tear slid closed behind him, and Dave felt warmth seep into his body.
He pulled out his phone, texting John. It was just two words.
"im back"
Then the phone returned to his pocket, after he shut it off.
He stood in the middle of a clearing. He was in a forest yet again.
The sun had just barely risen, casting light over the woods with some difficulty.
He looked behind him. Maybe if he squinted his eyes and tilted his head that way... Perhaps that was his best friend`s house? He`d like to think it was, as he turned back around and headed out of the trees.