"Vietnam."
Daria was silent for several minutes. "What was it like?"
"You'd have to ask my brother about that; I was in action for all of three weeks before one of the men marching ahead of me tripped a wire. I woke up in a hospital in Japan, with a one-way ticket back home."
"And your brother?"
"Arlington."
XXXX
Some time later, DeMartino was exploring Daria's body with equal interest. The contrast to his own body was striking: Her youth and womanhood meant that she was all smooth curves, whereas his body was an uneven plateau in comparison. He fingered her belly button, causing her to jiggle with suppressed giggles. "I was pierced there once," she offered up before he could get the chance to poke her some more.
"Really?" DeMartino closely examined the flesh around the region. "No scar. Why did you get pierced in the first place?"
She should have let the tickling continue. "Um."
DeMartino stared at her expectantly.
"It was sort of...for a guy," she finally explained, closing her eyes in humilation.
They soon shot open again as DeMartino redoubled his tickling efforts. She leapt from the bed and DeMartino followed her, cackling like a madman.
XXXX
DeMartino spooned Daria, facing the window. The early morning sun flooded the room with orange light.
"Jane knows," Daria confessed. DeMartino's heckles rose.
"Will she tell?" he asked.
"No."
XXXX
Daria was dressed, missing only her green jacket to fill out her usual ensemble. She was knotting her boots as DeMartino buttoned his shirt. "Another weekend gone," she lamented.
She finished knotting the boots and walked over to DeMartino, who had begun the process of putting on a tie. Daria took over and began knotting it.
As she worked, she asked, "What are we?"
The question caught DeMartino off-guard. "Huh?" he replied intelligently.
"Are we dating?" Daria elaborated.
"Uh. I hadn't thought about it," he admitted.
"The thing is, I like you. I think I really like you. And while the sex is great, I'd like more. Besides, it's not like you can get in more trouble for dating me considering what we've already done."
DeMartino was silent. "Like...long-term?" he asked, as if the notion surprised him.
"Yes, Anthony." She pulled him to her with the knotted tie.
After a long moment, he pulled away. "You make a persuasive argument," he conceded. He leaned in again to seal the deal.
XXXX
DeMartino pulled the car to a halt in front of the Lane household. "Well, see you in class," DeMartino offered. Daria squeezed his hand -- a kiss naturally out of the question in public. She stepped out and watched as he drove off. As she moved towards the door to Jane's house, she noticed something off about the way she was moving. She looked down at her legs.
She was skipping.
