"Why... Why did you do this to me..." Dave whispered, the darkening skies just matched everyone's mood, he was standing there, clad in his white and black tux, starring as the undertaker shoveled the last of the dirt in on the grave.
Everyone had left, but Dave remained.
The headstone was set there happily, they were in John's favorite place, the old cemetery, residing right near the bridge where he'd first met John.
After the undertaker had left, Dave sat there on the grave, staring at the tombstone
Johns name, age, and everything written out with a chorus of flowers around the stone.
Dave then looked up at the sky staring up at it a moment before shaking his head and gazing around the empty quiet cemetery, before his eyes landed on the old bridge.
"Good memories Egbert... Good memories" He whispered, feeling his eyes beginning to weaken their hold from behind his glasses.
Shall we relive this tale?
"Egbert! Can you swim Egbert?"
"NO!NO NO NO I CAN'T! PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!"
"Put you down? OKAY!"
With that it was the splashing sound. All Dave had seen in the distance was the form splashing down into the then overflowed creek. Reaching up to the banks and flooding into the cemetery. Anybody could stand up... except for the rocks . Now that.. that is what scared Dave Strider that day.
The moment he hit that bridge the kids bailed and Dave was up and over the stoned bridge before anything, splashing down into the water , swearing at the cold chills and feeling the stunning snap straight to his ankles, lucky he had enough bulk that the impact didn't crack his legs on his thin form, he ran around under the bridge,searching for the kid, before slipping and falling through a cavethrough in the rocks, sending him fully under the water... what he was stepping on wasn't mud though.
He reached down, grabbing whatever the item was and hauled up for air, pulling the item up he realized it was the kid... damn that kid was light... and also unmoving. He pulled the kid up out of the banks and up onto the higher part of the shore
"Kid... Hey kid.." Shaking him wasn't enough "Sorry about this kid but its gotta happen " Dave took a moment to think, then raised a hand and backhanded the kid, sending water and coughs through the air, snapping him from the numbing cold shock.
"What were you thinking not trying to get up under that water!" He said , pulling the kid up by his arm.
"Must have.. uh.. hit the rocks or something..." He said meekly, rubbing the back of his head slightly, wincing when he felt the huge knot.
" Well lets get you changed or something, as far as I know, people in drenched clothes like, get cold and then like... die. " Dave snickered when the kid when doe-eyed.
"Don't worry, I just hit you, I didn't kiss you!"He teased, watching the wide look match with a red face to go with it.
"W-Well … Uh... alright then. I don't live far fro-"
"My House is right over there" Dave pointed out from down the bridge, into the smaller portion of the town.
"O-ok..." John stuttered "Im John by the way, John Egbert" He smiled, holding out a hand.
Dave raised an eyebrow from behind his shades, "Dave … Dave Strider" He smiled a bit, reaching out and giving the kid a small shake, used to just saying a name and moving on.
"Dave. It fits" John smiled.
Dave grinned this time, before heading to wander down the bridge "C'mon Egderp. Lets get you changed." He said grinning as he waited for John to follow.
~
God that memory. They always met at the bridge when they wanted to hang out after that... Dave remembered the looks from Dirk when he'd brought John home.
John had called his dad and stayed at the house that night, the automatic click,
They'd spent hours playing video games before they'd even gone downstairs to meet Dirk. John clad in a pair of blue boxers and one of Dave's record shirts that was about twice his size.
Dave sat at the table, patting a seat next to him, Dirk watching him with Lil'CAL from the table.
John and Dave sat there just talking and stuff, and then after grabbing a bunch of junkfood and sodas from the fridge they were back upstairs with their games. They talked about girls, video games, everything.
They spent their lives like that, and the next morning seeing John with bedhead, sleepy eyes and still in his shirt, was the greatest thing to wake up to.
And when John was picked up by his older brother the next morning they sat by the door still talking , and Dirk answered the door when the knocks sounded .
A muscular built man, tanned skin, vibrant eyes and wearing khaki shorts and a tight t shirt, was standing there, smiling brightly.
"Time to go John"He smiled, reaching out a hand to help John up, who helped Dave up. Dave had watched Dirk stumble to find words to say and everything, boy after John left with Jake did they hear about it from eachother about liking the brothers.
~~
Dave shook his head as he remembered the years they'd spent together...
Even when they all had to team up and play that damn game and met their 12 other friends in the troll realm.
They'd said it was their happily ever after... but no...It turned into this, just this.
Pain, emotional heartbreak, everything to make things bad, worse and make him hate everything once more.
Dave remained there until he was forced to go home. He headed through the door in silence, and right for his room, ignoring the looks from Lil'CAL in the process.
He headed in there and closed the door, trying to get everything in order with his mind.
"Where to go from here..."He mumbled to himself, he stood there in the middle of his room before heading over to his bed, crawling under the blankets and basking in the warm smells and feeling of just being comforted .
~~