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[parodeity]

DAVE STRIDER

consider this your warning about stairs. itll just keep happening bro. im telling you man

VOICE | TEXT | VIDEO | ACTION

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[parodeity]

[ dave is a terrible boyfriend and should like

CLARIFY THAT????

instead he just kind of laughs. ]

Somethin' else like what?

[windeity]

[DAVE IS THE WORST BOYFRIEND...]

I don't know! If you didn't remember me there's no absolute guaranteeing you'd fall in love the same way and with me. Someone else might get to you first.

[parodeity]

I'd ask why you'd let them but we're both so demonstrably bad at actually hanging onto things that matter that the answer is like, self-evident.

[windeity]

I wouldn't. Let them, really, but it's more about you and your choices. You already know I'd give you everything in the world as long as I could, and if I couldn't I'd figure out a way how.

You being happy means a lot to me. [Which is why he let all of last month just go on its own.]

[parodeity]

Yeah, I mean, that's what I mean. If you told me right now you were dumping me to go date, idk, pick a random name from a hat, I'd kind of go "yeah okay, sounds legit" and just try to be your best friend again. I don't think I would actually stop you, and vice versa same story. It's the kind of people we are?

[windeity]

Does it ever worry you that I might do something like that? [Like. He doesn't want to or anything and he doesn't want Dave to go anywhere, but it doesn't hurt to ask.]

[parodeity]

Yes. [ but he doesn't specify which part worries him. ]

[windeity]

I do love you. Like. More than anyone. I can't even think of anyone I would date besides you even if I wanted to.

[parodeity]

I love you too. That wasn't the part that worried me.

[windeity]

Then what was?

[parodeity]

How easy it would be to break.

[windeity]

...[He just pulls him closer.] Explain to me?

[parodeity]

Why'd your last relationship break up, babe? Or mine, for that matter.

[windeity]

Because girls suck?

[parodeity]

Like for real. [ he smacks john's shoulder even though he laughed. ]

[windeity]

Because they wanted to leave and we just let them. [He tries to grab Dave's hand again since he smacked him :|]

[parodeity]

Yeah. You'd do it again with me. [ fine he can have the hand - no wait dave keeps it just out of reach and sits up. ]

[windeity]

I don't know. I already told you, I think, that you've changed that for me. [Dave sits up and John...doesn't.] Has it changed for you?

[parodeity]

I told you I thought maybe it had. [ he goes quiet for a second, but it's one of the pauses that's followed by words. ] Like. In some cases. If you genuinely just fell out of love with me, and into love with someone else, like - I don't know, would you do a thing about that in reverse? Of course I'm a selfish enough asshole I want you to be with me, but I also want you to be happy maybe more than I want that.

[windeity]

I think it's maybe a thing I haven't put too much thought into because I am very certain about how I feel about you. Like...even if there's a lot that separates us that I can't explain to you, you're still my favorite person in the whole world and I plan on sticking around as long as you'll stay.

I think maybe falling in love might be easier than falling out anyway. That's how I know I was never really in love with Vic.

[parodeity]

Yeah? [ he remembers that talk, sitting at the side of his high school pool. dave's restless again, shifting, and john didn't move so dave moves again, turning and straddling john and staring down at him in the dark and trying to think of words that make sense beyond the vague headache.

he only comes up with things john already knows. ] You're the only person I've ever been in love with in this lifetime.

[ it's said almost idly, even though he hadn't bothered to indicate he remembered any other, and then he leans down and kisses john because that's easier than words. ]

[windeity]

[His hands automatically slot themselves over Dave's hips and he grins instead.]

Yea--[He's very rudely cut off when Dave kisses him though, keeping it quiet and slow anyway. He eventually pulls away though because...yeah. There's no indication he remembered their previous life together which sucks, but. It's life now, he thinks.] ...yeah. Would you love me in the next one, too?

[parodeity]

[ this life. red eyes in the dark, and one of those stupid laughs that covers an uncertain reaction. he'd told john about it once, how he laughed when he didn't know what else to say sometimes. ]

I'm the one who's loved you twice. [ not the same way. it wasn't in love with anything in return, but something childish and secret and then the friendship that was always there.

a could-have-been but wasn't. ]

[windeity]

[He gets a better look as his eyes adjust in the dark again. He knows that about Dave, knows sometimes words are too much and the world's too big, but it's that phrase that makes it click into place.]

...[There's a deep breath before he just. Kinda. Launches himself at Dave even though Dave's in his lap which means they're both tipped over and he squeezes tighter than Dave's probably used to. There's a rushed, mumbled "holy shit you're back" and he's going to stay here for now. Farewell. Good luck moving him.]

[parodeity]

[ this effectively means dave's suddenly forced to use all of his flexibility, bent backwards in a kneeling position and not really bothering to stop it happening anyway. he doesn't protest or try to get john to make this more comfortable and less whatever it is, and john's stronger than he thinks and it's maybe too tight but he doesn't protest that either.

for a moment or two.

he smacks john on the arm after a second, though. ]