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A place for Man-D to put some of her shorter writing, a dump so that people can read the ridiculous things she writes for no reason.
A place for Man-D to put some of her shorter writing, a dump so that people can read the ridiculous things she writes for no reason.
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one.
He remembered the first time he'd gone swimming -- age seven, Bro had taken him to a pier. The water was deep, and rough that day. But no one was around, something that Dave remembered for a long time afterward. They almost seemed to respect the fact that the two brothers stood side by side, staring down at the brownish water below.
"You ready?"
Dave looked up at his brother, wondering what the fuck had convinced him into thinking that letting his little bro die a death by ocean was ever a good idea. He was uncertain, hands digging into the corners of his pockets. "Don't worry. I'm not about to let you drown."
Dave nodded, taking a breath. "Okay. Let's do this."
And on the count of three, the boys raced down the pier, vaulting over the safety rail and falling into the water below.
two.
On the station, the water was home.
It was quieter underwater, something that Dave could appreciate. Spending hours below the surface, letting the quiet seep into his bones and relax his mind. Thinking of things could be painful, sometimes. But with the dampened sounds of the water softly passing by, he could stay truly at home.
And so he explored, traveling farther from the shore, the ocean soon as indistinguishable from the rest. The beach was far behind him, but he didn't care; he had never cared how far he wandered, as it was simple enough to find his way back. When people started missing him, Dave concluded, then he would return.
But until then, he pulled his knees to his chest and allowed himself to slowly sink to the bottom, miles away from anyone. Relishing the silence.
three.
He showed Jade the ocean when she arrived. He wanted her to share it with him, the sense of belonging to something larger and more brilliant than he could ever be. Dave smiled slightly in the twilight, toes curling in the wet sand. He looked back at the girl behind him, who stood staring in awe. She still wasn't used to this, he knew -- she still didn't understand what had happened, and he didn't want to tell her.
Not yet.
But Jade smiled at him, her hair tangling in the breeze. She didn't understand, but Dave knew that wouldn't stop her from supporting him. She had said so herself -- no matter what you are, you're still my best friend, Dave! -- and he held her to that sliver of a promise. She grinned as he walked backwards, into the tide. And when he fell, body collapsing to meet the salty substance beneath, Dave could hear her laughter in his ears even after the water had swallowed the sound.
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"You're silly, Dave!"
The water splashed against Dave's sunglasses as Jade threw her arms around him, accidentally tumbling backwards into the water. Jade grinned when they popped back up to the surface, arms and legs wrapped around him casually, letting Dave swim for both of them.
"Hey, I'm not the one trying to drown people here." Jade stuck her tongue out at him, coughing when a wave hit her face. "You okay? Not dying, are you?"
"No, I'm okay--" she coughed again, letting go of Dave to swim back to shore. "I'm going to sit out, though."
"You don't wanna go deeper? I mean, don't worry, I know you're an ace swimmer and all--" his feet trail backwards of their own accord, taking him back into the water, where he belongs. Jade coughs for the final time and shakes her head.
"Go ahead! I don't really want to swim all that much, anyway…I'll watch, okay?"
Looking at her with uncertainty, Dave nodded, sinking down into the water and letting the wishful thinking slip away from him.
Of course. She wouldn't want to swim with a freak.
five.
"Dave, I'm sorry!"
He knew that she was following him, but Dave just ran faster, letting his feet hit the water and never stopping. Jade hadn't meant to make him angry -- it wasn't even anger, really, just frustration. He wanted her to understand a lot of things that she just wouldn't, or couldn't. Sometimes, he was frustrated, because she couldn't remember anything. He wished that she remembered, wished that she could understand.
"Dave, wait!"
But instead, he hid in the water, screaming in frustration and letting the anger wash away. He stayed there for hours, knowing that Jade couldn't follow, knowing it was ridiculous to act this way, feeling much less of a Strider for getting mad at a girl who couldn't help herself.
Later -- much later, hours later -- he finally got over himself and walked back to shore, not expecting anyone to be still standing there. But curled up on the shore, Dave saw the sleeping form of the girl who had followed him. She'd waited -- of course she did, he told himself. She always did. And, still waiting, she had fallen asleep on the beach. Dave sighed, crouching down beside her and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She was frowning, obviously dreaming about something unpleasant. Probably about their fight.
Picking her up, he let the sleeping girl in his arms cuddle against his chest, smiling slightly as she relaxed.
Who could ever be mad at Jade Harley?
zero.
Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her legs floating above them as they drifted through the ocean. Dave grinned, watching her reaction as she examined everything through ridiculous-looking goggles. Even underwater, she managed to look ridiculous, with a bathing suit that had seen better days and more matching colors and patterns. Jade's eyes were everywhere, examining things carefully despite the fact that without her glasses, she couldn't see a thing.
It's actually not so bad, Dave thought, watching Jade's wondrous expression. Going swimming had never been better.
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