— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 .

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑶𝒀 𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑺 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳, 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑺 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑴𝑶𝑵𝑬𝒀!

cws: germaphobia, ocd, hypochondria.
#tdrp #mvrp #ocrp
penned by nia.

...𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑺 𝑾𝑹𝑶𝑵𝑮.

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

/ hi!! usually i wouldn't promo an acc for another verse here but i'd be very down to do crossover stuff soooo

@HORROR_TERIA

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"But we were sixteen."

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

Dave flinched at the sudden touch, but didn't recoil from it. His shoulders sagged, glancing aside uncomfortably.

"I just feel like I don't have the right to complain, you know? Because I get it, I brought all this on myself. I messed up. Badly."

His voice lowered. —

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"Hey, hey!"

He shouldn't move forward, he doesn't really have much of a right to comfort her, but instinctively, he sets his hand on her arm.

"Just breathe. Let go. Okay?" A pause, before a feeble laugh escapes him. "You're better at this than I am."

[Viola @OnStormsWings]

“And I’m mad at you too! So mad I…ugh!”

She grips hard onto her arm, to the point it nearly bleeds.

“I keep seeing those events again and again in my head, and they keep me up at night! It was…all such a mess!”

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

for a while...And now I can't go out in public because everyone knows me as that stalker guy from reality TV."

His voice lowered with each word, before suddenly perking up again.

"But I'm totally good with it!"

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"It's cool!" Dave was quick to wave a dismissive hand, cracking a smile that was painfully insincere. "I-I mean, sure, I almost killed the first person to show that much care towards me in an avalanche.

And then I got mauled by a robot bear...Got stranded on a robotic island —

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"Not — ...Not great. I'm not doing great."

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"Oh, no, I'm...It's good." Dave let go on cue, but near immediately moved to begin fiddling with the fabric of his vest.

The question seemed to physically disorient him, blinking in disbelief for a moment. He hesitated for a second, looking for the right words. —

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"I know! I messed up! And for my troubles, I was left on that island for..." His body trembled at the mere notion, shaking his head fiercely as if it'd somehow clear his mind.

"It was dumb! I was dumb! I did a dumb thing and I'm SO mad at you but you should be mad too!"

[Viola @OnStormsWings]

“A tree came close to crushing me! I nearly froze to death, and that hill falling and the avalanche-!”

Sky tried to wipe it all away with her arm, but she knew it wouldn’t stop it. No matter what happened…it all hurt.

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"I don't know what was wrong with me! I was ANGRY, and suddenly this way of getting some kind of payback was just dropped into my lap and I —"

His breath hitched, wiping fiercely at his face with his arm.

"I didn't think I'd REALLY hurt you! It still felt like a game!"

[Viola @OnStormsWings]

Sky flinched, ready for his verbal attack, but…it didn’t come. It…faltered?

He was apologizing? For everything? It…didn’t feel real.

“I’m…I’m sorry too. I’m so sorry!”

Tears were beginning to appear in the athlete’s eyes.

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

That...Caused Dave to falter, eyes sparking with surprise as he continues to clutch at his arm defensively.

"Okay." The word came out tentatively, as if still anticipating some kind of lecture. He drew a breath, bracing himself before speaking.

"What did you wanna know?"

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"Right, yeah." He muttered, voice clearly laced in suspicion as he took a seat, though not before viciously dusting off the space before sitting. A sigh escaped him, resting his head in his hand.

"You don't have to mince words, Jasmine. This is about Sky, plain and simple."

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

I'm just sorry!"

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"You still cheated on your boyfriend AND lied to me!" He pointed out indignantly, gesturing broadly around himself.

"And I'm SORRY but —" Dave began to yell, voice rich in sarcasm as he pointed an accusatory finger at her...That immediately faltered.

"Well, but nothing, -

[Viola @OnStormsWings]

“Because I DID want to be with you! I really did! It’s my fault that I didn’t explain everything, but you still didn’t want to hear it!”

She did admit that she had a fault in that, but even then?

“And my now ex was in the room when I made my audition tape, I had to say that-

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

troublesome branch, he set sights on Jasmine, moving to scratch at his arm uncomfortably.

"You...Wanted to talk?"

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

Dave hated this place. You spend a certain length of time on an island alone and you get pretty sick of it. He'd have been happy for the company, usually, but a sit-down chat with Jasmine wasn't exactly something he was looking forward to.

Ducking beneath a particularly -

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"You KISSED me, on international TV, just so I'd help you win your cash prize! You had that entire challenge to slip in a 'by the way, I have a boyfriend'!"

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

"Once! You tried to tell me ONCE. Couldn't have been that important of a 'but' if you dropped it so fast!" Of course he messed up.

Of course he WANTED to apologise, beneath a sea of spite, but standing in front of her now? Maybe he just wanted to get it out of his system. -

[Viola @OnStormsWings]

“What do you think I kept trying to tell you the whole time?! But you wouldn’t listen!”

Sky felt the urge to punch him, but she knew better. She couldn’t be cruel. That would make herself feel even worse.

“I intended to break up with him when I got back, and then date you! But-

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

Instinctively, Dave flinched back, hands raised defensively as if braced for a physical attack that obviously never came. Cracking an eye open reluctantly, he shot back,

"What am I SUPPOSED to say? 'Sorry you lost the million! How's your boyfriend doing'?!"

[Viola @OnStormsWings]

If anything, she felt like /she/ should be the one that’s angry. Enraged. But she felt a mix of it and terror upon just seeing him, but upon hearing him try to speak…something snapped.

“Hey? HEY?! That’s all you have to say after what you pulled?!”

[— 𝐃𝐀𝐕𝐄 ; 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 𝐆𝐔𝐘 . @SMITTENEUROSES]

God, angry doesn't begin to cut it. He's not sure if he's shaking from fear or rage or some kind of desperation for things to be normal, but...

Eventually, he croaks out a measly,

"Hey."

HEY?

[Viola @OnStormsWings]

Normally, she’d go over and try to calm him down. But after everything that had happened? After what he tried to do?

She’s trembling in place.