“I promise,” A jittery, nervous executive stuttered, “The loss on inventory isn’t going to affect the company as much as we thought! We’re going to be fine.” Dave Strider sat across from him, feeling the anger fume up inside of him.
“You’re going to be fine.” Dave huffed. He began to hold his face to attempt to hide his anger. The two executives at the other end of the table grew anxious at his sudden change in attitude. A previously undisclosed figure like Strider was now growing annoyed towards them, and they began to fear for the worse.
“There’s really nothing to be worried about,” A another businessman spoke up, “The damage from the robbery wasn’t extreme. Production will only be set back for a little less than a year.” A quick sharp glare from Dave immediately made him close his mouth and dismiss whatever he was saying. Strider let out an exhale filled with stress, anger, and desperation.
“How does someone rob a company as big as mine?” Dave spoke angrily, his voice displaying his struggle to keep his fury under control, “Better yet, how does this happen, three. Times. In. A. ROW?” He slammed his fist on the table, unleashing a weeks worth of built up anger. The two men across from him looked stunned, fearing the sudden change of mood would put a halt to their careers. Dave shook his head and took another breath and crossed his knuckles. “I want extra security tonight. As much as possible. If that bastard gets in tonight, I want you to shoot him enough times that his body is filled with holes.” Dave spoke sternly.
“Yes, sir.” One of the businessmen breathed, fixing his posture, “It won’t happen again, I promise.” Dave stood up straight and looked the two in the eye.
“Good,” He sighed, taking off his glasses, “Because if anything is stolen tonight, you’re fired. The both of you.” The two men nodded in agreement. “Now get the hell out of my office.” The two men immediately left the office, the cunning silence cutting deep into their skins like a knife.
The hours began to fade soon after the tense encounter between the two higher-ups. The orange colored sky reflected onto the curtain wall of Dave’s office and onto the wooden auburn desk he sat behind. He tapped his fingers against the maple in anticipation for the requested security update from the storage facility. Suddenly, a knock against the office door echoed, interrupted the silence in the room.
“Mr. Strider?” An assistant spoke, poking her head through the door. Dave immediately fixed his posture and looked towards the assistant.
“I’ve been expecting you,” Dave said, holding his worries in his throat, “Any updates on the security status?” The assistant sorrowfully looked down at her shoes. She quickly stepped out as an older male stepped inside, his face veiled with a feeling of grim.
“We haven’t received any updates from the security forces.” The man choked. Dave looked to him confused.
“You interrupted my work just to waste my time with a useless piece of information?” Dave groaned in frustration.
“No, nothing like that,” The man assured, preparing his choice of words carefully, “Uh, security has been compromised, sir.”
“Excuse me?” Dave huffed, his face fuming with anger. He was only seconds away from jumping across the table and choking the man until his face turned blue. He fisted his hands until his knuckles turned white.
“I’m sure it’s fine, sir,” The man said, trying to lessen the anger of Dave, “It could just be a system error.” Dave stood up and paced around his office, his hands gripping onto the sides of his head.
“What the hell could that bastard even want that’s inside the vault?” Dave groaned in frustration, trying to understand the intentions of the criminal.
His mind raced through all the various possessions he had stored inside the vault, thinking of what the thief could possibly steal that he hasn’t already.
Well, Dave started thinking to himself, The vault has a couple hard drives with unreleased songs, some expensive art, personal items, that’s about-
Personal items.
“Shit.” Dave breathed, recalling the personal valuables he had stored inside the vault.
“What is it, sir?” The man asked nervously.
“Somethings inside that vault,” Dave said, attempting to mask his panicked expression, “I can’t lose it, you understand? I can’t, I just-“ Dave stopped himself with a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
“Sir,” The man started, “We can contact the authorities. I promise you, everything will be just fine.” Dave kept breathing heavily, feeling nervous beads of sweat fall down his neck.
“No.” Dave sighed, tapping his foot on the ground, “I’m going there.” The employee’s eyes widened as Dave revealed his plan.
“Sir, you can’t.” The man responded, “Do you even know how risky that is? You’ll get killed at best.”
“I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t try.” Dave admitted, gathering himself.
“There’s nothing worth risking your life over like this.” The man reasoned, Dave looked over to him, fisting his hands.
“You don’t get it.” Dave spat angrily, beginning to head out the door, “I don’t care if I live or die anymore, that’s long past me. Those things that I’ve stored inside that vault mean the world to me. If I die tonight, I’ll die protecting my world.” He looked back once more before rushing out the door.
Across the bustling city and through the grassy hills of Hollywood sat a decently sized metal storage unit, bordered by a large electric fence. Through the metal frame would usually sit a dozen highly trained officers on high alert, but tonight was different. The dozens of guards laid unconscious on the ground, the only conscious being inside the unit sitting hunched over, laughing to himself.
The hunched over creature was a pale white, paler than the bright side of the moon. He had no facial features, nor expressions, his body was lanky and covered in black spots of various sizes. This creature, better known as Spot, had just on knocked every guard inside the unit unconscious. Spot was highly entertained over his great power, especially after breaking into the vault with ease. To be fair, it was difficult for highly trained guards to take on a multi-dimensional being. Now the spotted-creature was digging through piles of Dave Strider’s possessions, attempting to find the object that would make him rich.
Well, to be honest, there wasn’t much of any real value inside these piles, nor even drawers of supposed wealth. He peered into a large storage closet, only to discover rolled up movie posters of various franchises. Hoping they would somehow be limited edition, he began to unroll them, only to find an Avatar: The Way of Water poster.
“Avatar? Seriously?” Spot muttered to himself. As he unrolled more of the posters, he came to the realization that they were all Avatar posters of the various movies and characters. He tore one in his rage, coming to the realization that this robbery might not be worth the risk.
He had to admit, this Dave Strider guy had some good taste. Avatar was one of the greatest franchises of all time, and this universe just so happened to have some great Avatar content. He shook his head, realizing he was getting distracted from his original goal.
Spot dug into another drawer, digging past the multiple printed photos with some… odd faces, to say the least. He picked up a pile of them, revealing multiple grey-faced horned creatures next to a guy with some cool shades. Really, really, cool shades. But, he couldn’t admire his shades all day. He put the photo down and looked to a black metal safe and picked it up, resting it on the drawer in-front of him.
He peeled a spot off of his body, placing it onto the side of the safe. The spot, instead of being an odd skin patch, turned to a portal. Spot reached his hand into the portal, feeling a hand sized box inside the safe. He gently pulled out the box, expecting an object of great wealth.
The box held a bright green exterior, decorated with a tag on the lid of the box. Spot held the tag with his pointer and thumb, attempting to read the odd handwritten message.
“Happy birthday…” Spot mumbled, reading the text, “Dave… from… John? Is that right?” The text seemed to be written in colored pencil, faded from time. Spot gently opened to box, out of pure curiosity for what was inside.
Inside the box contained lined paper, a lengthy letter written on-top of the paper. He brought the paper closer to his face, trying to read the faded words.
“You just gotta… spread your wings?” Spot read after attempting to read past all the other faded words.
He looked into the box to see a pair of scratched triangular shades, looking identical to the ones he saw in the photo. Even though they were in pretty poor condition, Spot could still see his reflection inside the glass. Suddenly, a loud blaring noise came across the air, making Spot jump in surprise. Alarm lights flickered across the unit.
“Get your hands off of that.” A man breathed ruggedly. Spot moved his hands away from the box, raising up his arms.
Blinking red lights reflected off of the spotted man’s pale body, almost blinding Dave. The spotted creatures limbs were freakishly shaped, uncanny to the point of a chill being ran up his spine.
“What the fuck are you?” Strider demanded, his breath shaky with fear. The spot ridden man turned to face him, his entire face covered by a giant black dot.
“That’s a surprise.” The spotted creature chuckled, moving himself closer to Dave.
“Get the hell away from me.” Dave stuttered, as sweat poured from his face. The spotted man chuckled, not seeming to be phased by the empty threats of Dave. He clutched Dave’s chin, his free hand gently caressing his tie.
“I’ll give you credit. I didn’t expect the Dave Strider to try and stop me,” The spotted man smiled, tightening his grip on the other man, “You can call me Spot.” Strider hitched his breath as he stared into the black hole on the Spot’s face. Even with no eyes, it was like Spot was seeing straight through the disguise he wore on his face.
“Okay, Spot,” Dave said in a confused tone, “Uh, can you, let me go now?” The spot chuckled before loosening his grip.
“Oh Mr. Strider, I thought you were smarter than this,” Spot laughed, gripping the back of Strider’s head, “You know I can’t let you go just yet, I’m not through with you.” Dave’s breath became heavy as he clenched his fists in fear.
“Well, shit.” Strider breathed, “Well, what do you want?” Spot smiled, if you can even call his facial expression a smile.
“You don’t have to act smart with me, Strider,” Spot chuckled, looking further into Dave’s eyes, “I see past what you’ve been holding for such a long time.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Strider gulped, even more sweat dripped down his face.
“Don’t act surprised with me. This was a long time coming,” Spot said, anger seething through his voice, “Your a disgusting, sick fuck, you know that, right?
“I’m the disgusting sick fuck?” Dave quivered, “I’m not the one stealing valuable property of a very, very, influential and important person. Do you even know what I can do to you?” He began to struggle, attempting to escape from Spot’s grasp. Spot clicked his tongue and only tightened his grip even further.
“I’m very, very aware of where you think your power lies,” Spot laughed, “I’ve been taking your things for a while now, i’ve just never expected you to show up. You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Spot clenched Striders wrist, making him breathe through his teeth in surprise. He felt his entire persona crumble through the intensity of the scene.
“Alright, what the hell do you want? Money? A couple days of fame? I can do or get you whatever the hell you want.” Dave spat, letting his fear take over his mind.
“I don’t want any of those things,” Spot laughed, tracing his thumb over Strider’s lips, “I want you.” Strider furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
“Excuse me? Am I hearing this right?” Strider asked, his fear still residing inside his voice, “What do you mean by ‘wanting me?’” He wasn’t sure if he was terrified, flattered, confused, or a mix of both. A confused expression stuck on his mind, as a slight smile appeared across his face.
“Do you… want to go out with me?” Spot was little slightly aback by how upfront he seemed.
“Well uh,” Spot trailed off, “Yes. Your smarter than I give you credit for.” Spot began to regret his horrible improv, Dave’s eyebrows raising in surprise.
“Oh. Okay.” Dave responded. Despite the panic of his voice seeming to fade into oblivion, the alarm bells of his mind kept ringing throughout his body.
“What? You’re not, asking questions? Like, at all?” Spot stuttered. He attempted to keep his power apparent, but he slowly lowered his posture as Dave seemed to look calmer than he was supposed to in a situation like this.
“It’s whatever,” Dave began, trying to hold a smile under the powerful grasp of spot, “I get to have a night out with a man who knows how to impress a man like me.”
“What the hell do you even mean by that?” Spot yelled, furious that his tactics hadn’t worked on Dave.
“I mean,” Dave smiled, moving his gaze up and down Spot’s figure, “A man like you really knows you to make an entrance. I mean, grabbing me all like this just to ask me out?” Spot’s grip began to slip in surprise. He became flustered from the words of his captive, not knowing what to say or do to keep his composure. Dave took quick notice of these actions and let out a chuckle.
“A little shy, aren’t we?” Dave teased, “Don’t worry, it happens all the time. So, where are you taking me?” Spot sighed in frustration. He couldn’t understand why Dave was acting oddly calm in a life or death situation after all the hard work he put into his act.
To be frank, Spot couldn’t care less about where him and his date would be going, nor did he even care about Dave himself. He hated him at the very least. His stupid voice, ego, and even his inability to understand that he was under threat by The Spot. If anything, this date was going to be his way to make sure he could finally get into the last of Dave’s valuables. However, this “flirting” act Dave began putting up had him confused. He wasn’t sure how to feel about his words, but he couldn’t let himself be distracted from his goal.
“Well, how about we just go somewhere small like…” Spot began. He wasn’t sure where to go, but he thought a small diner would be the perfect destination for the pair, “Denny’s?” Dave looked to Spot in pure disbelief. He seemed insulted that Denny’s was even brought up in the same room as him.
“Are you being serious right now? You’re not joking?” Dave asked, his tone disgusted, “You seriously want to take me to Denny’s?” Spot didn’t understand his question.
“What do you mean? Did I say something wrong?” Spot asked, his voice full of curiosity.
“What’s wrong is that you want to take the Dave Strider to Denny’s,” Dave scoffed, feeling furious at Spot, “I can excuse practically kidnapping me, but even threatening to take me to Denny’s?”
“What the hell is even wrong with Denny’s?” Spot yelled back.
“Well, not only is the food absolute shit, you don’t even go to Denny’s for the food.” Dave argued, “Everyone knows you go to Denny’s to do crack or to get your dick sucked, and i’m not in the mood for either right now.” Spot looked to the ground, slightly embarrassed by how he came off.
“Okay, well, if you’re so insulted by me even being CONSIDERATE of what you want, maybe I shouldn’t even bother giving you all your stuff back,” Spot said in frustration, his voice rising into his more threatening pattern of speech, “Maybe I should just leave with all of your shit, because you clearly don’t care enough about your valuables.”
Dave jumped a little in surprise, his eyes widening once he mentioned leaving with all of his possessions and never returning. Even though he could try all he wanted to hide his feelings, he could never pretend that the things Spot stole from him didn’t mean the world to him.
“W-woah, okay, let’s not get too drastic, alright?” Dave stuttered. His worries began to get the best of him yet again, even after affirming his confidence through his flirty comments.
Although his demeanor throughout the last few moments had remained flirtatious, his mind was racing through emotions of fear and anxiety. Spot was the most terrifying individual Dave had met since all those years passed, and he didn’t know how to handle him. During his entire life he had refused to let himself seem anything other than ‘cool’ in the eyes of the public. Whenever an issue came up, he would always put a on smile to mask his feelings of pure fear. If a man like Spot knew how he truly felt? Dave prayed he would never find out. All he could do was to hide his dread and hope that he and Spot could come to a peaceful enough conclusion.
“I can get us into a restaurant, a nice restaurant, in-fact,” Dave suggested, a hint of anxiety in his voice, “It’s just downtown, does that sound good?”
“Just fine.” Spot sighed, “Hold on a second.” Spot moved his hand down his body before landing his hand on a large black spot, peeling it off of his pale white body. He then seemed to place it on the air, expanding it with his hand.
“What the hell? How did you-“ Dave asked in shock.
“Yeah yeah, long story.” Spot replies, “So, are you getting in or not?”
“But how?” Dave asked again, still trying to fathom the Spot’s abilities, “That’s so cool.” The large black dot on Spot’s face slightly widened in surprise to Dave’s compliment.
“You think that’s cool? Really?” Spot said in surprise. He was taken aback over someone acknowledging his abilities for what seemed like the very first time. He wasn’t sure what to say, he only felt a wave of appreciation flush over him.
“Out of all the things i’ve seen, I can’t say that i’ve seen anything like this before,” Dave began, “So, yeah, you are pretty cool.” Spot slightly chuckled as he felt his face get warm. Dave noticed this and smiled a little, feeling slightly more relaxed around Spot.
He looked at Dave’s smile and felt an even warmer sensation throughout his body. This time, he could feel how genuine Dave’s comment was, and that he truly thought Spot was cool. He could hardly believe that he felt this charmed to someone he didn’t even like, or, did he like him? Spot shook his head, letting the thoughts of Dave’s smile disappear into the air. He quickly reminded himself of his mission and sighed.
“Well, whatever.” Spot murmured, grabbing Dave’s wrist, “Let’s get outta here.” A feeling ran up Dave’s spine as Spot touched him.
Unlike the previous touches Spot placed onto him, this touch didn’t make him fear for his life. Spot was still scaring the life out of him, but at-least Spot being flustered by his actions was making him a little less threatening. If he could just keep this act up for tonight, maybe he’d get out of here alive.
“Just to set the record straight,” Dave said, “Nothings going to happen to me once I go through that portal, right?”
“Yeah, you’ll be fine,” Spot replied, “Why? are you scared?”
“I’m not scared.” Dave stubbornly mumbled to himself, “I just don’t really trust you. That’s all.” Spot seemed slightly offended by his comment. He put his hand through the portal, waving it.
“See?” Spot said, “Nothings gonna happen. Now, hurry up.”
The pair slowly walked into the black portal, Dave taking steady steps in caution of what could be on the other side. Spot impatiently pulled Dave through the portal once he reached the other side. In front of them was a brightly lightened street lined with large buildings on either side. The sun was reaching down into the ground as a dark blue ran over the horizon, speckling the sky with tiny stars.
Dave stumbled onto the sidewalk, clinging onto Spot’s arm for stability. He huffed a sigh of relief, still feeling shaken up from being knocked into the portal. Spot shook Dave off his arm, slightly annoyed with him.
“Alright, you lead the way.” Spot said, unaffectionately holding Dave’s hand. He hated being out in public, especially is such a large city.
He tensed up slightly as he looked to see people walking down the streets, staring almost directly at him. Dave took notice of Spot’s sudden tension and moved his thumb to the back of Spot’s palm, gently rubbing his skin. He began to lead the two of them to a restaurant.
“Uh, are you alright?” Dave mumbled, in a slightly caring tone, “You seem pretty tense.” Spot seemed confused at Dave’s sudden gesture. He didn’t expect such a moving reaction to his tension.
“I’m fine.” Spot sighed, swiftly following Dave. Dave looked up to Spot with concern.
“Are you going to be fine during our date?” Dave asked, concerned with Spot’s anxieties, “I don’t want you to feel.. uncomfortable.” As Dave slipped those words out of his mouth, he felt a wave of embarrassment crash over him.
Spot was confused over how caring Dave was being over his feelings. He couldn’t understand why the man he felt such a hatred towards was acting kind to him all of the sudden.
“Why do you care so much?” Spot replied, his voice monotone. Dave felt his face turn hot, regretting saying anything at all.
“Just, forget I said anything.” Dave said, “I don’t even know why I said that.” Dave looked to his shoes, wondering why he even cared this much about Spot. He hardly interacted with him, and all those interactions included fear he hasn’t felt in a while.
But, maybe it had something to do with how he acted, Dave thought to himself. Spot talked slowly, didn’t think too much of himself, got flustered easily over his comments, and saw through his “cool” persona. Something about their conversations reminded him of a friend he hadn’t seen in decades. Spot felt like someone he could talk to with ease. But, what if it’s all just a front to get to him? The two sides of Dave’s feelings towards Spot began to conflict, leaving him confused. But, for now, All he could do is try to get through the date with minimal casualties.
“This might be a weird question,” Dave began, “But do you even eat?”
“Of course I do, I just don’t need to eat.” Spot replied, “I’ll show you.” Dave was confused on how Spot could eat, images he did not want to see appeared in his mind.
The pair stopped in-front of a large concrete building, glass covering almost every inch of the surface. Light illuminated from the inside, reflecting onto Spot’s and Dave’s faces. Loud chattering and noises of rushing waiters could be heard from inside. A host stood outside of the restaurant with a wooden podium in-front of him.
“Well, this is it.” Dave said, looking over to Spot. Spot still seemed nervous, but he felt a need to not want to upset Dave. He felt stupid for even caring about Dave after he did the bare minimum, but he had never been treated in such a way since the accident.
The two of them began to walk towards the podium, heads turning towards them. Spot sighed, knowing the feeling of being stared and gawked at all too well. Dave fixed his hair, aligned his sunglasses before standing in-front of the host.
“Hello sir,” Dave smiled, rest his elbow on the podium, “Can we get a table for two over here?” The host’s eyes widened as he locked his eyes onto the man in-front of him.
“You’re, Dave, Dave Strider, right?” The host stuttered, looking him up and down.
“Correct, sir.” Dave responded, tapping his fingers against the wood impatiently. The host’s eyes trailed off to Spot, who was standing besides Dave. The host felt an odd sense of fear trail up his spine as he saw the pale, spot ridden creature.
“What’s that thing next to you..?” The host asked, his voice slightly shaky. Dave seemed slightly offended over Spot being called a “thing”.
“Oh, him?” Dave said, pointing his thumb to Spot, “He’s my the absolute love of my life, my wonderful boyfriend, that’s all.” Spot looked over to Dave in embarrassment.
“Boyfriend?” Spot said in an angry tone, “I’m not your boyfriend!” Dave looked over to him, holding a hand in-front of him.
“It can talk…?” The host said, slightly shocked.
“Yeah, HE can talk,” Dave corrected, “Sorry if he’s a little cranky, he has really bad late stage dementia, and can’t remember that he’s my boyfriend.”
“Dementia? What the hell are you going on about?” Spot questioned, his voice rising in anger.
“See? He can’t even remember that he has dementia,” Dave said, flashing a smile to Spot, “Truly an awful disease.” Spot couldn’t say anything, because the words that could come out of his mouth would get him thrown in jail. He could only seethe in anger at Dave, and his stupid smile.
“Alright. I’ll get you and your… friend seated.” The host said, still in a shocked state of mind.
“He’s my boyfriend.” Dave corrected under his breath. Spot heard him and felt his face turn warm. Even though he knew he was lying so nobody would question them, having someone fight for him to be respected was a breath of fresh air.
“Thank you.” Spot said, his voice genuine. His voice wasn’t filled with anger, fear, or frustration, but pure appreciation for Dave’s gratitude.
Dave looked into Spot’s face. He could tell that Spot felt truly thankful for Dave, just for doing the bare minimum. Dave turned away quickly, his face a slight tint of light pink.
“Yeah, don’t mention it.” Dave coughed, following the host to their seats. It seemed that neither of the two wanted to admit their sudden chemistry they had with each other.
They made their way up a staircase before being seated at a table overlooking the nearby buildings and harbor. The host left the pair to fulfill other orders. Dave begun to feel sweat drip onto his face. He had been on a few dates, but never with someone he felt this way towards. For the first time, Dave was nervous over a date, and he wasn’t sure what to say.
Meanwhile, Spot was tense, looking over his shoulder to see people constantly staring at him. He didn’t have time to worry about a fake date with someone he didn’t have strong feelings towards, he had to worry about the reactions of other people towards his freakish spot-ridden body.
“So uh,” Dave spoke nervously, his leg shaking uncontrollably, “Pretty hot out, isn’t it? If only the sun could just, let out its flames for a few seconds, we’d all be fine.” Dave felt his body revolt at his pathetic excuse for small talk. He wanted to jump out of the window for that line.
“The sun isn’t hot because of its flames.” Spot began, turning to Dave, “The sun is hot because of its weight. The sun could be made of a bunch of plastic buckets and still be as hot as it is now because of its weight.” Dave looked at him in silence.
“Fucking nerd, I was just trying to make small talk with you.” Dave sighed, crossing his arms. Spot took great offense to his comment.
“Nerd? This is quantum physics, something that’s very, very important to our understanding of the universe!” Spot replied, slightly yelling, “Quantum physics can prove that alternative dimensions exist! It’s the fabric of the universe!” Dave scoffed at the mention of alternate dimensions.
“Yeah, I know alternate dimensions exist.” Dave chuckled. He seemed entertained with Spot’s sudden rant.
“Wait, you do? Seriously?” Spot said with excitement in his voice, “You know? I don’t have to explain it to you?”
“Yep.” Dave responded, “Alternate dimensions, timelines, versions, all of that.” Spot seemed to be filled with excitement as Dave spoke.
“I’ve never met anyone who seriously knows they exist!” Spot smiled, “Wait, how do you know that they exist?” Dave seemed a little taken aback by the question.
“Got involved with it a couple decades ago.” Dave spoke, not seeming to want to mention it, “I don’t really like to talk about it anymore.” Spot seemed a little upset over Dave not being as enthusiastic as he was over alternate universes, but he didn’t want to push him.
“Alright, well, anyways,” Spot began, feeling himself get even more excited, “I’ve been doing this alternate universe theory for decades of my life, trying to understand the science of it all…” Spot started to trail off about his study over the alternate universe theory.
Dave began to smile as Spot ranted about his lifelong work. Now, he really reminded him of someone he used to know. Dave gazed into Spot’s face, not paying much attention to his words, but admiring his excitement. He started to feel a sense of familiarity and comfort with Spot that he had been longing for. Spot felt so human in that moment, reminding Dave of how desperate he was to form a relationship with someone after years of crippling loneliness.
“…and that’s about most of it.” Spot breathed out, breathless from ranting without stopping, “That’s not even mentioning my time travel theory, I could start right now or-“ Before Spot could finish, the waiter place their plates onto the table. Dave sighed a breath of relief. He didn’t know how much more of quantum physics he could handle before imploding.
“Well, you wanted to know how I eat, right?” Spot said, looking at his plate of pasta. Dave nodded out of morbid curiosity.
Spot grabbed the plate of pasta and dumped the noodles into the large black spot covering his face, absorbing the food into his spot. Dave’s jaw hung open, not expecting Spot to dump a plate of pasta into one of his holes. Spot placed the empty plate in-front of him, looking at Dave’s shocked expression.
“Why are you so confused?” Spot asked, “How else did you think I would eat?”
“Not like that, that’s for sure.” Dave said, his mind still processing what just happened. Spot laughed to himself, realizing how much he had missed the feeling of being treated as equal with other people.
His gaze trailed up to Dave’s face. He straightened himself and looked at his features. Spot had to admit, he was pretty attractive, and his smile might of not been as stupid as he thought. However, he needed to stop. He couldn’t let himself forget his original goal, no matter how hard it was. As he looked away from Dave, he noticed everyone around the pair staring at them. Not just them, but Spot, specifically. He could see them whispering, pointing, laughing.
“They’re looking.” Spot whispered, shielding his face with one of his hands. Dave looked at the people around them before fixing his gaze on Spot.
Dave knew that this presence of unwanted stares was brutal. He could hardly imagine what Spot had to bear throughout his entire life looking like that. He reached his hand over Spot’s to keep him in check.
“Hey, are you alright?” Dave asked, his voice full of concern for Spot. Spot looked up a little at him, feeling a light in the darkness.
“No,” Spot murmured, “I really just want to get out of here.” Dave nodded.
“Alright,” Dave whispered, caressing Spot’s palm with his hand, “There’s a park a few blocks from here, why don’t we just go there instead?” Spot looked up at him fully, their heads level with each-other. For the first time, Spot felt like his needs were finally being taken into consideration.
Dave had a genuine desire to care for Spot’s feelings, and Spot was starting to fall for him. Spot began to forget about his original goal. He knew deep inside that he couldn’t ever steal from the only man who could see past his freakish appearance and have a real relationship with him. Thoughts raced around his mind as he felt the warmth of Dave’s hand on his skin. Spot didn’t know if he could ever give Dave the satisfaction he would need in a relationship. He had a nemesis to destroy, after all. Besides, Dave’s probably just being nice to me, Spot thought to himself. But, if this was the last time he’d ever see Dave, he was going to make it last as long as possible.
“Yes,” Spot replied, “I’d really like that.” Dave smiled at him and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of his chair. He began to walk himself and Spot to the exit, taking gentle and steady steps to match with Spot’s nervous pace. The pair had made their exit and were now heading down the brightly colored avenue.
“It should just be a few blocks from here,” Dave said, “Are you going to be alright?”
“Yeah,” Spot assured, “It’s not as bad when i’m with you.” He slightly squeezed Dave’s hand in appreciation.
Dave over to Spot, his true feelings starting to flutter inside of him. A light blush came across his face as his body began to pulsate with a waves of emotion. He put his free hand over his mouth, trying to hide his expression. Spot chuckled at this gesture, squeezing his hand even tighter in hopes of getting more of a reaction from Dave.
“So, uh,” Dave started, trying to mask his feelings, “Why did you go through all of that effort just to ask me out?” Spot gulped, remembering his original goal.
At this point, he wasn’t so sure if he wanted to go along with his plan. Spot looked at Dave once again. His darkened-blond hair was blowing slightly in the wind, his glasses reflecting the colors of the illuminated sky, and his smile. His dumb, charming, beautifully stupid smile, complimented by his light-pink blush. Spot could forget about the entire world while staring into his face. He could hardly believe this was the face of the man he was going to ravage, become a theft of everything he had ever known with little to no thought. Instead of Spot stealing Dave’s possessions tonight, Dave had stolen Spot’s heart, and what a beautiful feeling it was.
“I, uh,” Spot stuttered, not wanting to ruin this moment between the two of them, “It’s not for a very good reason. Pretty bad reason, actually.” Dave seemed slightly confused over his comment. He stayed silent for a moment, before breaking the silence.
“You can tell me anything, you know.” Dave said, trying to reassure him with a smile. Spot looked at his smile and sighed.
“Well, uh,” Spot began, “I wanted to ask you out so I could, uh, steal more of your things, sorry.” Dave stayed silent for a moment, worrying Spot over what he could be thinking about.
“Huh.” Dave uttered, “I kinda expected that, not gonna lie.” Spot was surprised over how nonchalant Dave seemed was about this entire situation. Deep inside, he knew Dave wasn’t okay, however. It always looked like he held up a front for everyone he met.
“I’m sorry,” Spot apologized, “I really don’t think that anymore, I promise.” Dave was silent again before breaking the silence.
“You better not be lying,” Dave spoke, “I’ll kick your ass for making me feel this way around you if you’re lying.” He turned his face away as he admitted his feelings.
“You… feel good around me?” Spot said in surprise. Dave turned to Spot again.
“What took you so long?” Dave asked, “I thought it was obvious.” Spot felt slightly stupid for not realizing sooner.
“Well, uh,” Spot began, “Maybe because I’ve been rude to you since the moment I met you?” Dave chuckled a little.
“I know you’re a little messed up,” Dave smiled, “But under all that, you’re a pretty nice guy. You remind me of someone.” Spot was incredibly flattered over his comment.
“Wow, uh,” Spot said in surprise, “Who do I remind you of?” Dave felt his ears turn warm as he remembered his past friends.
“My old friends.” Dave spoke, feeling a weight being lifted off his chest, “We were pretty close, I haven’t seen them in a while. I’ve, missed them, a lot.” His voice seemed to crack as he mentioned missing them.
“Why haven’t you seen them in a while if you were so close?” Spot asked, confused. Dave his heart drop, not wanting to remember what happened.
“We’re here.” Dave said, ignoring what Spot asked him.
In front of them was a large iron arch, opening it’s gates into a green, secluded field shaded by various oak trees. A gravel path ran through the grassy hills and wooded areas. There was seemingly no other souls in the park other than Dave and Spot.
“It’s okay.” Spot said, realizing that Dave might not want to talk about it, “You don’t have to tell me anything.”
“There’s an area over here that we can sit down at.” Dave said, pointing to the left split of the path. He began to lead Spot over to the area, still clutching onto his hand.
“If it helps,” Spot began, noticing how Dave was ignoring his questions, “I think you’re a pretty cool guy.” Dave looked over to him, before looking away, not saying a single word to him.
“Cool?” Dave replied, “I’m not cool. Not at all.” Spot was surprised over how Dave thought so little of himself.
“Are you kidding?” Spot said, “Your one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. While I was threatening you, you just took it! You didn’t even flinch. I was so mad at you too!” Dave was starting to feel irritated at Spot as memories began to flood back into his mind.
“I was just scared.” Dave whispered.
“Wait… you were scared? Really? Of me?” Spot said, slightly excited over being scary to someone.
“Yes, damn it.” Dave said, his voice slightly cracking, “I always do that. Because i’m just a stupid, scared little kid who’s never grown past anything.” He was close to tears after admitting that he’s felt fear before for the first time in his entire life.
“If somethings wrong,” Spot began, “You can tell me. I’m here for you.” Dave sniffled, trying to prevent himself from crying.
Dave could hardly hold it in anymore. All the pain, regret, burdens and guilt he held over the years was killing him. He needed to tell someone. Even if Spot wouldn’t be around after tonight, that was enough. All he wanted was to let out all this pain, no matter how hard it would be.
“Can we just, sit down first?” Dave huffed. Spot nodded, leading Dave to a bench on a stone bridge, overlooking a river.
Dave sat next to Spot, not knowing how to start. A million thoughts raced through his mind, but not one word he could say would be able to convey the emotion he has held in for so long. Spot noticed this, placing his hand on Dave’s to comfort him.
“Take your time.” Spot said assuringly.
“God, I don’t know how to start,” Dave sighed, “Bear with me, some of these names might sound a little weird. Do you remember when I told you that you reminded me of some old friends?”
“Yes, what about them?” Spot responded, holding curiosity in his voice.
“They have names,” Dave said, “Jade, Rose, and John. There were a lot of others, though.” Dave paused and took a deep breath before continuing.
“Something bad happened to us. Something really, really awful.” Dave sniffed, “There wasn’t a way out of it. I saw so much pain, so much suffering, I didn’t know what to do.” Spot nodded, holding Dave’s hand a little tighter.
“Well, after it was over, I was stuck. I was still so scared, even after all those years,” Dave told, his voice slightly breaking, “I just separated myself from them. John, all my friends, I was such a pussy that I couldn’t even face them, talk to them.” His voice was filled with self-loathing, all the regret was finally pouring into his words.
“That’s understandable,” Spot assured, trying to comfort Dave, “Whatever happened to you was horrible, you can’t blame yourself or anyone from distancing away.” Dave sniffed, pausing to take a few breaths.
“But they tried,” Dave began, “They tried to talk to me. They always tried calling me, sending me letters, but, I couldn’t even do it. I couldn’t even fucking message them back, Spot.” He was on the verge of collapsing into tears, his voice shaky with every word he spoke.
“John got married, and I couldn’t even go to his fucking wedding, because I was scared.” Dave huffed, “All of them tried. They tried so hard, and I let them down. Cool guys don’t do that.” He wiped his tears before continuing.
“About a week ago, one of them messaged me, and I finally responded.” Dave breathed, “He was so happy, he wanted to see me again so bad, everyone did, that’s what he told me, anyways.”
“What’s his name?” Spot asked, his voice gentle and soothing.
“It’s a weird name, Karkat.” Dave smiled, remembering all his memories with him, “He told me about everyone. Rose and Kanaya got engaged, John’s gonna be a dad, and apparently Jake and Dirk are talking to each other again.” Spot looked over to Dave, confused over who half of these people were.
“You’re probably really lost, my bad.” Dave chuckled, feeling a weight being lifted off his shoulders, “Karkat told me that he convinced one of our other ‘friends’, Gamzee, to go to rehab a few months ago. He’s getting out in two weeks.” Dave looked at his shoes and let out a sigh.
“Good for him,” Spot said, “Is there anything wrong about that?”
“No, not at all, I’m glad he’s in rehab,” Dave began, “It’s just, after telling me, he said that he’s inviting everyone over for a reunion. He told me everyone really missed me, and they would really want to see me again.” Dave sighed once again.
“Apparently everyone’s going. I’m the only one who hasn’t said anything about going yet. I’m just, so scared.” Dave breathed, “I haven’t changed since. I’m still a scared little pussy, who couldn’t even face the people who wanted to help him.” He got sad once again.
“What’s gonna happen when they see me again and realized I’ve never changed?” Dave sighed, “I can’t imagine them still thinking highly of me after ignoring them for such a long time. I’m probably just not gonna go, but that would kill them.”
“You should go.” Spot spoke, feeling a little shocked that Dave was considering not going, “There’s a reason they keep reaching out to you, you know.”
“They think I’m a ‘cool tough guy’.” Dave said, “When they realize that’s not who I am, they’ll be disappointed.”
“And how do you know that?” Spot asked, “I can’t imagine a reason why they would hate you over being traumatized.”
“It’s not that,” Dave started, “I lied to them. I kept up a front for such a long time because I was scared, instead of just talking to them.” Spot nodded, letting Dave know that he understood where he was coming from.
“My point still stands.” Spot said, “If something this horrible happened to all of you, to the point you’re still not healed? I’m sure they’ll understand why you’ve lied for such a long time. You can even talk to them about what happened, they’ll be the ones who understand you the most.” Dave sighed a sigh of relief, having someone reasonable talk him through this.
“Yeah, you’ve got a point.” Dave said, “It’s gonna be tough, though. I mean, some people I’ve had awful experiences with are going. He said they want to say sorry and stuff, but whatever. I’ll see how I feel once I get there.”
“I’m proud of you.” Spot smiled, feeling Dave’s hand, “You’ve got people who care a lot about you, that’s not something everyone’s got.” Dave smiled to himself, looking over to Spot.
“Thank you.” Dave smiled, “Your a really good guy. It feels good to finally get that all out.” Spot was surprised over being called ‘a good guy’.
“I’m not a good guy.” Spot said, almost laughing, “I just steal and rob people. Well, it’s understandable, because I can’t get a job looking like this.” Spot sounded disgusted at himself, pointing to his body.
“I’ve seen worse.” Dave joked, “How the hell did that even happen anyways? Is it a birth defect? Are you some kind of alien?” Spot stayed silent for a moment before answering.
“A particle collider incident.” Spot answered, a lick of anger in his voice, “It was caused by Spider-man. He made me this way.” Dave slightly smiled.
“Like the comic book character?” Dave asked, “I’m not trying to be rude here, I swear.”
“He’s a real person where I’m from. I’m from another dimension, can’t believe I forgot to tell you.” Spot laughed. Dave looked over to him, eyebrows slightly raising in surprise.
“Yeah, pretty big detail you left out.” Dave said, “Tonight’s been crazy, I should have expected that.”
“Anyways,” Spot began, “After what he did to me, I’ve been alone. Everyone avoided me. I haven’t been able to get a job, because I look like a freak.” Anger shadowed his words, he truly resented who he was.
“I don’t think you’re a freak.” Dave said, leaning on Spot’s shoulder.
“It’s not that easy.” Spot said quietly, sighing to himself, “He ruined everything. I’m stuck like this forever. I can’t function like a regular human.” Dave let out a small yawn, not wanting to make Spot feel like his story was boring him.
“Well, what can you do about it?” Dave asked. He was starting to drift off to sleep in his hold.
“Return the favor.” Spot said devilishly, “He took everything from me, so I’ll take everything from him.” Dave started thinking to himself about Spot’s situation, along with his plan.
“That’s a stupid idea.” Dave shrugged nonchalantly.
“What?” Spot questioned, surprised Dave would even say such a thing, “What do you mean that’s a stupid idea?”
“Taking everything he has isn’t going to change what happened to you.” Dave said, “Your still going to look like that, even after your ‘revenge’.” Spot was slightly angry at Dave for thinking like this.
“It’s justice, for what he did to me.” Spot stated. He didn’t understand why Dave couldn’t see where he was coming from.
“Yeah, it doesn’t change anything, especially the past.” Dave said, “I know it sucks, but you kind of just need to accept what happened and find happiness beyond that, or something.” Spot started to see Dave’s point of view, but he knew the hurt he had felt from the Spider hero deserved to be treated seriously.
“It’s not fair,” Spot sighed, holding onto Dave, “He gets to walk free, praised for his actions, while I have to suffer.”
“You don’t have to suffer.” Dave affirmed, “You have me now, don’t you?” He looked up to Spot, hoping that he felt the same way.
Spot looked down to his arm, watching Dave’s chest moved as he breathed. He moved his arm around Dave’s shoulders, pulling him close to his body. Dave felt his eyelids fall heavy as the night breeze moved across his face. This moment felt heavenly, for the both of them. The presence of each-other was enough to keep them warm from the cold, crisp air of the park.
“Yeah, I guess you have a point,” Spot admitted, “I do have you now.” Dave stayed silent for a moment, he was practically asleep at this point.
“Are you… sleeping?” Spot asked, nudging him gently. Dave suddenly jolted awake, his voice still tired and sleepy.
“Nuh uh,” Dave yawned, “Your crazy.” Spot chuckled, shaking him lightly to wake him up more.
“You want to know what the worst part about all of this is?” Spot asked, his tone more cheerful than sad.
“What is it?” Dave asked, Spot’s hand trailing to his face.
“I can’t even give you what you would need in a relationship.” Spot sighed, “Just look at me.” Dave slightly looked over to Spot.
No matter how hard it was to admit, Spot was right. Even though Dave couldn’t give less of a thought of how Spot looked, he knew that a relationship like this would be difficult. That’s to put it lightly.
“I don’t care how you look.” Dave assured.
“No, it’s not about that.” Spot breathed, “Even if I looked normal, I’m still being hunted down by thousands of Spider-people for being an anomaly.” Dave felt a sadness flush over him. Spot truly didn’t know how much he loved him.
“You’ll still visit me though, right?” Dave asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.
“It’s not just that,” Spot said, “No matter how hard I want to right now, I can’t kiss you, no matter how stupid that sounds.” Spot felt embarrassed over his words. Dave fell silent for a moment, worrying Spot.
“Well, that’s because you don’t have lips,” Dave said, breaking the silence, “But, you know who does?” Dave pointed at himself, slightly smiling.
“I don’t get it.” Spot said, trying to understand if Dave was flirting or being sarcastic.
“You can’t kiss me,” Dave said, now moving his own hand onto Spot’s face, “But I can kiss you.” Spot felt his face get warm, he let out a nervous chuckle as Dave held his chin.
“That wouldn’t be a very rewarding kiss, would it?” Spot laughed nervously, not wanting Dave to stop holding his face,
“I don’t care about that.” Dave smiled slyly, “I want to kiss you, even if it’s not your lips. Please?” Spot glared at Dave’s smile. He knew he could never say no to his face.
“Alright,” Spot said, fixing his posture, “Go ahead, I won’t stop you.”
Dave moved his face closer to Spot’s, hovering his lips over his cheek. He slowly leaned into Spot’s face, his lips making contact with his skin. He held the kiss for a few seconds before breaking away. Spot felt a jolt of happiness and warmth run through his body. He covered the skin Dave had kissed with his hand, gently touching it.
“Oh.” Spot mumbled, blood rushing up his skull.
“How’d it feel?” Dave asked, interlocking his fingers with Spot’s knuckles.
“Tingly, kind of, hot?” Spot spat, trying to think of ways to describe how he felt, “Not hot like that way! But, it was warm, kind of? It felt good, that’s all I wanted it to feel like.” Dave smiled, bringing Spot closer to him.
“It’s getting late.” Dave said, looking at the sky. He didn’t want this night to end, he wanted Spot to stay in his arms as much as Spot wanted to hold Dave until morning came. Neither of them wanted to be alone tonight, especially alone without each-other.
“Yeah,” Spot spoke, “I guess it is.” He looked into Dave’s sunglasses as he looked to the sky, the gleaming stars reflecting onto the glass like a mirror.
He moved his hands onto Dave’s soft, silky hair, gently stroking it with his fingers. Nobody had ever made him feel this way. He truly had fallen for Dave, harder than anyone he could ever imagine. If everyday could invoke such a feeling inside his heart like this, he wouldn’t need to avenge himself. Spider-man would just be a thing of the past. His future was as bright as the stars in the night sky. All he would care about is his love, and what a beautiful thing it would be.
“I’ll miss you.” Dave said after a moment of silence. He didn’t want to imagine another day without Spot after tonight.
“This isn’t the end.” Spot said, softly playing with different strands of Dave’s hair, “I’ll always visit you, talk to you, be there for you. I don’t want to leave you. I love you.” Dave’s ears perked as he heard Spot tell him that he loved him.
“I love you too.” Dave responded. He could hardly believe this was how tonight was going to end.
At that moment, the world didn’t matter. If a meteor had crashed onto earth, they wouldn’t feel it. All they felt was the passion, happiness of each others company and love. It was perfect. Nothing could change how happy the pair was in that moment.
“I can get you home with a spot, if you’d like.” Spot said, holding onto Dave tighter than ever before.
“Yeah, that sounds good,” Dave said, as the both of them stood up from the bench, “One last thing, though.” Dave fell into Spot’s arms, pulling him into a loving embrace.
“Thank you,” Dave said, hugging Spot like it was the last time they would see each-other, “You’ve probably changed my life for the better tonight.” Spot wrapped his arms around Dave, feeling his heart beating out his chest.
“Thank you too.” Spot whispered, “Good luck. If you need anything, I’ll always be here for you.” Spot pulled himself away from the embrace, peeling a spot off of his body and placing it on the air.
“You can stay the night with me, if you’d like.” Dave said nervously, tapping his fingers against the back of his palm. Spot looked back at him, slipping his hand onto Dave’s.
“I’d love to.” Spot replied, gripping onto his hand. Dave gazed into Spot’s face.
He was no longer scared of the black spots he had been fearing a few hours ago. Instead, he saw something else. A future filled with love, devotion, loyalty, and joy. Even if his friends never forgave him, Spot was going to be right besides him, patching his wounds. They would no longer have to hide his true identity, feelings, or anxieties from the world anymore. This wasn’t just a new chapter in their lives, this was the spot of something new.