Chapter Text
A memory is a fickle thing. It can be forgotten or be remembered at the drop of a hat. It can be as precise and flowing as a movie or it can be a slide presentation of images taken minutes apart. When you grow up side by side with someone, your first memory of them isn't meeting them. It's something weird.
Asriel had known Dess since she was born, with their respective parents being friends far before the two kids were ever born, almost every event starred his neighbor and best friend. The fact that he was the older of the two was something he didn't frequently mention, save for just the right time to properly annoy her when the moment struck. Despite all this time between the two, the first memory he could properly recall, one he could describe and see in his mind's eye was far from a pleasant one.
It was the summer and it was someones birthday, probably Catty's given the size of the turnout. He hardly had any recollection of the day itself, beyond that it was sunny and hot enough that the birthday party was water themed- wait, that couldn't be right, the Cattenheimers hated water- that wasn't important. What Asriel remembered most was that everyone was there, including his neighbor that he called his best friend, Dess Holiday. Or Deth, as he was more likely to say at that time.
Asriel instantly recognized the face of his friend, running up to excitedly say howdy to Dess once again. He was met with violence. She had already prepared her own greeting for monster, and it was a fully loaded water balloon sent with all the force a five year old could muster right into his happy, smiling face.
Dess laughed. Asriel cried. Dess was sent home from the party early. Asriel would never get the image of her laughing out of his head. Dess was forced to give an apology hug the day after. Asriel had prepared revenge in the form of biting her ear when she hugged him. Dess laughed.
The first proper memory that Dess was able to recall that was about Asriel was a strange one to her. Bad days always seem to drag on and this was no exception. A tantrum in the morning from being forced to wear what her mom said were 'proper' clothes. School all day long about boring things she could never care about, stupid math problems she couldn't understand that made her feel like the stupid one. Dad forgot to bring a snack for the walk home from school. Every crayon she tried to draw with broke. It was the worst day of her life!
So of course Dess started screaming when she was told that the Dreemurrs were coming over for dinner. The tiny girls heart sank and all the screaming her tiny throat could conjure did nothing to sway her clearly uncaring dad. Her stubborn mind knew today was bad and knew it would only get worse the more she had to do.
Dess could hear the noise of chatting and cackling adults through the walls and it was ruining her every attempt to focus on her very hard work. She was busy drawing a picture of every person who wronged her that day screaming in pain as she stepped on all of them. A very normal way for her to deal with negative emotions, which she knew by the fact she would hide these pictures in the basement as soon as she was done so no one would find them.
The tiny doe was rightfully a little isolated, as recommended by her own parents due to having an "irritable mood" whatever that meant. But wouldn't you know it, that goody little goat came up to her bound to rat on her for what she was doing. Dess snatched that drawing away from those prying eyes as quick as she could.
"You didn see any'ing!" Azzy blinked, locked in a very low-stakes staring contest. Dess slowly saw the couple of colored pencils that he held in his hand.
"Do you wawa to dwaw wif me?" This was a test, Dess was sure of it. The only correct choice was to say yes. She nodded and Azzy quickly hopped up onto the couch next to hear, right by her side. She pushed her previous work to the side while staring him down, but Azzy was intent on grabbing a free piece of paper and started drawing.
Dess had no idea what to draw now, she wasn't finished with her previous work after all. She could only start scribbling, and as soon as she did, of course. Her crayon snapped. She couldn't remember if she was closer to screaming or to crying. Something bumped her hand. Her hand gripped that broken crayon with such strength, ready to finally release all that pent up anger inside her-
"Dis wan nawt hawd t' bweak" Asriel handed the colored pencil over to Dess, who was too confused to do anything but stare at him. He slowly grabbed her unmoving hand and put the utensil in it and went right back to his own drawing in silence. The girls anger slowly dissipated, whisked away by the kind gesture.
Dess didn't say anything, she only went to start coloring once more. She looked at the pointless circle she broke her crayon over and realized what she wanted to make now. She wanted to draw her best friend, and that's exactly what she did.