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Star was having a night.
She didn’t pause to figure out what it was she actually felt.
After the band’s performance, she was just tired and found the Boardwalk overwhelming. The sights and sounds were clearer, sharper than when she was fully human. Usually that was exciting, but right now she was longing for a time when the world seemed a bit less complicated.
Star had been thinking about her mom lately. About the version of her own future that could have been. Given her mother’s life, and Star’s own path before she met David, it wouldn't have been easy or necessarily pleasant. But it would have been…different.
The pack gathered against the pier railing to people-watch. Paul was eating fried dough and getting powdered sugar everywhere. That she saw, but Star didn't even notice at first that David was hovering. She would have gotten annoyed if she had.
Instead, she belatedly caught his eyes already locked on her, his face open. She couldn’t find it in her to be mad then.
David was suddenly in motion and grabbed the dramatic black and red cape off Marko’s shoulders. The brunette fussed and was ignored as David draped it over his arm. Marko stopped griping when he noticed his brother’s focus seemed to be solely on Star.
“Gonna go to the water. Wanna come?” David asked. Not a demand.
Star took his arm and walked beside him to his bike. She caught him adjusting his sleeve to hide a dark stain, but didn’t comment. Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she squeezed tight, unafraid of hurting him.
The light touch on her arm before he took off was soothing.
He led them onto the beach and spread the cape down in the sand for them to sit on. They needed to press close to fit.
David didn’t say anything. Gave her space while she was plastered to his side.
Star still felt drained, but the overstimulated feeling slipped off the longer they sat there.
She wasn’t sure what it was, the quiet, maybe, David there, probably, but she started talking about her mom. The first time she taught her to sew and Star proceeded to make countless quilt squares but didn’t yet know how to connect them all. A family trip somewhere cold and building a perfect snowman with her in the moonlight. Racing her mom down their street on bicycles and winning every time.
It hadn’t all been bad.
That sentiment seemed to resonate with David. He gave her a soft, knowing smile, but didn’t interrupt. She wondered if she should stop, check in with him. She didn’t.
After word vomiting for likely too long, Star finally quieted. She still didn’t quite know how she felt, but it was something lighter.
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, filled by the rushing of the waves.
“Hey, Star?” David then asked.
“Mhm,” she said and put her head on his shoulder. She was already preparing to have to defend herself in some way, acknowledge the truly awful times, too...
“Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself?”
“What?” she asked, genuinely caught off guard.
“Cuz it was two tired,” he said just as flatly.
Star nearly doubled over laughing.
“How long were you sitting on that gem?”
“For a bit,” he admitted with a boyish grin.
He draped an arm around her and Star snuggled up, still chuckling between the kisses she pressed to his still-grinning mouth.
Ridiculous.