Date Night II: River of Fear

Is this a sex talk? Crap, I think this is a sex talk. I should... probably put away my soup. Reluctantly, she put her bowl down. "I like what we have too," she said softly, putting a hand on his knee.

"Ok. I'm just gonna ask. I mean, it's important for us to be open and honest, right?"

David took a deep breathe and looked her in the eyes.

"Why... do you have a first aid kit under your bed?"

She felt her stomach drop out from under her, and was suddenly very, VERY glad that she'd put away her soup. Without meaning to, her eyes dropped to her thighs, and the groups of small, shiny lines and dots that covered them.

"... shit."

"If... if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

David put a hand on her shoulder gently.

"I just want to make sure that you're okay."

She flashed him a quick, rueful smile. "No, it's okay. I mean, you were bound to ask some time, right? I mean, it's not really... normal, to have that kinda stuff on hand all the time, right?" She gave a brittle laugh, and brought her hands into her lap, where they twisted into the Darkwing Duck blanket she had wrapped around herself.

"Hey..." David said gently, putting his hands on top of hers, "I like that you're not normal. Hell, it's what I lo... like best about you. I just don't like the idea of you hurting."

"I don't. I mean, not anymore. I mean..." She sighed, and ran her fingers through her hair-- and was forcibly reminded that she was wearing pigtails right now, and had just given them a good tug. "Ow. Okay. I'm usually smarter than that."

David laughed, only a little bit nervously.

"That makes two of us. I shouldn't have asked. I mean... I was just worried, that's all."

She shook her head, and nudged him with her shoulder, feeling more at ease. "No, it's okay, really. I..." she took a deep breath, squeezing his hand with one of her own. "I used to hurt myself. Like, kinda often." She moved the blanket aside, and stretched her legs out. "Mostly on my legs, because I pretty much always wear pants or skirts and stuff, so it was really easy to cover. My folks didn't actually know about it for a long time, but...  I had to go to a psych hospital for a while, then I did group therapy stuff, which mostly sucked, but I met Lil there, so that was cool."

Suddenly she looked aghast. "Oh my god, don't tell Lil you know that, she'll kill me."

David put his hands up.

"Hey, not a word. I'm not good at much, but I can keep a secret."

Carefully he lowered his hands and placed one on Addie's leg, running it over one of the scars.

"So... you don't do it anymore?"

She shook her head, "No, not for a while now. I mean, sometimes I want to," thinking back on a particular dream she'd had the other night, she blushed a little. "Sometimes I really want to, but I hadn't gotten out the box for almost a year, until the freaky hair girl."

David patted her leg gently, offering a slight grin.

"Well, I think that was definitely a good enough reason to get it out. How are those stitches doing, by the way?"

"Oh, they're doing good," Addie said, turning to face him and pushing the strap of her tank top down over her shoulder. "The sutures dissolved a few weeks ago. The scars are still pretty dark, but they'll lighten up with some time."

David moved his hand up to her shoulder, running his thumb very lightly over one of the newly formed scars. After a moment his other arm wrapped around her and he pulled her towards him, pressing his lips to hers.

Addie sank into his kiss for a moment, then opened her eyes wide and pulled away. "Crap, we can't kiss right now, I'll get you all sick!"

David grinned.

"Awww, but if we don't I might waste away from lack of kisses! Trust me, I've taken health class, it's a horrible affliction."

He stuck his lips out and leaned in towards her making kissy noises.

She shrieked with laughter, reaching behind her for a pillow, and smacked him in the face.

"Ack!" he blurted as he flopped onto the bed next to her. He quickly crawled over to her and poked her in the ribs with his fingers.

"Ok, that's it! Sick or not, you're getting the tickling of a lifetime now!"

Addie grinned and made to reach for his hands. Intent on throwing him off his game, she leaned forward, and whispered in his ear "You know what I like best about wednesdays?"

"Nobody's home."

David blushed only a little, just enough to be adorable. He wrapped his arms lightly around her, their legs intertwining.

"Well, we can't have you being alone while you're sick. I guess I'll just have to stay and take care of you all night."

A few hours later, Reggie Carpenter was walking through the kitchen when he heard the phone ring. Specifically, it was a cell phone, playing 'Boy Named Sue'. Raising one eyebrow, he answered it, wondering if one of the guests had left their phone behind.

"Reggie Carpenter on a stranger's phone?"

"Oh..." a slightly gruff voice responded on the other end of the phone, "Yeah, this is Patrick Emery, David's Father. I was tryin' to get ahold of my son. I guess he must be over there with your daughter, huh?"

In the background Reggie heard a distinctly female voice call out "Told you!"

Reggie raised his eyebrows. "Oh, nice to meet you, Patrick. Addie was home sick today, so I'd just assumed date night was off - let me go and check, one second."

He walked upstairs as he talked, and since he could hear Addie snoring from out in the hall, he just poked his head in without knocking. Seeing the two kids (fully clothed, thank god), he smiled.

"Yeah, he's here. It looks like they were watching movies and fell asleep - did you want me to wake him up and send him home now, or just point him that way in the morning?"

"Oh for..." Patrick started, but then cut himself off, "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind getting him up and out the door I'd really appreciate it. Sorry about that."

"Sure thing, I'll send him right over. Talk to you later, Patrick."

Creeping quietly through the door, Reggie laid a hand on David's shoulder. "Hey, kiddo, wake up."