Dashlie was never good at saying goodbye. It hurt. And for what felt like eternity, she assumed she would never have to say goodbye. But of course, fate had a way of creeping up on her. Good things must come to an end, nothing lasts forever, and every story has an ending.
This was their ending.
She stood at the boardwalk, feeling the beach breeze kiss her skin. The sun bathed the world in a soft light, the waves of the ocean lapping at the shore. It was peaceful and perfect, the distant calling of seagulls filling the air. She never thought she'd see this picture quite like how it was. All her life, she was fighting to stay alive and kept getting pushed down. Now, she could rest. She could finally rest.
For the longest time, she'd hoped to share this ending with her friends, and she did, but even they had to say goodbye. When Don had first told her, she thought he was joking. But then she saw his face, saw how serious he was, and it took everything in her at that moment not to cry. Thinking about it now, her throat tightened and her eyes welled up with tears, but she sniffed and forced it down. She was good at bottling things up. She had centuries of practice, after all.
Despite everything, they survived. Together. It was always them. Them against the world, for the world seriously was against them. Now that it was working with them, allowing them to finally get their happy ending once and for all, Don and Richard were ready to move on.
"I still don't understand why," Dashlie said as the two walked up behind her. She turned to them, this image snapshotting in her mind for all eternity. At that moment, it was almost impossible to not break down. Suddenly, reality focused in, and this was truly happening. She was saying goodbye.
"You don't have to understand," Don said as they approached. "And that's okay. Richard and I made this decision on our own."
She shook her head, sniffing. "I could never do what you guys are doing. I mean, why leave? We have everything," she said, and Richard gave her a smile.
"Hey, loser, it's just how we are. You aren't like that, and that's fine," he said, taking her hand. Dashlie silently choked back her tears, but she was pretty sure both her friends could see her face getting red and eyes blurring with tears. She and Dick had been through so much together; she'd grown to see him as her little brother. Now he was leaving her. He was moving on.
"I don't like change," Dashlie said, her voice shaking as her eyes became unable to hold her tears any longer. She still refused to break down.
Don sighed, giving her a nod as he looked off over the sea. "You do like change, you just don't realize it. Moving on is the best option," he said softly.
Dashlie stared at him. A moment surfaced in her mind, one where Don had been younger and worn. She never thought she'd see the day where he'd still be standing beside her, eyes bright yet still holding an ounce of that old melancholy.
"If you're sure," she started, "that this will make you both happy, I'll be happy. It'll hurt for a long time, but I'll be okay. I've made it this far, haven't I?" She unintentionally let out a sob at that, and once she got started it was hard to stop crying. Richard gently pulled her into a hug, and Don soon joined. This would be the last hug they ever shared together.
"There is more of this world to see, Dashlie," Richard said, pulling away. "We have to get away, I'm sorry. I just... I can't stay here another day." He looked around, as if recalling every moment he shared with everyone he's ever met in his lifetime. His eyes were a thousand years old, yet they held so much prospect for the future. Dashlie had never seen that look in his eyes before, but it was as clear as day. She wondered what else she didn't know about Richard. What else she failed to learn in the millions of days she's spent with him. There would always be something she wouldn't know, and it took her this long to accept that.
"I know... I just... I'm thinking about us. All of us. Finally saying goodbye to that... To everything we've built... I don't have that strength." Don gave her a smile — yet again another thing she never expected him to do a hundred years ago.
"We could have been a lot of things," he said. He didn't elaborate on that. Dashlie wondered what he meant by it, but she'd never know. "We'll still have the memories. Some may come to you easier than others, but you'll never forget."
"Yeah," she said, wiping at her eyes. "I'll always have the misfortune of knowing you guys." The girl gave a watery laugh as she choked back another wave of sobs. The other boys joined her. It seemed that reality dawned on them at that moment. Almost in sync, they realized this was the end. Dashlie would never understand how they were able to do that.
Don latched on to Richard, leaning into his arm. "Yeah. I'll never lose this guy, unfortunately," Don remarked with a sigh, and Richard barked a laugh.
"I hate you," he said through a bout of chuckles. Don smiled mischievous at him.
"You love me."
Richard kissed Don's forehead and they parted. "I guess this is it," Dashlie said breathlessly. She had so much left to say to them, even after all this time; she doubted she'd ever run out of words to describe how much they meant to her. All that came out, though, was, "I'll miss you losers."
Don shook his head. "Promise me you won't wallow," he insisted. "We'll never be gone. Not really. There's still so much for you to do as well. Find whatever that is. Life is so stupidly short to just give up and sit at home. If I find out you died unhappy and alone, I'm dragging you back here to experience something meaningful."
Dashlie gave what sounded like a mix between a laugh and a cry. "I promise," she managed.
Don turned to the boat moored on the dock. Richard's mouth parted, as though he were searching for something else to say. "I guess this is it," he realized. His hands were shaking, and Don gently took them in his own.
"Come on," Don encouraged. "It's time to go."
"I love you guys," Dashlie said. Don looked at her, giving a shaky smile. Dashlie realized he was trying his hardest not to cry.
"We love you, too," he said as Richard's grip tightened on his hands.
The two boarded the ship. The last words Don ever said to her were, "Remember me. And wish you could forget." Dashlie couldn't help but laugh at that. She had to confess, she didn't think those would be the last words she'd ever hear from him. She thought he'd perhaps come back out from the cabin one last time and say goodbye once the boat departed. He never did.
Richard leaned over the starboard, staring intently in her eyes. "It's going to be alright, dumbass," he assured, shockingly gentle. "You'll be okay. We all will be. We'll never return to that godforsaken time ever again. We're free. You're free. Go anywhere you want. Do whatever you want. Just don't let that time haunt you. It sucks ass."
Dashlie walked along the dock as the boat drifted forwards. "Of course. I'm not stupid, dickhead." He smiled brightly at that. That would be the last time she ever saw him smile. The engine of the boat started, and it propelled forward. Richard glanced over and then back at her as Dashlie reached the end of the boardwalk.
"Love the world! Cherish it! Make it your bitch and have the best life you could ever live!" he shouted, getting farther away.
Dashlie stood there at the end of the dock, wishing she could run farther and follow them as far as she could. However, this was it. "I will! I will, I won't forget!" she called.
He waved to her. She watched motionlessly as the boat sailed on towards the horizon. The wind combed through her hair, the world turning as she felt like her whole being was splitting apart. She wondered quietly to herself if there really was a part of her that left with Dick and Don that day. Time wore on, and she didn't know how long she was standing there after she watched her best friends disappear past the line of the sky.
It wouldn't be until the end of time that her memories died with her. She would never, in her life, ever forget them — her friends.
Eventually, she gathered everything that was left of her, and she turned and walked back down the dock.
So I'm eighteen now, gonna be heading off for college in the fall. Finally posting this is like saying goodbye to my childhood, and moving on to better things
Even though I have nothing left to share, even though I wish I could have finished what I started, I've still been holding on to the remnants of this life before it has been taken away. I once repeated that I could never see myself leaving this fandom, and then the worst thing happened to compel me to drift apart. I've realized I never come on here anymore or write anything, so there's no point to keep holding on
To the people who have been here since the beginning, thank you. To the people who joined in the middle, I couldn't have made the progress I have without you. And to the people new to all of this, don't take this goodbye as a way of giving up. Quite the contrary, actually. Even though I'm letting go, I'm appreciating what I had at the time and the improvement it allowed me to make on myself and my skills
This goodbye is a thank you. I've never been a huge fan of goodbyes, especially the silent ones where friends drift apart and closure is never made. No one likes a goodbye, but sometimes it is necessary
To the friends I've made along the way, thank you. To the, I guess, "fans" of my work, I couldn't appreciate you more than I already have, even if I never expressed it fully. To that one person that kept making new accounts and spamming me and harassing me, fuck you, but it's funny someone cared so much about nothing to do that
This has been a wild ride from start to finish. I joined when I was a mere middle schooler struggling with mental health problems and using all of this as a form of escapism. Now I'm heading off to college to study creative writing and film. Maybe one day you will see me in the credits of some big movie or tv show, I'm not sure. I can only hope to make it that far
I loved the time I had here, but that time has come to a close. I have nothing left to share.
Thank you all so much for the support you've given me over the past six or seven years
It has been an honor
o7