Staying Strong (Dave Strider x Reader)

Chapter 8

You turned on the speakers and plugged in your phone, searching through your playlist until you found the song you wanted. 'Master of Tides' by Lindsey Stirling came over the speakers.

And you were moving, just that easily, to the center of the dance floor, letting the song take you away from the reality you were dealing with. You smiled as the song picked up, and you let the rest of your emotions take over.

You were moving in ways you never thought your body could, leaping, turning, you even managed to do some sort of acrobatic pirouette in the air. What few years that you had in dancing worked to your advantage, allowing you to land leaps and not get dizzy when  you turned.

You slowed when the song did, and realized that you had tears running down your face again. At this point, did you even care? No, you didn't think you did, and you allowed the tears to flow freely as you continued.

The song ended, and you found yourself posed on the floor holding your knees to your chest, and you stayed there for a moment, allowing yourself to catch your breath. When you finally stood up, you heard loud clapping behind you, and you turned quickly to see Dave leaning in the doorway with his signature smirk. You hadn't noticed him there before, your vision being blurred with tears and all.

"How long have you been here?" You asked, suddenly feeling extremely exposed.

"A few minutes maybe. You were already dancing by the time I got here, which, you're great by the way..." He trailed off, and you remember why you left the house to begin with. "Your parents are really gonna take you away from me, just like that?" He said softly, and you felt your heart break again.

"They can try. My resolve is, is that I'm not leaving. Now or ever." You say as you walk back over to your phone, and you can hear Dave's footsteps behind you.

"I'm glad, now all we have to do is make sure you stay." He chuckles, and you smile and nod as you pick up your phone to check it.

"So this place...was an old studio I'm guessing? I never would have thought I would find you here, but it makes some sense. You like to dance, you come to an old dance studio to vent, that kind of thing. The music is what gave you away, and your shadow against the blinds on the windows."

"I didn't care WHO found me Dave, I only wanted to get away from my problems, even if it was just for a few minutes..." You say softly, and Dave decided to change the subject again.

"Did you dance here? Like when it was still open?" He said softly, looking at all the decorations that featured ballerinas and pointe shoes.

"No, I danced at the studio across town, but I had to stop because my sister couldn't afford to bring me every week."

"That sucks. You're really good at it too..." Dave trailed off, and he looked over at you.

"Anyway, I guess I came here and did what I wanted to do, so we can leave whenever." You said softly, and Dave walked over to you.

"Wanna keep dancing instead?" He asked you, and you blushed and looked down as you smiled.

"I'm actually a bit embarrassed to dance in front of you. I wasn't ready that first time!" You giggle softly, and Dave smiled softly.

"What if I danced in front of you? I mean I can't do all of that twirly spinney stuff that you just did, but I can at least half-ass a breakdance in front of you." He laughed softly, and you smiled softly.

"You breakdance?"

"Surprised?"

"A little. I've never witnessed someone breakdance before." You giggle softly, and Dave just smiles as he takes your phone and scrolls through your music before picking a song.

Yeah x3 blasts its beat over the speakers, and Dave backs away to a more open area of the room and begins breaking it down. You couldn't explain the things he was doing, but you recognized a lot of popular moves that he was pulling. You stared, and couldn't help but be in awe. Some of these moves were difficult to handle, but here Dave was, going at it like it was no big deal.

He wore his signature smirk to the very end of the song, and even then, as he sat there panting and sweaty, he still smirked, knowing he had impressed you.

"Jegus Dave how long have you been dancing like this?" You asked as he stood up, an he smiled.

"It's been a while, actually. Couple years maybe? I don't know, but I DO know that I love it, and it's not very often I get to do it." He said, taking of his shirt. You admitted to yourself that it was rather warm in here, and decided to slide off your jacket before you got overheated.

"So what should we do now? You danced, I danced...should WE dance?" Dave asked softly, and you looked over at him.

"What kind of dancing are we talking here? Like are we going to go that cheesy dancing that couples do, or are we talking about collaborating on a dance here or just having fun or-"

"Yo, ________, slow down. I was talking about making something up together. Like I know we have two different styles and junk, but maybe we could settle for a medium?"

"Okay... okay yeah.. like what though?" You asked, and you both thought for a moment.

"Maybe some hip-hop?" Dave suggested, and you smiled.

"That's quite a leap for me to take." You said softly as you smiled, and he smirked.

"Same. I've never tried it." Dave said softly.

"You kind of have the upper hand here, hip-hop isn't about form, it's more about the energy and the vibes...the.. swag...if you will when dancing. I suppose you could call my style classic jazz? Like with the leather shoes and all that. That style focuses so much on form and rhythm, it'll be hard for me to stop pointing my toes and using such proper technique." You laughed, and Dave smiled.

"Well hip-hop, to me, is more coordinated than just regular breakdancing, because, with breakdancing, you just do whatever, but with hip-hop, you have  to have a routine, and you have to know sequences and all that, and you have to remember it. There's some technique involved here, but not as technical as say, the way you dance. This is kind of a challenge for both of us, and I like that." Dave looked over at you, and after mulling over what he said, you had come to the resolution that this would be something fun to do to. Plus, you'd be spending time with Dave, which was just the icing on the cake for you.

"We would need something to dance to though. Something with a sick beat and energy." You looked up at him, and he smirked at you.

"This is where we mix some ill shit."

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I am so so sorry that it this long to write out this chapter, but in my defense, it was a long chapter sooo.... hope you enjoyed!!