The next day, after everything with Allura and Poison Ivy, David could be seen holding a broom, quietly sweeping through his home. It was his first proper day off, so he planned to spend it cleaning every corner until the place looked spotless. The explosion from the bathroom incident had left some damage, but nothing he couldn't handle.
Mr. Terrific had already turned down David's offer to hang out—he wasn't interested in spending time together if it meant being live-streamed to the entire world. David understood, so he accepted that today would be his alone time.
Once the house was finally clean, the silence felt heavier than usual. With nothing else to occupy his hands, David wandered through the halls until he stopped at his daughter's room. His hand hovered near the doorknob, but no matter how long he stood there, he couldn't bring himself to open it. After a quiet moment, he turned away and made his way to the attic instead—a place he rarely visited, yet somehow felt drawn to now.
"Haha, my old guitar!" David couldn't help but laugh as he spotted the familiar instrument resting in a dusty corner. He had always had a soft spot for music. Back when he was younger, he used to believe he had a natural gift for creating songs out of thin air—only to realize later that most of what he "composed" were melodies he'd remembered from his past life.
"You're so old…" he muttered fondly, brushing the dust away as he picked it up. The wood was worn, but sturdy, and a heart had been carved into its surface—inside it, the letters D + E. David's eyes lingered on it for a moment. David and Elena. His ex-wife. He said nothing more, simply exhaling softly before inspecting the guitar's condition.
Once he made sure it was still playable, he set it aside and turned to the rest of the attic. There were boxes stacked in uneven rows, filled with old memories—photographs, forgotten keepsakes, and fragments of a life that felt like it belonged to someone else. Still, he smiled faintly as he sifted through them, letting the quiet nostalgia fill the empty space around him.
Among the boxes were remnants of a past life—his ex-wife's wedding dress carefully folded in plastic, a videotape of their wedding day, and stacks of old CDs. David hesitated briefly but chose to take only the CDs, ignoring everything tied to his marriage. With the small collection in hand, he headed downstairs, dusting one of the discs before slipping it into the player.
Soft static filled the room before music and laughter came alive through the speakers.
"Daddy, play your song! The one about dancing!" a little girl's voice chimed brightly. On the screen, a younger David—barely in his mid-twenties—turned with a grin toward the child rushing into his arms. That little girl was none other than Sarah, celebrating her fifth birthday, her joy so pure it almost reached through the screen.
"Come on, go have fun with all your friends," David said, trying to sound casual, though it was clear he felt awkward about performing in front of so many kids and their parents. Still, when Sarah looked up at him with those pleading, puppy-like eyes, he knew resistance was pointless.
Before he could even protest, Elena was already a step ahead of him. She appeared with his guitar in hand and a knowing smile on her face.
"I knew you couldn't resist," she said warmly, giving Sarah a gentle kiss on the forehead before passing the guitar to David. Then, she sat beside him, resting her head against his shoulder. For that brief, perfect moment, the noise of the party faded away—it was just David, and his guitar.
"Cough, don't laugh at me. It's been a while since I've played the guitar in front of so many fans," David said with an easy smile, earning a few amused chuckles from the parents gathered around.
"After this, I'll need an autograph!" one of the fathers called out, sparking laughter across the small crowd. The cheerful noise quickly faded, though, as everyone settled down, giving David the space to begin.
He adjusted the strings, exhaled softly, and started to play. The sound that followed was smooth and heartfelt—each note carried warmth, rhythm, and a practiced grace that spoke of countless hours spent with the instrument. His hands moved effortlessly, reflecting the touch of someone who had truly mastered the craft through years of love and dedication.
"Only echoes in my mind, I forget about the time
Everything around me going slow
I can feel it resonate, never giving me a break
This second is the only one I know
Stars above me align, in this moment they're mine
And they're gonna be all night
Just my mind without any cares, worries fade into air
'Cause when no one is there
I raise my glass and dance all on my own
All my friends went home, but I don't wanna waste this song
In the moonlight's never-еnding glow
I'll be dancing all alone."
David watched his younger self playing the song, a faint smile tugging at his lips as the melody filled the room. On-screen, Sarah's entire face seemed to glow with joy—her small hands clapping in rhythm, her eyes brighter than any sound the guitar could make. For a moment, David felt that same warmth bloom in his chest… until the lyrics reached a certain line.
The words carried a bittersweet weight, and his smile began to fade. It struck him that he truly was dancing alone now—those happy memories were only echoes of a life long gone. He sighed quietly, leaning back as he let the recording play on.
Still, despite the ache, he couldn't help but smile again, watching the rest of the celebration. Sarah had been so carefree then, a child untouched by the world's weight. Her biggest concern had been keeping other kids away from her birthday gifts—a small moment of childish chaos that now felt impossibly precious.
Time passed as David sat quietly before the TV, cycling through one old CD after another. Each held a piece of his past—some showing him lying up in a hospital bed after breaking a leg, others capturing the prank wars he and his wife used to wage against each other. There were even clips of his teenage years, sitting in a beat-up old car with his girlfriend, the city lights of downtown glowing in the background. But when that scene appeared, David stopped the video and turned it off.
For a while, silence filled the room. David sat there, going through the past. Then, almost instinctively, he reached for his guitar. His fingers brushed the strings, hesitant at first, before a soft melody filled the air. It was the song he had once dreamed of playing on his little girl's special day—a dream that would never come to pass.
"She spins and she sways to whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I'm sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders"
David sat with his eyes closed, letting his fingers move gently across the guitar strings. In his mind, he pictured the day Sarah had first learned to dance—the clumsy spins, the shy laughter, the way she'd always looked to him for approval. His imagination was vivid, too vivid, and before he even realized it, the air before him shimmered softly.
Sarah appeared, not as a ghostly vision or a faint green figure, but as if she were truly there—alive, radiant, and dancing.
"It's been a long day, and there's still work to do
She's pulling at me saying, "Dad, I need you
There's a ball at the castle and I've been invited
And I need to practice my dancin'
Oh, please, daddy, please""
The words carried through the air, raw and gentle all at once. When Sarah approached him, David's eyes opened, and instantly his hands froze mid-strum. For a heartbeat, his chest tightened as the weight of disbelief hit him. But just as quickly as she appeared, the image faded, leaving only silence in her place.
David stared at the empty spot for a moment, then exhaled a quiet, shaky sigh. Carefully, he set the guitar aside. He wasn't in the mood to cry. Instead, he just sat there, letting the lingering warmth of that brief illusion fill the emptiness in his chest.
[Hugh G. Rection] This is just depressing. Someone with that much power, carrying that kind of pain… I don't know, man. It's hard to even watch.
[Buster Hymen] Good thing I clipped that part. What was that song? I'm dead serious—I want to play it at my wedding.
[Craven Morehead] Send it to me too, especially that one song about dancing all alone. The quality wasn't great, but the lyrics hit hard. That song's already stuck in my head.
[Nutcracker] I'm adding "skilled guitarist and singer" to his wiki page. The man's got talent.
[Hugh G. Rection] You guys are just ignoring his mental state? I'm adding this whole moment to the wiki—it says a lot about him.
[Jack Hoff] Honestly, I get why he keeps saying he's not good-looking. Seeing his old videos, the man really had a glow-up.