Hello, loves! Sorry for the wait, school is a bitch and makes me tired. For those of you reading my other story, Take Me to the Riot, it will be updated next! I wanted to get them both to three chapters! Now, your reviews were absolutely fabulous, as always, so let's dish out your love! 20 Percent Awesomer, ahhh, thanks so much! Kira-Lime Orijima, hmm, you'd have to ask Jake! Terra, Dirk will ALWAYS give Jake a hard time. *wonk* darkestlight96, thank you, love! FrostPheyonix, Dirk is hard as balls to write, so that really means a lot! Also, get over your other smitten mess, because we're mass married now. Rai Rai Blue, jeeze, calm down! I haven't even done anything yet! Sassy Dirk is sassy, yo. Danni, I'm glad you like it, darling! Now, my pets, on with the story!

Manipulation and Visitation

Jake sits beside Dirk at the kitchen table while Roxy babbles on and on about how this total coincidence just so happened to come about. He's steadily gritting his teeth as she talks, waiting for the opportune moment to interject just how little sense this story is making.

"And my mom just would not let me stay behind. It's like, who wants to go to Texas for fun, right? And maybe if it was for fun, I would've been all, 'fuck yeah I earned this trip', but no, it was for her to promote her newest book, like always," Roxy says, giggling while handing Jane some more flour.

"I didn't know your mother traveled to promote," Jane says with a frown. "As far as I could tell, you were always here!"

"After I moved from New York, Janey," Roxy practically purrs, placing a not-strictly-friendly hand on Jane's hip. "Once I met my kitchen princess here, I told that fuckin' shrew I wasn't traveling no more!"

"Any more, Roxy. Good lord, your grammar gets worse every day," Jane sighs, but she's wearing a smile.

"Yeah, yeah, whatevs. So anyway, we were traveling around some city in Texas, and I was hating all of it, just wanting to go home and read some more smut, and then I met Di-Stri over there!"

"Di-Stri?" Jake asks. He berates himself in the future for wasting this opportunity to ask a more important question.

"It's a penname," Dirk supplies.

"You write?"

"I draw."

"Oh…"

"Hey, cut it out with the background noise, I'm storytelling!" Roxy huffs. "Anyways, he had the same general apathetic feelings I did about being dragged around by famous people, and we totes bonded."

"Forgive me, dear," Jane says, "but why have you not mentioned him till just now?"

"Because I didn't get his info! I forgot all about that part. We spent a good couple of days together, though. And then I ran into him this morning, all outta the blue!"

"Wait," Jake says pointedly. Dirk had been in his windowsill during the morning, how had he met Roxy? He's about to voice this when Dirk's hand clutches his thigh under the table.

"Shhh," he whispers. "Let her talk."

"He's staying here for a bit, and he met Jakey yesterday and they hit it off super good,"- Jake snorts and Dirk squeezes his thigh- "so I just told him he could crash with us!"

"Roxy, that's perfectly sweet of you, but I wish you would've consulted with me about it first," Jane says.

"I did! I told you this afternoon!"

"I meant before you offered."

"Sorry," Dirk interjects, "I can go if it's a problem. Rox was just being generous, is all."

"Oh, don't be silly, Dirk," Jane smiles tentatively, "she wouldn't have offered if she had reason to not trust you. I simply meant that she's always thinking too impulsively without consulting me."

"Don't be mad, hot lips," Roxy grins, "I'll tell you every thought I have if it'll make you happy!"

"It would, and don't call me hot lips," Jane frowns. "It's an absurd name, and doesn't even make sense."

"There goes Ms. Tight Ass again! The name makes totes sense."

"My lips aren't hot!"

"Well maybe not the ones on your face."

"Roxy!"

Dirk chuckles and Jake glares up at him, kicking him under the table.

"Your lies are causing trouble!" he hisses under his breath.

"Nah, they're fine," Dirk says. "Relax, will you? I've got this under control."

"What are you working on anyhow? What's your motive for all of these things? Coming here, planting lies and all of that rigmarole. I simply can't think of a reason!"

"I already told you what this is all for. Did you hit your head on one too many branches on Jungle Boy Island?"

"Of course not! And don't call my island such a ludicrous name!" Jake grumbles, kicking him again. Dirk's foot hooks behind his, holding him captive, and he struggles to get free while simultaneously trying to move as far away from the infuriating man as his small chair will allow. He ends up toppling over the opposite end, legs in the air, and a crippling injury to his pride. Unfortunately, he has a perfect view of Dirk looking at him smugly, an eyebrow raised in satisfaction

"Good heavens, Jake! Are you alright?" Jane asks while Roxy snickers. Jake mutters a quick affirmative while climbing back into his chair, trying to ignore the fact that Dirk's knee has taken to leaning firmly against his.

"Personal space!" he hisses under his breath.

"Nah."

"See, what'd I tell you?" Roxy tries to whisper, but Jake thinks she was born without the capability. "They're gonna do the frick frack."

"The what?" Jake asks while Dirk's shoulders shake with silent laughter.

"Never mind her, Jake, she's got a one track mind for every situation," Jane sighs. "Dinner's almost ready. When Roxy mentioned Texas earlier today, I just wanted to try a fried chicken recipe I read a long time ago, I hope you don't mind! I know I said you could pick, but-!"

"Oh, not at all, Jane! I'm certain it'll be absolutely splendid!" Jake says. "Gramma was always a terror when it came to frying anything. She set the stove on fire once, actually."

"Ah, um. Did you visit her today?" Jane asks, and Jake's blood runs cold. With everything going on, he had forgotten to go see if she was having one of her lucid stretches.

"No, I…must've forgotten," he says quietly, looking at the table.

"You can always go tomorrow!" Jane's chipper voice is forced, but Jake smiles up at her the best he can, nodding to reassure her.

They eat dinner all together, and Jane is ecstatic when they all give her new recipe a metaphorical thumbs-up, aside from Dirk who gives her a literal one. Jake tries to think of anything else but his grandmother waiting in her rocking chair, wondering why he didn't go see her, but he can't shake the awful image, and throughout dinner he tries to stop his lip from trembling; he doesn't think he quite manages. Dirk's knee stays on his, and Jake appreciates the physical contact, wondering when exactly he grew to rely so much on it, especially from someone he just met.

Roxy gets more and more handsy as the evening wears on, copping feels of Jane whenever the opportunity presents itself, and it comes as no surprise to Jake when the two of them head to bed early, Jane with a blushing good night, and Roxy with a wink and a Behave yourself, kids.

Left alone with Dirk on the couch for a second time while a romance movie plays in the background, Jake can't decide if he should go to bed early, too. Dirk is lounged on the couch with an arm rested behind Jake's head, and is somehow being the epitome of nonchalance and the embodiment of cool simultaneously. The movie is reflecting off those ridiculous triangle shades of his, and the room is bathed in the constant changing glow from the television. Dirk is green. Now he's blue. And now he's pink.

"You shouldn't chew on your cheek like that," Dirk's voice cuts in, and Jake jumps. He looks up into Dirk's face sheepishly, unaware he was being watched the entire time he was watching. Damn shades.

"I wasn't!" Jake says too quickly. He didn't plan anything else to say after that, and he falls silent while Dirk continues looking at him.

"Could hear you chomping from over here, English. I hate to interrupt your imitation of a beaver, but if you bite through, it's gonna hurt like a bitch."

"Aren't you just chock full of useless knowledge?"

"You could say that. Isn't chomping on the inside of your cheek a nervous habit?"

"No," Jake says, subconsciously moving further away on the couch.

"If you say so, man. You seem plenty nervous to me."

"How would you know, anyway? We've only just met, and all you do is lie."

"I've not told you a single lie yet."

"Balderdash!" Jake yelps, and then blushes from the too-high volume. "Explain to me how Roxy says she's met you before, Strider," he whispers, making up for the involuntary shout.

"Because she thinks she has."

"But how! How does she think that? How did she see you this morning when you were with me all day?"

"Memory manipulation."

Jake looks up at him so fast it hurts his neck. "Manipulation?"

"Roxy's mind is like an open book. Easy to skim through and pick apart. She's very open in her nature, and Jane's pretty much close-minded as fuck. I don't think she really believes Roxy's whole story, but she at least trusts her opinion. Besides, Roxy's mom is a famous therapist, bro. She's written a book on literally every mental disorder known to man, so that's a plus in learning her back story."

"So you're able to read minds?"

"No, it's not like that. I can't tell what people are thinking or what's running through their heads. But I can plant certain things. Make them believe it really happened. As far as Roxy knows, we're best friends."

"That's-" Jake takes a breath, and then sinks back into the cushions. "What does all of this mean, Strider?"

"I think you know what it means."

"Why are you doing all of this?"

Dirk doesn't answer, and the movie comes to an end after a hopelessly cliché climax. Jake continues to chew his cheek, and then wordlessly stands to go to bed. He supposes if Dirk is staying, he'll be sleeping on the couch. And then he remembers he's angry with Dirk, and doesn't care where he sleeps, so long as it's away from him.

He jerks awake suddenly to a dimly lit room. He doesn't know why at first, but then there's a pressure against his back and warmth he knows isn't his.

"Shh," Dirk's voice says in the darkness, "it's just me."

"Wha's goin' on?" he mumbles while arms wrap around his waist and his back is pulled into a chest.

"I don't think this requires much of an explanation, bro."

Jake grunts and settles against the embrace, finding it increasingly pleasant to be held. Dirk's warm breath is blowing into his hair, and leather clad palms are running along his sides, slightly under his shirt.

"Why're you here?"

"You were calling me."

"I was?"

"Yeah. In your sleep."

Jake frowns. "I didn't know I talked in my sleep."

"You don't," Dirk says, "not really."

"I say, Strider, you're more confounding every time you open your mouth."

"Is that a bad thing? Least I'm not too easy to read."

"Almost like an enigma, eh? Like a puzzle sent to an adventurer for him to solve… Like Indiana Jones…"

"Something like that. Go to sleep, you're still tired."

"How would you know?"

"You'll find it's pretty damn hard to hide your emotions from me, English. You'd be better off if you didn't even try."

"You don't know what I'm feeling," Jake mumbles, already falling asleep again. "You don't know what I'll be feeling later, either."

"You're not pushing me off or kicking me out. And that's a start."

Jake starts to tell him to shut up, but can't find the effort. Instead he scoots further into the embrace, and goes to sleep.

When he wakes up next, birds are chirping outside again, and he finds himself alone in bed. Dirk's voice carries from the living room.

"You mean the fact that he's basically feral? Yeah, I've noticed," he's saying. Who's feral?

"Jakey is just inexperienced, is all. You'll watch him today, right, Di-Stri? I bet you can give him all the experience he needs, if ya know what I mean, wink wink."

"Did you just say the word 'wink' while actually winking at me? Double whammy."

"Bet your fine ass it's a double whammy! Take care of things today, Jake's totes going through a hard time right now. Betcha can't think of other hard things you want him to-"

"I think I hear Jane calling you, Rox."

"Lies! We'll be home later, studmuffin! Give Jakey a sloppy kiss from me!"

"You have my word."

The door shuts, and footsteps make their way back to the guest bedroom. He can practically feel Dirk in the doorway.

"You're awake," Dirk states.

"Mighty observational of you, sir," Jake mumbles. "And I'm not feral."

"There's an infinite possibility that you are feral, English. It's literally impossible to think of the word and not see your pretty face simultaneously. Don't sweat it too much, we'll break you in."

"Oh, hush. Don't you have better things to do than be insufferable first thing in the morning?"

"You seemed pretty into me last night, or was that my imagination?"

Jake flushes, and then sits up to reach for his glasses before getting out of bed. He needs to remember to unpack his bags, as he'll be staying here for a long while, but as is, he has to kneel and route through them for clean clothes. He's pulling out a clean pair of shorts when he hears a slight growling noise from the doorway. Dirk's jaw is set again, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Has anyone ever told you that your ass is fuckin' perfect?"

Sputtering like an idiot for a moment, Jake manages to respond with a loud, Strider!

"Relax, would you? It's an innocent enough observation, an irrefutable fact of life. The earth is round, there's a seventy percent chance of rain today, and your ass is the epitome of plush."

Jake stands quickly and tries to back out of the room without having to turn around, and he only bumps into something twice before he makes it to the bathroom. He feels victorious until he realizes he didn't grab a clean shirt, and is forced to go back. Dirk at least has the decency to not laugh at him.

After a quick shower, Jake runs to the door with a quick, "See you later, I'm visiting someone!" If Dirk responds, he doesn't hear it.

It's nothing personal, really. He's just not in the mood to put on a brave front for his friends. He's not even sure he'd want Jane or Roxy to visit his grandmother in that tiny room hidden in the huge hospital. He doesn't want to go either, but he'd put up with anything to make sure she's okay.

The sky is gray, and Jake remembers what Dirk said about rain. There's the sweet smell in the air that always comes before a storm, but it's faint, and he hopes it'll hit after he's safely indoors. He's never minded getting caught in the rain, but he really doesn't want to have to change clothes too soon, or he'll end up having to do laundry, and he's practically hopeless at it; his grandmother's always done it for him, and the last load he tried to do ended up hopelessly shrunk.

He stands before the looming door with shaking legs and a crumbling resolve, and considers turning right the fuck around to go back home, but then he thinks of her alone in that room, and he pushes himself forward, hoping every way he knows how that she'll be herself, even if only this once.

The receptionist barely glances up at him when she tells him to sign his name in the chart. It's part of what he hates about the place, how impersonal these people can be. He sets the pen down a little harder than he needs to, and she finally glances up to point him to the room she's in. He already knew, but he tells her thanks in a stiff voice, and makes his way down the long hallway.

Her room is at the end, and the door is cracked open. He glances inside to see her in her rocking chair, white hair swept into a bun. He smiles for a moment. She always used to put her hair up when she was working on a new machine. He asked why once, and she informed him it was because of the incident where her long hair got caught in moving gears once, and she ended up tangled with her latest creation. Now, she's not working on anything, and her hair isn't black anymore, but it's still endearing for her to have the same expression of concentration while she looks at a newspaper. The door creaks a little as he leans against it, and her head snaps up.

"Hello?" she asks. He lets the door open all the way.

"Hi," he smiles sheepishly. He never greets her in a knowing way unless she makes the first sign of acknowledgement. If she doesn't know who he is today, he'll act like the concerned stranger. It's a part he's played many times in the past few months, but it eats away at him a little each time. To his surprise, she smiles at him.

"Hi yourself, stranger!" she says, and he doesn't know if it's an endearment, or because she doesn't know him. "I was starting to think you didn't want to see me."

"No, never, I always want to see you, Gra- uh, Ms. English."

Her head cocks to the side. "Why so formal, Jakey?" And that's it. She knows him. He made it during a lucid day. "Are you okay, honey?"

In a swift motion, he crosses the room to fall unceremoniously at her feet, and hides his face in her shoulder. He's on his knees in a place he hates, but he doesn't care. She's here. She's here, and she knows him, and everything is okay for now.

"Hey, now. What's all this? Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm absolutely perfect, Gramma, I just…" he stops to sniffle before continuing. "I just wanted to tell you I love you."

She laughs, loud and wonderful, "I love you too, pumpkin. Are you crying?"

"It's nothing!" he promises, leaning back to properly stand up. "What are you reading about?"

"I forgot about newspapers from being away from the city so long," she sighs. "They're really boring!"

"You could always watch the telly."

"Oh, but it's so old school," she says. "It still has the fat back! We should ship our projector."

"Might cause these people to have a heart attack, I think," Jake says, sitting on the mattress. She nods slightly, and then really looks at him.

"Why are we here?" her voice is small, and he hates it.

"You're not well, Gramma," he says.

"Is it my memory again?" When he nods, she looks down at her feet. "Oh."

"But it's nothing these doctors can't handle!" he tries to assure her. "Jane and Roxy assured me these doctors can help you, and I believe wholeheartedly that they can! Everything can go back the way it was!"

"Jane and Roxy? Your internet friends?"

"Yes. They've been a constant source of comfort in all of this. You've met them, but, ah. I'll bring them to see you soon."

She smiles impishly. "Are you staying with them?"

"…Yes. Why?"

"My little Jakey has girlfriends!"

"Gramma! It's not like that, and you know it! They're dating each other!"

"Yes, I know. It's just funny to see you get so defensive on the matter." She rocks in her chair a few times, and then looks up at him. "Has anything else interesting happened?"

He considers telling her about Dirk, but he needs to take some of the details out. He nods with a smile.

"I met a nice bloke yesterday. We watched a show about ponies together."

"Ponies?"

"Cartoon ponies. He's pretty much infatuated with them."

"That's…something else. Will you bring him when you bring the girls?"

"Dirk…is sort of…infuriating."

"Infuriating?"

"He's always so smug! And he thinks he knows everything about everything! Half the tripe that oozes from his mouth makes me want to slug him in the face, but he's really nice in a weird way, so I haven't yet. I did try, but he bested me in fisticuffs. But in my defense, he had the element of surprise! I won't be defeated again!"

She's laughing at him in her hand, and he falls silent while waiting for her to explain.

"Easy, honey. You don't have to bring him."

"I want to!" he says too loudly. Her eyebrows rise while he blushes crimson. "I mean, if you want me to."

Her knowing smile makes him uncomfortable, but he isn't sure why. "I'd love to meet all your friends."

Their visit is pleasant and warm, and they discuss various topics. Jake wants to know what the hospital is like when he leaves, and she says it's basically the same, just quieter. She's only been here for two days, but he feels like it's been forever since he's seen her. Then he thinks to the last time she was lucid, and he remembers it actually has been a long while since he's really seen her. He's content to stay like this all day, listening to her speak about anything she wants, but then she goes silent, and the falling pit that is his stomach jerks him back to reality.

"Gramma?" he asks her quietly, and she looks over to him with the familiar shadows over her eyes.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of something else… Did you remember to feed Bec before we left?"

He bites the inside of his cheek again, and yes, it is a nervous habit, and shakes his head. Bec is dead; he died years ago. But he doesn't say that. He can't ever really tell her that. She loved that dog a lot.

"I do hope he's alright… I've not seen him in a long while! But I shouldn't worry too much. My grandson will look after him. Did I ever tell you about my grandson?"

Managing a forced smile, he nods. Yes, he knows all about her grandson. They're practically the same person.

"You'd like Jake. He's got lovely friends here, too. I'm so proud of him, but I wish he'd visit."

"I'm here," he says, but she looks at her newspaper again and seems to forget he's there. And he's not there, not really. Not to her, at least. When he stands to leave, he bids her farewell and leans over to kiss the top of her head. She tells him to send the nurse. She wants to ask about her grandson.

Jake makes it to the front door before the tears start falling. He was supposed to check himself out on the list, but he couldn't bear to stay in that place any longer. The scent burning his nose and everyone looking at him like they knew what he was going through, but they didn't. They have no idea what he's going through, and he wishes they'd stop pretending they do.

The scent of rain is stronger, and he knows he needs to hurry home before it starts, but all he can think of is his home, his real home, and then the threatening overflow happens, and he can't get the tears to stop. The curb he sat on the day he placed her here is where he goes to rub his eyes furiously, alone and away from people.

Only he's not so alone.

"Jake," Dirk says quietly, touching his shoulder. Jake looks up at him for all of a second before he stands to throw himself around Dirk's neck.

"Strider, I can't keep doing this, I just…"

"Shh. It's okay, man, it's okay. I'm right here." Dirk's arms are holding him tightly, and Jake is leaning into him completely. He just wants to melt into the embrace, melt and be anybody other than who he is.

"Why're you here?" he says in Dirk's neck, the words coming out muffled.

"You were calling me."

"But I wasn't calling you…"

"Jake," Dirk laughs breathlessly, pulling away to place his thumbs under Jake's eyes to wipe his tears away, "you've always been calling me."

Jake has no idea at all what that means, but he decides he doesn't need to know for now. The first drops of rain let him know they've wasted too much time, but when Dirk pulls away only to reach for his hand to lead him back to the apartment, he finds he couldn't care less if they get soaked.

Sachi: Questionsssss. Review for love, yo!