"Why do I feel like I'm in trouble?"
"Your not, don't worry," Dave grinned, leaning on the banister of his front porch.
The dim twilight held the chill of late autumn as settled as frost over the grass. Sunlight caught on the few remaining leaves, highlighting the bare bark of the trees a deep chestnut. The underbrush of the forest around the Strider house was fading too, bidding farewell until spring, promising to return better than ever.
"You texted me out of the blue on a Tuesday, I got kinda scared," John grinned, climbing the porch to join Dave.
"Mom wanted to have a talk. She just kinda stood up and was like, 'yup okay, call John, so I texted you," Dave explained.
John let Dave lead the way through the house, passing through the living room and the warmly lit kitchen. There was something in the oven, a casserole by the smell of it, but no Striders. Dave kept walking, opening the back door, and let John walk in front of him out back where the rest of the Striders were gathered.
The Striders were bunched in the center of the yard, around the decorative fire ring John had roasted marshmallows over many times. Something told John this wasn't exactly a marshmallow roasting event.
Though the multi-colored camping chairs were arranged in a circle, Roxy seemed to be sitting at the head. She had an old, red fleece blanket draped across her lap, and a heavy sweater on to keep her warm. Her expression was thoughtful but very serious and did not reply when John greeted her.
"She can't hear you," Dirk answered from her right. "She's meditating. Or trying at least."
In his hand, Dirk held a lighter. He was down on his good knee, hand shielding the flame as he tried to get it to catch on to a dry leaf. The fire was apparently a challenge for him, judging by a mason jar full of what John assumed was gasoline behind his chair. Finally, too frustrated to continue, Dirk stood up and threw a bolt of electricity from his arm and into the fire pit, igniting the accelerant and starting a blaze that burned too big and too hot. The wild flames calmed down seconds later as the gas burnt down, fire catching on to the dry logs provided.
"Dirk, couldn't you of at least tried not to singe our eyebrows off?" Jasper snipped from his chair on the other side of Roxy. "Good evening, John. How are you?"
"I'm doing okay, Mr. Strider," John replied.
"Jasper," he corrected.
"Right, sorry," John acknowledged.
"Sit down, John," Dirk directed, seating himself. "We're waiting on a couple more people."
Dave grabbed up his extra hoodie that was resting on his chair next to Dirk's and pulled the maroon fabric over his head. He sat down, and patted the chair on his other side, trying to cue John to sit. It was cold out, and the fire was the best place to be. Looking around for just a moment, he realized someone was missing.
"Where's Rose?" He thought to ask.
"She's getting one of our key players," Roxy answered, "Hi, John. Sorry I missed you come in."
"Hi, Roxy," John greeted. "Was meditating uh, helpful?"
"No. Not very, but that's okay. I think I know where to go from here," Roxy smiled, small and tired-seeming. Jasper's hand crossed the small space between their chairs and laced his fingers with Roxy's.
"Jake and Jade are here," Dirk chimed, looking unperturbed, his sunglasses pushed up on top of his head. It must have been too hard trying to see through the encroaching darkness and his shades. John twisted his head around, expecting to see headlights from the direction of the driveway, but the side yard was dark and no one made a move to go to the front door.
"Other way," Dirk corrected, and John twisted around, ready to question him. Instead, he saw what Dirk meant.
From the woods Jake and Jade appeared, exiting the path that leads to the back of the Strider's property. They traveled on four legs tonight instead of two, large, padded paws carefully picking a path. Jake, at least John was pretty sure it was Jake, had led the way, with Jade close by at his flank. The wolves were exactly how John remembered them in the cornfield that night, alarmingly intimidating and daunting. Not at all like Jade had been that evening in the graveyard, friendly and wagging her tail as he approached.
Tonight they were shrouded in darkness, and they advanced toward the campfire in a cold, fluid movement that was all animal and no human. John couldn't help but imagine the teeth inside those maws, curved, and larger than John's whole hand at least. He wondered how much more effective the wolves serrated teeth were compared to his own. How much easier it was for them to tear flesh from bone. Another predator. Competition.
John shut his eyes, trying to clear those thoughts from his head. Bad, those were bad. Jade was his friend, and her grandfather had been nice.
The change happened so fast John almost missed it. Everything happened at once. Knees changed direction, chest structures altered, fur receding neatly to the top of their heads all while they moved. Neither of them faltered, not even a step. What surprised John most was that they still had clothes on. Shoes even! Like they were built in.
"Hi everybody!" Jade exclaimed, a big toothy grin taking over her face as they closed the distance to the fire. She swept her long hair over her shoulder, carding a finger through it to pull a loose stick from her brown locks. She was beaming, but John couldn't stop picturing the stone seriousness of the wolf.
"Hey, Jade," Dave greeted, smiling and pushing his sunglasses up on top of his head.
"This is some shindig your having, Strider!" Jake piped up, "should have brought a bottle of wine or something. You doing alright without the fur?"
Jake took the open seat next to Dave's dad, reaching over to playfully slap him on the shoulder. Unlike John's father, Jasper didn't seem bothered.
"Just about as well as you are," Jasper joked back.
Jake was a big man. He sat up straight and proud, his legs spread and chest square, making the already big man look bigger. Jade was no delicate flower either, and it was easy to see where her bulk came from.
"We're just waiting for Rose to bring our last guest," Roxy filled in her newest guests.
A flash of jade green took John off guard, just for a moment. The Harleys bristled too, heads turned toward the source of the light, the house. Roxy, who was facing the back door, and the rest of the Striders looked unbothered. John knew who it was. There wasn't anyone else it could be.
Kanaya stepped out on the grass in her bare feet with Rose right behind her. The demon was dressed back in her usual black dress, her skin was gray once more and her horns had returned to their rightful place on top of her head. She had looked human last weekend for the dance, but not totally unlike Cinderella the ball was over and she was back to normal. Her face, however, remained a youthful seventeen.
Kanaya made a show of sitting down, primping her skirt just to delay them a few seconds. Probably to piss Jake off. Once she had suddenly settled next to John, she politely laid her hands in her lap and looked to Roxy to continue.
"I'm sorry for being so fashionably late, I don't exactly have control over it," Kanaya said pointedly, grinning.
"You're the girl that took Rose to the dance?" Jake gawked, surprised. He didn't look happy to see her. "You look a little different. Must be the horns, eh?"
"Must be," Kanaya agreed sourly. Wait for a second, it dawned on John that Jade had known. John could tell by the look on her face, but Jake hadn't? John could sympathize, you couldn't tell your parents everything.
"Jake, she's a friend, not a foe," Roxy intervened before things got ugly. "I've asked Kanaya here because I believe she has the expertise to tell me if my reasoning is flawed."
Jake didn't look happy about that.
"I'll get right to it then, is it correct to say that demons have somewhere they go when they aren't interacting with us?"
"Yes. That's the law of mass, you can't create or destroy it," Kanaya replied sarcastically. "She's got to be somewhere at all times."
"So," Roxy continued, "couldn't we summon her the same way we do you?"
Kanaya seemed to consider that. "I suppose you could. With the right items."
"So, if we can summon her, could we summon her into the middle of a salt circle? Gain the upper hand immediately?"
"No," Kanaya rejected, "Vriska is hurt, badly. I'm sure she's lying in wait somewhere, licking her wounds and anticipating what you will do next. She won't be that easy to contain."
"She can't get around a salt circle," Dirk objected.
"No, but she might become even more violent inside one. She's like a caged animal already. Hostile. If you've got her trapped in salt you're stuck with her while she rages. Salt is a bad idea. What did you find out from her creator?" Kanaya inquired, smoothing her skirt again and pulling it down over her ankles.
"We found out that Vriska doesn't want to trade, she'd rather play a game," Rose replied, having seated herself on Kanaya's other side. "She likes games of chance apparently."
"Mm," Kanaya agreed, "she always did enjoy gambling. What sort of game were you planning on playing with her?"
"A coin flip," Roxy replied, drawing out a large, gold-colored coin. She passed it to Dirk, who passed it to Dave, who passed it to John. The first thing John noticed was the feeling of something prickling his skin, like Pop Rocks, might on his tongue. It didn't hurt, but it was certainly unpleasant. The coin was heavy in his grasp, with no ridges on its sides. On the coin's face was a woman, but not one John had ever seen before on any sort of currency. It must have been old judging by the amount of tarnish on it.
Kanaya held out her hand, and John passed it her way before he could turn it over. John laid it gently in her palm, but no sooner did John's fingers leave it did Kanaya jerk her hand back, dropping the coin onto the grass. She hissed something like a rattlesnake and glared daggers at Roxy.
"What is that?" She growled, rubbing her palm briskly.
"It's hexed. I bought it from my coven when I married Jasper, and it was an heirloom. It prevents anyone with malicious intentions from tampering with it, so problems can be decided fairly," Roxy replied, "I'm sorry I didn't warn you. I wanted to see what would happen when you and John handled it."
"And it works under the assumption that all demons have malicious intentions?" Kanaya questioned haughtily. Rose leaned down, flashing Kanaya an apologetic look as she plucked the coin out of the grass.
Roxy frowned.
"I really am sorry. I've never been shocked by it before, did it hurt very much?"
"It will certainly work on Vriska," Kanaya spat, turning her hand over to show the group. A circular burn with the coin's tail pattern seared into her gray skin.
"If," she stipulated, "Vriska doesn't just manipulate the air around the coin instead of just the coin. Just because she can't use her luck on the coin doesn't mean she can't use it on everything else. John's hand, the wind, willing someone into interfering."
Roxy's victorious smile was wiped from her face.
"Fifty percent odds are not too good, to begin with," Jake sighed, "and it sounds to me like they're more like sixty-forty odds."
"Ninety-ten," Kanaya corrected.
"Instead we um," John leaned forward, clearing his throat. "We could kill her."
All eyes were on him, except for Dave's. The middle strider child leaned back, pushing his shades back down over his eyes.
"John, ah," Roxy muttered, "John you'd have to stay that way, forever. You do know that, right?"
"I know," John stated plainly.
"You're okay with that?" Jade asked disbelief etched into her drawn eyebrows.
"I have to be," John confessed, "She attacked the Striders. It's not fair to put my issue over their safety. I'd rather stay this way than do them more harm."
Dave had been on the same page with John for a week, but now everyone was. It was time for the focus to change. Roxy looked sympathetic.
"John, sweety, you don't-" she tried. "John you don't have to give up what's important to you for us. We're okay."
"Because in reality, son," Jake interjected, "anything we do puts all of us in harm's way."
John didn't want to let on, but he was scared. It wasn't too late to back out, it wasn't too late to say 'fuck it' and stop altogether. Move to Iceland or something, and get away from all this magic horse shit. It wasn't too late to become a nomadic sheepherder. Words ran through John's head, reminding him of all that could go wrong. If he lost, he would be at Vriska's mercy.
Flames licked at the dry logs in the fire pit, a telling dance that could only lead to the embers dying among the ashes. Jasper picked up another split log and threw it into the center, fire overtaking its edges and promising it a similar fate. The bark of the wood crackled and popped as it charred. John could feel the heat it gave off.
He ground his teeth, feeling the pinpricks on his gums. God, he hated having a mouth full of knives. It hurt so much worse to bite his tongue, and sometimes it bled for hours after. The intrusive thoughts were probably the worst, though. On top of looking terrible, he felt terrible. Like he wasn't genuine enough for his family, his friends. What would his dad think if he knew?
Warm fingers wove their way into John's and Dave moved to hold his hand. John could tell he was trying to be quiet about it, but Jade flashed them a bright, knowing smile. John returned the advance and gripped his best friend's hand firmly.
Fuck. This was terrible.
What would happen to Dave if this all went to shit?
"What were you talking about her creator earlier?" Dirk said, his tone suspicious.
"We might have," Rose spoke, and then paused, "raised her creator. From the dead. And spoke to her about Vriska. And when we spoke to Terezi, she said the exact same thing the grimoire did."
"Rosalind Lauren, you did what?" Dirk asked, now sounding accusatory. Rose shrunk back. Jade looked nervous, worried she'd be outed too. Dave snickered, up until Dirk turned on him.
"Don't think you aren't in trouble too, David Nathaniel. All three of you are in deep shit."
"Simmer down, Dirk," Roxy hushed, "there's a time to be mad but it isn't now."
"As I was saying," Rose hissed, "kill her or trade, just like in the grimoire. And if we can't get her to trade, well, maybe it's time to start doing damage control instead of playing offense."
"Rosie, darlin', thank you for the input but I want to hear from John and only John.," Roxy dismissed, trying to sort through her children's voices to find the one she was really concerned about. "I don't. Ugh. I don't like this. When did you decide?"
"The night I tried to go after her," John replied, "after you interrupted, I realized."
Roxy looked distressed over all, but the way she looked at him was filled with heartache. "It's my job as the leader to point us in the right direction and see that the best comes to everyone who is a part of my coven. Are you are sure, absolutely sure this is what you want?"
"I'm sure," John confirmed. Dave squeezed his hand.
"Okay," Sighing, Roxy finally relented. "Okay. Alright."
"I don't like this," Jake made known. Jade flashed John an apologetic look.
"Well, frankly I'm glad he choose this," Kanaya replied, "it won't be the easiest, but it's the simplest. In fact, I'll even try to teach you to use your magic, if you have any after all this is over."
Jake practically growled at her.
John gave Kanaya a weak smile. He didn't want to agree to anything. Sure, it wasn't worst case scenario he stayed a demon, but it wasn't best case either. An eight out of ten on the bad idea scale. John knew he was going to regret it.
"You won't need a Halloween costume this year," Dave elbowed John. It was sort of an inappropriate joke, but John humored him.
John's feeling of apprehension faded away, slowly, like his summer's tan faded. Almost unnoticed until he was back to normal. He felt calmer, neutral to the entire situation and as moments ticked by, he felt more and more detached. John glanced at Rose, who was wearing a similar blank expression. This was not her signature forceful will. John's eyes went from Dirk to Roxy, before they finally settled on Jasper. This was him, pulling the negative emotions away from the circle like the receding tide. Jasper smiled at him.
"Please friends," Jasper spoke, "I don't like unrest in my circles. So, as we go into discussion of a plan, let's keep it civil?"
Jake's shoulders relaxed, and he nodded slowly. Roxy sighed again and leaned back into her chair with her hand over her face. Dirk looked better too, no longer angry.
"Understood," Jake mumbled.
"Where do we go from here?" Dirk asked. He crossed his right leg over his left knee and leaned back uncomfortably. His foot bounced restlessly. His eyes landed on John, and so did several others.
"Well," Roxy began but she didn't seem to know where to from there. She stared down at the fire a moment, deep in thought and then she clasped her hands together with a quiet clap. Then much more sure, she continued. "Well, we could defiantly go looking for her. That seems to be the easiest way to find her right? Or wait until she comes looking for John."
"One thing about her, she's not hard to lose," Dirk frowned. "Dave, go get me a beer?"
"Go get your own," Dave snorted.
"I'll give you one," Dirk offered. Dave made a face. Bribery didn't work if the prize wasn't worth it. Dirk rolled his eyes. "Please?" he reached over and kind of nudged Dave on the shoulder. Grumbling Dave got up and went for the house.
"Grab me one too, won't you?" Jake called after him. Dave held up a hand to acknowledge him. John watched him go for a moment before he turned back to the group.
"Could," John started, but he had to clear his throat. "Could we call my dad? Let him in on this?"
Roxy never answered questions too quickly. She wanted to think about her options and her response, but that question had her quiet for much longer than usual.
"If anything went wrong we could always erase his memory," Dirk offered. Roxy just sort of nodded.
"Yeah, we could tell him. But he needs a seeing potion to override the cloaking potion we used on you. And plus I'd much rather present it to him here, where it's safe."
"We didn't have to explain to you that magic was a secret," Jasper chatted, "you already wanted to hide it, but other people? We run into trouble."
"Text him or whatever and ask him over," Roxy continued. "I'll brew you a potion real quick."
John drew his phone out of his pocket and fired off a quick text to his father. Jack, of course, was more than confused and it took some persuading but finally, Jack caved. He might have been under the impression that this problem was urgent, and John hoped his father didn't think he was hurt or something.
The sliding back door shut moments later, Dave was back with Dirk's six pack of beer in his hand and an extra jacket pulled on over his hoodie.
"Dave! Sweety! Grab the- no, wait, I'll just go get it," Roxy huffed, moving her blanket off her lap.
"What do you want?" Dave called across the yard.
"I'll get it," she insisted, standing up.
"What do you want, mom?" Dave asked a second time, his tone a little impatient.
"Could you go downstairs and grab that big corked bottle off the shelf next to the potatoes?" Roxy asked, "and bring a stack of cups?"
Dave brought the beer down to the fire, dumping the chilled bottles into his brother's lap. Dirk twisted off a top and tried to give it to Dave, but Dave refused. Dirk instead passed it around the circle where it made its way to Jake.
Dave left again, and when he reappeared, he was carrying a large, clear bottle with clear liquid inside. In his other hand, he carried a plastic wrapped stack of solo cups.
"Is that what I think it is?" Jade asked.
"I think it is," Kanaya replied offhandedly.
Rose fell backward and when she face palmed there was an audible slap. "Mom, no."
"Mom yes," Roxy disagreed with a grin, reaching for the bottle. Dave handed it off without a word and sat back down. Dirk offered him a beer a second time, and his time Dave took it.
John is about to ask what exactly is in the bottle when he realized. The bottle, the color, and the smell when Roxy uncorked it. The sharp, strong smell of moonshine filled the air.
"Mom," Rose tried to plead. Alcohol in the Strider house wasn't a huge deal, they all drank casually from time to time and Roxy was really the only one that got drunk so it was no wonder Rose was concerned.
"What? I need it for when Johnny's dad gets here. You need a home-brewed drink for the spell, and we're using this unless you wanna go make him some orange juice," she countered. She reached down and pulled a blade of grass off of the ground and placed it over the rim of the bottle. Next, she placed her thumb over the opening and shook it. The contents of the bottle glowed a faint pink for just a moment and it faded with Roxy's influence.
"One viewing potion ready to drink," Roxy announced and poured a glass of it. "Of course, magic folk can already see you. So it has no effect on us."
Her lips curled as she placed the drink to her lips and sipped. When she pulled away she opened her mouth like it was on fire and whooped. "Damn!"
Jasper just sort of grinned, but he didn't reach for anything, content to keep his hands warm under Roxy's blanket. Rose just sort of groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, looking frustrated. Jade looked sympathetic.
"Want some?" Dave offered his beer in John's direction.
"That stuff takes like piss, man," John laughed, and Dave split with him.
The conversations branched off after that, the adults separating off into a conversation about grocery shopping. The girls had their own thing going on too, but John was content to share Dave's beer and listen to the Strider brothers bicker.
Finally, car head lights beamed their way up the driveway and the steady, gravely sound of tires crunching stone got louder as the car got closer. The car stopped, and the engine shut off, and John could hear the ding, ding, ding of a door ajar alert.
"Just remember guys, if all else fails we just erase his memory," Dirk thought out loud.
John's father rounded the house casually. He wasn't holding anything and he didn't seem suspicious as he approached the fire. He stood over John's chair, a hand on the back of it and facing the fire.
"Hey Mr. E!" Dave shouted, followed by a chorus of Hi, Hello, and heys.
"Hi, everyone," Jack grinned, giving a curt little wave.
"Hey, dad!" John grinned. Standing up to greet him.
"Hello, what exactly did you need so badly, John?" Jack asked right off the bat. John exchanged a single, fleeting glance with Roxy before he replied.
"I wanna show you something."
Roxy was already pouring him a glass, and John reached for it to hand it to his father. "Drink this first."
Jack's easy grin fell from his face. The liquid was very clearly alcoholic and he held the cup out away from his body like it was poison.
"I don't think I'll be drinking tonight, but thank you," he said, attempting to politely decline. John physically pushed his hand closer to him.
"Just one sip!" Roxy encouraged.
"Come on, dad," John pushed.
Jack's face scrunched in confusion, his brows knitting and his lips growing taunt. He glanced down at the cup and then back up at John. "I have to drive tonight, son."
"Come on, Mr. Egbert. My mom made that, you don't wanna insult her on a special occasion do you?" Dirk piped up from behind the neck of his bottle. That only served to confuse Jack more.
"What's the occasion?" He asked. Dirk just sort of smirked and took a sip of his beer instead of answering.
"One sip," John urged again. Sighing, Jack finally relented. He raised the cup and took a single sip. He jerked the cup away quickly, making a face like it was sour, but he did swallow.
It didn't happen right away. The entire circle all looked at Jack expectantly, and John could see it was starting to weird him out. As the seconds ticked by though, the potion started to take effect. The reaction was subtle at first, leaving Jack squinting. As the transformation happened in front of his eyes, his jaw fell open and his eyes widened. He dropped the cup he was holding, on accident or on purpose.
"John?" He said shakily, "what's happening? What's happening to you?"
"It's okay, Dad," John tried to comfort him.
A full minute passed before the change was complete. Jack could see just as the Striders saw. It was no trick of the fire, no party prank. Jack's hand came up to touch John's cheek as if it might melt between his fingers.
"John, what happened? How did this happen to you?"
"It's okay, Dad. I'm okay. The Striders made sure of it," John replied but it did nothing for Jack's nerves.
"He's handled it well," Jasper added.
"You did this to him?" Jack accused, loud and angry. Jasper didn't look surprised.
"We absolutely did not."
"When just who did what, exactly?" Jack inquired.
"Hey, Mr. E," Dave said flatly, "why don't you sit down. We'll talk about it."
Dave stood up and motioned for Jack to take his seat. John's father still looked unsure, almost fearful as he shuffled through the space between the chairs to sit. Jack glanced at John, again and again until finally, he was staring him down like some sort of cryptid.
This is exactly what John had been afraid of. Jack was afraid of him. The look in his eye said enough, enough to make John wince. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. His dad, his only real family was too nervous to even sit near him.
"Dad," John spoke, and he watched his father visibly tense. John tried to clear the lump from his throat but it wouldn't budge.
"Dad uh, I don't know how to tell you this, but uh, but I sort of fell into a trap. By a demon. And she stole half of me, half of my soul. She traded me a half too, though. And now I'm like this. I just, well I guess I just wanted you to know."
The corners of Jack's mouth twitched, and he sort of stumbled to speak. "And there isn't- isn't a way to fix you?"
"There is, but she's- the demon- she's too dangerous to attempt it. So I'm preparing to stay like this, and we're going to kill her."
"We," Jack paused, "we as in?"
"We as in Jake, Jasper, and myself," Roxy spoke up. "Everyone else, including Dirk, is staying out of this with Kanaya for backup. That is if Kanaya agrees."
"Sure," Kanaya nods. Jack's gaze shifts and his pupils dilated as he tried to process what he was looking at. Kanaya looked like a young, short-haired Morticia Addams, just as creepy if not creepier, and twice as dangerous with those horns.
"The foreign exchange student?" Jack mumbled, eyeing her.
"Excuse me?" Kanaya inquired.
"I made that up, dad," John grinned, unsure. "Just so you didn't start questioning her. Kanaya is a good demon. She helped us."
"Hold on just a second," Dirk interrupted, "I can see making Rose and Dave and Jade stay behind, but why aren't I going?"
"Because Dirk, I'm not endangering any of my children, not just the under twenty crowd here. Besides," Roxy replied sharply, "I have a job that needs doing and you're the only one that can drive."
"I'm not going?" John quizzed, and he didn't know if he should be concerned or offended. "I want to go. If anyone gets to it should be me!"
"Sweetheart, what are you going to do against her?" Roxy questioned. "You can't use any sort of power, so no offense, and you're human. Almost no defense."
"She turned me," John argued. "Look, I don't want revenge but I at least want to be there."
"I want to go too!" Rose spoke up. "What if you don't have the power to handle her?"
Roxy frowned deeply. She was growing annoyed, but it wasn't like she didn't know this conversation was coming. It was bound to.
"Listen. As coven leader, I don't want to have to start forbidding people from acting, but I will. Don't think I won't," Roxy's tone reflected her annoyance. She didn't like to use her role as the authoritarian, but she would if she had to.
"Okay, okay," Jack interrupted, running a hand back through his kept hair. "Let me get this straight. Roxy, I've known you, all John's life and you've been a, what? A sorceress this whole time? And now you're going to murder this creature that took half of, what did she take from John?"
"I prefer the term witch but, yes. My whole family, we're all witches. Except for Dave," Roxy responded. "And the Harley's of course, but their secret isn't mine to tell."
"It's hardly murder!" Jake chuffed, "the demon woman is a monstrosity. She's tried to kill us all at some point."
Dave, who had been mostly quiet all night, sat his empty beer bottle down next to Dirk's and bent down to lean on John's shoulder.
"I'm gonna go inside for a minute. Want to come?"
"Yeah," John smiled, craning his neck to look up at Dave. Dave grinned too, standing up straight and taking a step back to give John room to worm his way out of the circle.
"Check the oven for me!" Roxy called after them.
The grass cushioned their footfalls and the back steps thumped as they climbed them. Warm air hit John's cheeks and he was reminded exactly how cold it was outside.
"I didn't actually want anything, I just figured you could use a break," Dave said once the door was shut. Dave's cheeks were slowly turning a rosy pink and he shed his outer jacket.
"Yeah," John nodded, sighing. But somehow this whole thing felt less heavy with Dave around. "Thanks."
"No problem," Dave replied, making his way around the kitchen island to the oven. He pulled the bar back, taking a peek into the dimly lit cook space and shut it again. The kitchen timer said it had ten minutes left, and Dave didn't move to touch it.
"So how do you think this is gonna go over?" John asked, pulling out a chair at the Strider's kitchen table.
"Like trying to ice skate on gravel. Bad," Dave scoffed, "this shit always goes haywire. But I think it'll probably work out in the end. I hope it does."
"I wish there was something I could do. I feel useless," John expressed. "I'd rather your mom not fight my battles for me."
Dave just sort of shrugged. "Welcome to my world."
John had to laugh at that. It was impossible not to. Dave grinned, his perfectly crooked smile was contagious. John's shoulders shook with a few lingering giggles, vivid blue eyes locked on Dave's red ones. Maybe it was the warmth of the house or single sliver of privacy, but John found himself on his feet once again, rounding the kitchen island to invade Dave's space.
"What's up?" Dave asked stupidly, taking half a step back in an effort to regain some of his bubble.
"I wanted to know if it was okay to kiss you," John still smiled. Dave was too, but his features lit even brighter.
"You can kiss me anytime you feel like it," Dave responded. He let go of another few inches if his space to close the distance between them and press his lips to John's.
Dave's lips were warm. John half expected them to be cold. He didn't taste like beer like John thought he would. He tasted like saliva and the smoke from the fire was all over his clothes, filling John's nose with the scent. The press of their lips was soft and easy. No inhibitions. No nervousness. Just one single, chaste, soft kiss that ended much too soon.
Dave grinned wider, leaning back in to whisper into the shell of John's ear. "Wanna see some dead shit in my garage?"
"Dave!" John exclaimed, groaning. "Are you a professional moment ruiner?"
"Naw man, I only work part time right now."
John rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hold back his snicker. Dave planted a kiss square on John's earlobe before he pulled away, laughing. John shivered, his arms prickling with goosebumps.
John's arms went to Dave's hips just to rest them. This hoodie was old, it wasn't soft anymore and the fabric could use another wash. John could feel it all under his fingertips, and he could feel the warmth of Dave's body too.
"Were you serious about showing me the dead stuff?" John asked finally.
"I wasn't, but I'd love to show you. You know, when we aren't having life or death conversations outside," Dave replied, as the kitchen timer went off. Neither boy jumped, but John hadn't been expecting it. Had they really been in the house for ten whole minutes already?
"Talk about moment ruiner."
Dave took John's right hand in his, and John slowly removed his left. Dave squeezed his hand and leaned in for one more peck on the lips. And then he was pulling away entirely, the constant beep of the electronic pulling John's-what, was he about to say, boyfriend? Pulling John's boyfriend away from him? Is that what they were? Somehow that seemed like both the right and the wrong name for their relationship.
Dave grabbed a pair of oven mitts laying nearby and pulled the oven open. Carefully, he reached inside and pulled out Roxy's favorite casserole dish, and inside it looked like lasagna. The sharp smell of garlic filled the air accompanied by the acidic tang of tomato sauce. Defiantly lasagna.
Dave peered at the buttons on the oven until he seemed to figure out how to shut it off and it was a done deal from there. Wait for it to cool and then eat.
Dave turned back to John grinning as he fiddled with the sleeve of his hoodie. John closed the distance between them again, this time burying his face in Dave's shoulder. Hands wrapped tightly around him, both of Dave's hands on his shoulder blades, pressing him tighter. John's settled around Dave's middle, squeezing him as his fingers buried into his hoodie material.
"I don't think she's going to let me come with you, not if her coin toss deal wasn't a good idea," he mumbled. "She might even send me away until this blows over."
"Safe is what matters most," John offered in consolation. "I wish nobody had to go after her."
"I just want us to be together," Dave sighed, and then his lips were on John's cheek, and then once under his ear, and then his jaw. John shivered. He felt Dave smirk and chuckle into his skin. Why couldn't they have just cuddled all night instead? This was so much nicer than arguing over the fire.
Dave pulled an arm's length away from John as footsteps clunked onto the back porch and the slider opened. Dirk stood in the doorway, one hand on his hip and one blonde eyebrow cocked like he'd just caught them in the act of something more than a stupid kiss.
"Hey dickheads, just so you know, everyone can see you."
"What the fuck Bro?" Dave complained loudly, groaning dramatically. "Can't you like, leave us alone for ten goddamn minutes?"
"What the fuck yourself," Dirk snorted. "John's dad's gonna straight up cry and you guys are in here playing grab ass?"
"What's wrong with my dad?" John asked.
"Overwhelmed I think. Common kiddies, I'll give you guys the birds and the bees talk later," Dirk sneered.
"Okay, mom," John said sarcastically.
"You already gave me that talk once, I think I'm good," dave frowned, disgusted.
"I'm pretty sure all three of us know I did a better job than the drunk scientist would have," Dirk's smirk cracked to show teeth on one side, smug and snide. He ushered the boys out of the house and brought up the back as they strode back to the circle.
John sat down next to his father, in his original chair, but Dave planted his bony ass right on top of his sister's lap. Rose glared daggers at him, but Dave pretended not to notice. With a huff, she chose to ignore him, about as well as anyone could with a lap full of idiot.
His dad was looking rough, John noted. They could have a talk about this again later.
"So, I think we've got a pretty solid plan," Roxy puffed, exhaling long and slow. "Jake, Jasper, Dirk and I are going to take John out into the woods. Hopefully, that'll draw her out. We're going to walk completely through the woods to the road on the other side of the state land and Dirk is going to take the truck and drive John out of the county. Simple enough?"
"What about the girls?" Dave asked, shifting on Rose's lap. That couldn't be comfortable.
"If you woulda been here you would have known," Dirk frowned. "Kanaya, Rose, and Jade at pet staying at the house. It's safe, and if she comes here looking for John they can direct her away, which will give us enough time to regroup and change the plan if we need to."
Dave just rolled his eyes, he didn't reply.
It didn't feel right to run. It didn't feel right to let Roxy or Jasper or Jake fight his battle for him. But really, what could John do? He hadn't gotten the good demon powers, just the useless ones like night vision and he maybe ran a little faster than usual. Big whoop. He was pretty sure Vriska planned it that way. Keep him defenseless. Keep him wanting more.
This was going to be the hardest thing John had ever done. And he wasn't even the one that had to hand out the punishment. He felt like it should be him. Like he should he punished too. For burdening the Striders and causing this whole mess. He knew they didn't hold it against him, but still.
John glanced over at his dad again, who's shaking hand was drawing his pipe out of his pocket. He fumbled with his lighter after packing it, but his trembling fingers slipped off the roller, again and again, the flame disappearing.
"Here, Mr. Egbert, I got you," Dirk snapped his fingers, once, twice, and the third time fire ignited in the space between his thumb and forefinger like a Zippo lighter. Jack sort of froze up, but after a moment of realization he eased his pipe out of his mouth and held down slowly. It caught, the tobacco smoking, and he put it to his lips.
"What do you think, dad?" John inquired, speaking softly.
"I think I should learn that trick, or go back to matches," he mumbled. "I'm okay with it I suppose. If this is what has to happen. I think Roxy knows better than I do. Just, just don't ask me again. I'll change my mind. But you have to call me. Really call me, John. And tell me you're okay."
"I will. You've got my word," John promised.
Jack pulled his pipe away from his mouth and blew smoke out, nodding.
"Do you guys suppose we could talk about something happy now?" Jade spoke up, her face visibly distressed. Yeah. John felt that way too. Happy would be nice.
"Dave, go grab mine and yours guitars out of the house," Dirk suggested, but it came out more of a command.
"Get me a chair and I will," Dave stood up. Any excuse to play music was a good one. That must have been acceptable to Dirk because he left the circle with Dave. Dirk returned only moments before his younger brother, folding out Dave's chair for him to sit. Dave ended up in a dusty black chair, seated crookedly between his mother and older brother.
"Music!" Jade grinned, doing a little excited thing with her hands. Rose laughed, reaching over to push Jade's hair behind her shoulder. With that much hair, she was likely to pull it.
"This oughta be good," Jake chuckled, taking a sip off of his beer.
While Dave's guitar was simple, light wood, Dirks was a darker warmer brown, accentuated by white decorative markings on the neck. Dave's Van's sticker was front and center. The colors were wearing off where his hand rested most often, and it rested there now was he tuned.
"Know any Aldean?" Dirk looked up from his instrument to ask.
"Dude I fucking hate country music," Dave deadpanned.
"Language!" Roxy snipped.
"Sorry. No, dearest brother, I do not," Dave snickered.
"Listen and copy," Dirk instructed and started strumming. He looked down, watching his hands, and then up at Dave. Dave was studying him, watching intently. Dirk started over, and by the middle of the melody Dave picked it up.
It took him a couple tries to get it right without the music in front of him. He'd mess up, but not badly, and have to go back to watching Dirk play for a moment. Dirk started him over once again, but it wasn't long after that Dave was trying to get fancy, throwing in extra finesse and notes that didn't belong. It all sounded good though. Both brothers tapped their feet, keeping time for themselves.
Dirk's deep voice followed along easy with the melody.
"I guess you heard I was pedal to the metal on a down hill slide."
Hey all, I've just been having a super hard time lately with family and such. My mom has cancer, I'm graduating and trying to transfer colleges, bluh. Could you guys drop me a comment about what you think about the chapter?
I promise stuff will pick up again soon.