A/N: I really gotta get out of the habit of making one month updates. I'm sorry.
Thought I'd give you guys a break from all the Sadstuck, so here, have a fluffy-ish chapter.
=====Jane: go with Dirk.
"Hey Jane, are you comin?"
"Hold on a minute, I'll be right there!"
You scramble into the Striders' living room, where Dirk is waiting for you by the door.
"The Zahhaks are pretty fucking chill about being late Jane, but I can't stand the look that Aurthor gives me when I show up later than I'm supposed to. His expression almost radiates disappointment and I don't really want to deal with that shit."
"Okay, yeah, I get it, now let's go",
The ride to Dirk's workplace is pretty nice by your opinion. It's sunny outside, with a cool breeze drifting through, giving the air a pleasant feel.
Before you know it, Dirk parks in front of the store, and lets you jump off.
The Zahhaks are incredibly nice people, as was apparent once you stepped in. There was Aurthor Zahhak, a white haired tall gentleman with an impressive handlebar mustache. He had a grandfatherly appearance, with crow's feet on the corners of his eyes and laugh lines around his face. Horrus Zahhak was a lean man with large hands and a strange mask. His hair was swept back in a ponytail, the remaining part fluffed up to resemble a horse's mane.
Equius was a bit younger than Horrus, with the same thin frame but with well-defined muscles and cropped hair. He wore dark square glasses, which you noted were cracked in a few areas.
"Why hello Dirk, you came at just the right time. Equius needs some help with the robot in the back. It's been malfunctioning a bit and he can't quite figure out why,"
"On it," Dirk replies. He straightens up his sleeveless top and puts his hand on your shoulder.
"You don't mind stayin up here with Aurthor right?"
You chuckle airily at his concern, "Dirk I think I'll be fine,"
"Alright, then I'll see you around quittin' time,"
He walks into the back and you're left with Aurthor, who is polishing up some gadgets on the shelves. He turns to you, his mouth disappearing under his exquisite mustache and his eyes crinkling.
"You must be Dirk's girl. He's told us quite a lot about you,"
You pause awkwardly. Dirk's been talking about you?
"Oh he has, has he?"
"Yes, and by what he's said, I reckon the boy is head over heels in love with you,"
A warm fuzzy feeling makes itself into the pit of your stomach as your cheeks tint.
"What's your name dear?"
"Jane Crocker sir,"
Aurthor seems to freeze up a bit, his smile slipping slightly.
"Crocker? As in old James Crocker's kid?"
"Yes, did you happen to know my father?"
The old man chuckles, coming in front of you and placing his hands on your shoulders.
"Know him? Why, he was one of my closest friends! Never had I met such a dapper gentleman,"
He tilts up your chins slightly, staring at your face.
"You've grown up quite a bit haven't you? Last time I saw you and your brother, you were mere babies that old James was doting over,"
You feel baffled that you've never heard of Aurthor before. Your father had many acquaintances, but it's strange he never mentioned this man.
Aurthor suddenly sweeps you up in a hug, and you squeak softly. It feels strange, but he reminds of your father in a way, his warm persona, the scent of tobacco emanating from his clothing.
"You have so much of your father in you," he whispers, hugging you tighter. You stand there, stick still and at a loss as to what you're supposed to do. The old man lets go of you, a corner of his mouth quirking up.
"Ah, look at me, I'm becoming a pansy with age. I should probably get back to work,"
You turn to go sit in the bench while Aurthor continues to clean. A strange contraption sits next to you and you fiddle with it, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, the bell chimes, causing you to look up.
"Ah hello Nepeta dear, I suppose you're here to pick up the bags of flour?" Aurthor says to the woman standing at the door. She was small, close to your height with large eyes, a button nose and a complexion slightly lighter than yours.
"Yep, I'm taking a break. Pounce and Feferi are taking over for me for a bit so I could get the furlour and stuff", she says, purring a few of her words.
"I see. Well, Equius is in the workshop dear, I'll go call him if you'd like,"
"No need, I'm right here,"
Equius comes out of the back room, wiping his greasy hands on a cloth. Now that you look at him again, he seems far younger than you had originally thought, around your age. His hair is sweaty and tousled as he takes his glasses off, revealing dark blue eyes.
"Hello Nepeta," he says.
"Hi Sweatquius," she teases, sticking her tongue out. Equius rolls his eyes and reaches over to ruffle her hair, causing her to lean away from him, scrunching up her face like a cat.
"Ewww, you're all sweaty and gross," she whines, tossing him a towel. He takes it and mops up his face and arms, slinging the resulting wet rag around his shoulders.
"Is this better?" he asks Nepeta. She nods her head, smiling.
"Very," she says, allowing him to touch her hair. He ruffles it and walks over to the counter, where Aurthor left him a fresh glass of cold milk.
You find that a grin has unconsciously worked its way to your face while you watch their interactions. Nepeta seemed to be very dear to Equius, based off the way he treats her, sweet and playful.
"So whatcha workin on?" she asks, trying to leap up onto the counter butt-first. She slips a few times and Equius lends her a hand, holding her around her waist and placing her there before hauling himself up.
"A complex bot with the capability to house simple emotions. Meenah is off work this week, so we have to handle this on our own,"
"Sounds cool,"
"Yes, but it is painstaking and quite frustrating,"
"Yeah, but with Dirk and Horuss's help you can do it," Nepeta says, butting her head against Equius's arm. He smiles, taking a sip of his drink.
You're so mesmerized watching the two that you nearly leap through the ceiling when Aurthor suddenly appears beside you.
"Come on dear, I believe I may have found something for you to do,"
You oblige, following him as he leads you over to Nepeta, who is currently poking Equius in the side, trying to get a reaction out of him.
"Nepeta dear, I'd like you to meet Jane Crocker," Aurthor says, walking back behind the counter. You hold out your arm hesitantly, relived when Nepeta takes it and shakes it vigorously.
"Nepeta Leijon-Zahhak, nice to meet you,"
Suddenly Equius and Nepeta's interactions make a lot more sense to you. You have to admit that they make a cute couple.
"Nepeta, perhaps you can take her to the bakery and show her around. There's nothing for her to do around here,"
"Sure! She can help me with the flour bags and sweets, we need to create a fresh batch of bread and cookies for tomorrow anyway,"
Nepeta bounces over to the two carts filled with bags of flour. She starts rolling one towards the door.
"Would you get the other one for me Jane?"
You nod, glad to complay. You were bored out of your skull, and a bakery seemed like the perfect place to go.
"Aurthor, can you tell Dirk that I'm at the bakery?" you ask. He nods warmly.
"I'll be sure to inform him,"
Nepeta flounces out the door before you, stopping to give Equius a quick peck on the cheek. He holds open the door for the two of you while you step out.
Leijon Bakery is a decent sized place, with a warm homey feel that made you feel instantly at ease. You've heard of the place before, but hadn't really paid much attention to it. You regret that you hadn't, it seemed like a great place to sit back and relax.
Nepeta leads you behind the counter, pushing the wagon towards a man with dark spikey hair and snakebite piercings.
"Pounce, would you mind putting these in the back for me?"
"Got it Nep," the man says, taking the cart from her. He drags them to the double door on the other side of the counter and disappears from sight.
"Pounce?" you ask, confused. That was quite an odd name, you haven't heard one like it.
"His real name is Leon but we call him Pounce because he used to pounce onto people just like a cat when he was little. He's my older cousin,"
"Uh huh," you say, turning your head towards the other employee, who was frantically filling orders.
"Oh that's Feferi. She works her part time but she's works so hard that we pay her in full. She's a really nice person, you should talk to her when she's less busy,"
Nepeta leads you into the back room with her, where she hands you an apron.
"If you're the daughter of good ol' Papa Crocker then I trust you'll know what to do?"
"Erm, if you give me a recipe, I'll try to make it," you say, a bit apprehensive. Nepeta leans in with a tiny grin.
"Do you remember any of your old Pop's recipes, like his carrot cake and famous red velvet cupcakes?"
The mention of your father's baking brings a pang to your heart, smaller than the one's you've experienced before, but you nod.
"I remember those and many more," you tell her. Nepeta nods and grabs a pair of mitts, popping open the industrial oven and grabbing a tray out of it, plunking it down on the countertop.
"Surprise me," she says, looking at you with a twinkle in her eye. You smile.
You think you might take a liking to this girl.
====== Be Dirk Strider
Your name is Dirk Strider and it is really fucking hot in here.
You're used to it though, after all, you grew up in Texas and you've been doing this job for two years now. Heat was no stranger to you.
But it was really. Fucking. Hot.
"Hey Zahhak, you mind if I take a break?"
Equius grunts and bobs his head in your direction, which you take as a yes. You exit the warehouse, pulling at your damp shirt.
The blast of fresh air that hits you in the face is a relief, and you audibly sigh. Towels line the shelf in front of you, and you thank fucking god Aurthor had the common sense to install a clean-up room in this place. You waver a bit on your feet, dizzy from the sheer heat of the warehouse, and grab a cloth off the rack.
You towel yourself off and step into the front where Aurthor is quietly reading a novel. You look around confused, noticing that Jane is gone.
"Hey Aurthor, do you know where Jane went?"
He smiles, little crow's feet lining the edges of his eyes. You find yourself smiling too, unable to resist this old man's charisma.
"My daughter-in-law came by and said she needed help at the bakery. If you're lucky, and if Nep takes a liking, that girl of yours might have a job by tonight,"
You smile at the vision of Jane in the bakery, surrounded by various pastries and smiling that entrancing smile she got when she did something she loved. You could imagine her wearing an apron, her hands covered in flour and a bit of it on her face. Your vision suddenly rocks as you waver on your feet, stumbling unsteadily. Your throat is parched to the point where it's painful, but you smile.
Suddenly the scene in your vision shifts violently and you see her in a kitchen, stirring something in a large pot. But it's not any kitchen; it's the kitchen in your dream home, a stainless steel haven that had huge windows displaying a breathtaking scenery beyond. She was humming quietly to herself, her hips swinging from side to side as she scurried around the kitchen, grabbing ingredients and throwing them into the dish. She checks the pot and walks towards you, a smile on her face as she grabs your hand.
"Hey Dirk, can you taste this for me and tell me if it's alright?"
You nod and let her drag you to the pot, where some sort of stew is cooking. She takes a small spoon of the soupy mixture and holds it to her mouth, gently puckering her lips and blowing on it. Jane holds the spoon out to you, and you can't help but notice a small ring encircling her fourth finger, glinting in the light.
You look at your own finger and see a similar one there.
"Here, open up,"
She puts the spoon to your lips, and you take a sip, allowing the heat of the stew to fill your entire body with a sort of cozy nostalgic warmth. You feel a sudden pang in your heart when you recognize the taste.
It tastes like the stew your mother used to make when you and Dave were sick. You don't have many memories of it, but you remember the taste vividly. It was spicy, with just the right hint of salty and sweet.
You nod your head at Jane and she breathes a sigh of relief.
"Thank god, I thought I added too much rosemary in there,"
"Nah, it's great," you say, putting the spoon down on the counter. You suddenly feel the need to do something with her, anything that would make her happy.
The soft tinkling of wind chimes echoing from outside gives you an idea.
"Come on," you say, dragging her to the living room.
"Dirk where-?"
"Just come on,"
She walks with you to the living room, and sits down the couch while you walk over to the stereo and slip your phone into the dock while taking off your glasses. Your phone lights up, displaying your favorite songs. You turn it on, letting the soft music wash over you.
Holding out a hand, you beckon for Jane to join you.
"Oh no Dirk, I can't dance,"
"Bullshit," you say, hauling her up to her feet suddenly. She lets out a small squeak as you hold her close.
"Just follow my lead,"
The music begins to play softly in the background as she starts swaying, her arms wrapped around your neck.
I've seen the world
Done it all
Had my cake now
Diamonds, brilliant
And Bel Air now
Hot summer nights, mid July
When you and I were forever wild
The crazy days, city lights
The way you'd play with me like a child
She places her head against your chest, letting out an audible sigh. You plant your chin in her soft curls.
Will you still love me
When I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me
When I got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
"Hey Dirk,"
"Mmm?"
She looks up at you, her face holding a miserable expression.
"Do you…do you regret any of this?"
You look at her, your eyebrow scrunched.
"What do you mean?"
I've seen the world, lit it up
As my stage now
Channeling angels in the new age now
Hot summer days, rock 'n' roll
The way you play for me at your show
And all the ways I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul
"Do you regret…you know..this?" Jane says, gesturing to herself and all around her, "Marrying me, living a domestic life, not being able to follow your dreams,"
A small chuckle escapes your lips as you pause the music.
"Jane, look at me,"
She looks up, her eyes soft.
"I don't give two shits about my old dreams. What I do care about, though, are my new ones. Specifically ones involving you,"
Pushing her hair gently off her forehead, you place your lips there. She sighs and clears her throat hesitantly, worrying at her lower lip.
"Say Dirk,"
"Yeah?"
"Do any of these dreams include a little addition around here?"
You catch on to what she means and nod your head.
"Actually, yeah, quite a few of them. We don't have any if you don't want to though, just thought it would be nice to have a little Strider to teach things to,"
She looks up shyly, a small blush coloring her cheeks.
"Well consider that one dream come true,"
You look at her, unable to comprehend what she's saying.
Did she just say what you think she said?
"What?"
"I said that you can consider that a dream come true,"
"Jane….I don't understand,"
"God fuck it Dirk you daft idiot," she says, grabbing your large hand and placing it on her torso. You sputter, your eyes going wide.
"I..eh..wait..so you mean.."
You try to get a sentence out but it ends up a stuttering mess. Words fail you as a sudden sense of euphoric joy rams you straight in the gut with the force of a ten ton train car.
"Wait so you mean?"
"Mmm Hmm,"
"So you're,"
"Yep,"
"Because we did the..?"
"Yeah,"
A few moments pass as you absorb the information, your smile steadily growing. You grab Jane gently around the waist and spin around, letting out a high drawn out whoop while you grin like a madman. She laughs, her small hands holding onto your shoulders for support as you twirl her. You let her go gently and sprint down the hall to the phone.
"I gotta tell Dave," you say, grabbing the phone. Luckily his number was already on speed dial.
A muffled and deep tired voice answers the phone.
"Yeah, hello?"
"Hey Bro, its me,"
"Dirk why in bloody hell are you calling me at ass o'clock in the morning?"
You take a deep breath, and holler into the receiver at the top of your lungs.
"IM GONNA BE A DAD!"
Dave lets out a small screech at the other end, and you hear a thump that you could only hope was the sound of him falling off the bed. You can hear Jade's confused groans and laughter in the background.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SO GODDAMN LOUD!"
"GO TELL JOHN!" you yell, slamming down the receiver. You can hear Jane laughing in the living room. You grin near the phone, panting slightly before you take a deep breath, calming yourself down.
You're gonna keep it together man.
You got this.
You walk back to the living room, and silently turn on the music again. Shuffling over to Jane, you offer her your hand.
"So, um, Ms. Crocker, may I have the remainder of this dance?"
She accepts your hand and hauls herself up.
"It's Mrs. Strider, and of course, I would love to dance,"
You twirl her around gently, watching the soft light reflect off her skin.
Will you still love me
When I'm no longer young and beautiful?
Will you still love me
When I got nothing but my aching soul?
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?
Jane begins to sing along, her voice blending with the music as she hops onto your feet while you shuffle around, balancing her along with yourself. You place kisses all over her hair and forehead whenever you can.
Dear lord, when I get to heaven
Please let me bring my man
When he comes tell me that you'll let him in
Father tell me if you can
Oh that grace, oh that body
Oh that face makes me wanna party
He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds
The moment rushes over you and you let it, enjoying the feeling of bliss that the music and the girl in your arms offered you. You relax, letting yourself slip away into the sensation.
"Dirk,"
You look down at Jane. "Yeah?"
"Wake up,"
What?
"Wake up boy,"
A slight tugging sensation rocks your shoulders, and you feel the back of your head gently hitting something.
"Wake up son,"
"WAKE UP!"
You vision shatters into a million pieces, sucked into never-ending darkness before you lose all feeling and drift endlessly in the oblivion.
Your vision blurs as you open your eyes, showing you the familiar view of the workshop. You're disoriented and groggy when Aurthor's face comes into view, a concerned look lacing between his brows. Equius stands behind him, peering over at you.
You groan as your head throbs.
"Are you okay there son?"
You don't answer, trying to sit up only to be rewarded with a stabbing pain in your skull. Everything seems off in a way, and you struggle to piece together what just happened.
"You gave me quite a scare there boy. You seemed fine when you came out. You just gave me that strange little smile before you all out fell on your face, out like a light,"
Ah, so you passed out. Great.
"Sorry about that, must've been the heat," you groan, getting up. Equius hands you a bottle of ice cold water, which you accept gratefully and chug down.
"Alright, I'm gonna get back to work,"
"Oh no you're not," Aurthor says, blocking you. He looks stern, disappointed, wearing that very same expression that killed your conscience whenever he gave it to you. "You should know better than to go back in there after that. Take the day off son, you deserve it,"
"But I'm gonna be behind on the robot,"
"I'll take care of that," Equius says from behind him. "I already know the plans for what we were going to work on today, and I'll finish your part,"
You nod towards Equius appreciatively as he walks back into the workshop. You turn to Aurthor once more, sighing.
"Are you sure about this Aurthor?"
The old Zahhak gives you a gentle shove towards the door. "I'm sure, now go take a break, you've been working yourself to the bone all week."
You step outside, deciding to visit the bakery next door. You open it, your nostrils assaulted by the mouthwatering smell of baking fruits and bread, intermingling with the scent of rich bitter coffee.
"Hi Dirk!"
Equius's wife, Nepeta, flounces over to you, grabbing you and bringing you in for a hug. She frowns slightly, and before you know it, she's pulling your ear, bringing your face down to her level.
"Ow ow Nep that's my ear I need that,"
She shushes you and prods at your cheek, which makes a stinging throb echo through your face as you grimace.
"Did you fall on your face or something?"
"Isn't that kinda obvious, there's kinda a huge ass bruise on my face?"
Nepeta glares at you and you shut up, muttering a small sorry. She was possibly the only one of the Zahhak-Leijon's that didn't put up with your snark, and you definitely did not want to make her cross.
"Come on, we'll get you fixed up," she says, letting go of your ear and grabbing your arm. You follow her into the back room, where the strong scent of baking cake assaults your senses.
"Feffy, can you get me the frozen peas?" she calls out. Feferi turns around and walks to the fridge hastily, sliding the peas across the counter to Nepeta before running off to grab something. Nepeta gestures for you to sit down on the stool, and gently rubs the side of your face with a wet cloth. It stings like a motherfucker, but you don't complain.
"Keep this on there Dirk, it'll help with the bruise," she orders, her words purring slightly. You simply nod your head, lacking the energy to complain. She smiles, placing a small kiss on your cheek before walking out of the room.
You sit in the cool backroom with the ice pressed to your face. Your eyes droop slowly as your exhausted body lets go.
You fall asleep with your face squished in between the bag of peas and the floury countertop.
=====Be the Crocker kid
You are now the Crocker kid and you haven't used this recipe in years.
You still know it like the back of your hand, thank god for that.
The rich scent of red velvet drifts through your nostrils, making a familiar wave of nostalgia wash over you as you remember your childhood, and when your dad used to bake the same thing.
May he rest in peace.
You place yourself next to the counter, waiting and simply watching it bake. It would take a while before you're able to make the frosting, so you really don't have anything to do at the moment. A noise alerts you and you turn to see Nepeta walking out of the back room.
"Stupid little Dirky, acting like he's all purrfect and tough," she mutters under her breath. You chuckle.
"What has he done, if you don't mind me asking?"
"He went and got himself hurt, and now he's got a huge bruise on his cheek. Equius called me a moment ago and told me that he purrsed out in the store because of the heat or something,"
"Oh wow, is he alright?" you say, standing next to her as she plops herself down on the countertop. She grins.
"He's okay right now, but gosh is he stubborn,"
"I'll say,"
You pause for a moment, looking back at the oven.
"So what's the story between you and Equius anyway?" you ask, facing the smaller woman. Nepeta smirks at you.
"Curious are we?"
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I was just wondering,"
"No it's alright, I was just teasing you. Now let me see. Equius and I were really good buddies when we were little, and we used to purrlay with eachother a lot. I cat imagine a time in my life when I didn't know him. After my purrents died in a car accident, my older brother ran off somewhere, so Aurthor took care of me. I became best furrends with Equius, and on my twentieth birthday, he purrposed to me!"
"That's very sweet," you say, smiling softly. Nepeta grins, nodding.
"The funny thing is, I never actually loved him, not in the romantic way anyway. It's just…he's my best furrend, the one who helps me through efurrything. I can't imagine being with anyone but him. The great thing is, we purrbobly love eachother more than regular couples do,"
Nepeta's story intrigued you, and for a single moment, you wondered if you and Dirk would end up like that, so in love that you were eachother's everything.
You shake the thought out of your head and continue baking with her. After all, you and Dirk necessarily weren't exactly 'a thing' yet. Better not to get up over your head about this whole thing.
A few hours pass and you get ready to go home, a little concerned that Dirk still hasn't come out of the back room. Nepeta walks up to you after she flips the sign on the door, displaying the word closed on the window.
"So Jane, after seeing what you did today, I think that it would benefit us if you worked here. Would you like a job?"
"That would be wonderful!" you say, grinning. Nepeta chuckles.
"That's purrfect. Come back a week from now, and I'll have everything ready fur you,"
"Thank you Nepeta,"
"It's no problem. Now go and get Dirky out of the back room, I think he may have taken a quick cat nap or something,"
Dirk was, indeed, asleep when you found him. His face was peaceful, his gold eyelashes fluttering slightly. His cheek was pressed up against the countertop, a bag of thawed peas next to it.
"Dirk," you coo, gently shaking his shoulder. He snaps his eyes open instantly, scrabbling for his glasses. You jump away as he flails around.
"Hey calm down it's only me," you say holding your hands up in a gesture of surrender. He freeze, letting out a sigh as he relaxed.
"We gotta go home," you say, helping him up. He rub his eyes and slips on his shades, before arching his back. A loud series of audible pops are heard as he straightens his spine. Dirk gives you a strange look, before muttering something that sounded like the words 'just a dream' under his breath.
"Yeah let's head,"
You grab your stuff and head out, walking over to Dirk's bike. The two of you get on, and within a few moments, you're at his apartment building.
You take the elevator, neither of you having enough energy or patience to take the stairs. You get out at Dirk's floor, leaning on eachother for support.
Right as you reach his door, Dirk leaps in front of you with his back pressed to it. His eyes are wide, panicked almost.
"Wait, listen,"
You pause for a moment, then you hear it. Audible groans coming from the other side or the doorway. You hear Dirk's brother moan, and you're pretty sure you have a good idea of what's going on when you hear Jade scream his name.
"Are they?"
"God fuck, I told him to warn me before he pulls shit like this,"
"Oh gosh," you can feel your face color as they continue to groan, the sound accompanied by the wet slapping of flesh. Dirk looks like he wants to leap out of the nearest window, face as red as a chili.
"I really don't wanna go in there, walking in on him once was enough,"
You nod your head, grabbing his arm and leading him away to the elevator.
"You sir, are spending the night at my house. No need to get you traumatized even more than you already are."
"Yes ma'am" he says, making you stick your tongue out at him.
Dirk sighs as the two of you trudge back down to his bike. A few moments later, you arrive at your house.
The lights are still on and you can hear muffled drunken laughter coming from inside.
"You have got to be fuckin kidding me," you say, leaping off. You open the door and walk into the living room to find Roxy and Jake in nothing but their undergarments, laughing their asses off. Roxy still has a sock on, and Jake's boxers look like they're about to fall off with any sort of rapid movement.
"Oh heeeyyyy Janey!" Roxy slurs in your direction, turning and giving you a good glimpse of the hickeys on her neck. Dirk groans from behind you. "You wanna play a game of slip poker with us?"
"Roxy how drunk are you exactly?"
"I'm not *hic* drunk, I juts had a couple a' shots thas all,"
Jake drags himself over to Roxy, wrapping his arms around her waist and putting his face on her thigh. She giggles.
"You're so sessy Rolal," he slurs, and before you know it, he's passed out, snoring. Roxy giggles, and puts her head on the table, and passes out almost a few seconds after him.
You sigh, exasperated, and pull Jake off of her, somehow rolling him onto his side. He reeks of alcohol, and you grimace, breathing through your mouth.
Out of the corner of your vision you can see Dirk placing Roxy on the other sofa, facing the side so she doesn't choke on her own vomit. He comes over and helps you pick Jake up.
"Let's leave them here for now, I don't really have the energy to deal with them,"
You trudge upstairs, Dirk slumping along behind you. You pass your brother's room and hear a light snore. When you look inside, you find him and Rose slumped over a desk, working on some project or another.
"I should probably wake him up. You go ahead and get yourself ready for bed, my room is on the far end of the hallway,"
Dirk nods and walks away as you enter John's room. You take a quick peek at the papers, noticing that they were business filings for the Betty Crocker company and the Joke Shop.
"John, get up," you say, shaking his shoulder. He groans and puts his arms over his head.
"Go away Jane, I don't hafta get up for school yet. Go bug Dad or something,"
A pang hits your chest when he mentions your father.
"John, come on, get up,"
He opens his eyes groggily, staring up at you. They snap open after a few moments.
"Shit!"
He begins to scramble around, grabbing papers and reading them with fervor. His hair is sticking up to once side and his eyes are wild, crazed almost. The commotion manages to wake Rose, who shoots John a scathing sleep-addled look before trudging over to the bed and falling face down onto it.
"John. Bed. Now,"
He sighs, defeated, and gets up, giving you a little peck on the head before sitting on the edge of his bed, his ghostbuster glow in the dark pants emitting a small light.
You walk out as he crawls into his bed, where Rose is already under the covers, fast asleep.
Walking down the hall, you turn to your own room, where Dirk is leaning against the wall, barely keeping his eyes open. You wonder why he didn't just lie down on the bed.
And then you saw the problem.
Your bed was quite small, unlike the bed in Dirk's room. It was only big enough for you really, and having a second person would guarantee that atleast one of you would fall off sometime during the night.
"You can sleep on the bed Dirk, I'll take the floor," you say, watching him straighten himself up.
"Like hell I won't," he says, grabbing a bunch of blankets and piling them up on the floor in a makeshift mattress of sorts. He plops himself down on it and stares at you, challenging you to argue with him.
"Fine," you say, grabbing your pajamas. You go to the bathroom and change into John's old comfy blue boxers and your favorite gray shirt, before heading back to your room.
Dirk is lying down on the blanket pile in nothing but his boxers, fast asleep. You snicker in amusement when you realize that his underclothes are covered in pictures of his signature orange hat, and you'd gander a guess that they were probably custom made.
You make a mental note to tease him about his custom made underwear later.
Turning off the lights, you crawl into bed, taking off your glasses and sighing.
Moments go by, and you hear Dirk snore softly from the floor. You peer over at him, viewing the smooth expanse of his back, and his freckled shoulders. His pale hair seemed to almost glow in the dim light.
You suddenly feel an unusual sense of loneliness.
The ticking of the clock in the hallway serves to make you feel restless as you toss and turn in bed, trying to find a comfortable position. You wrap your arms around yourself, hug your pillow, and swing your arms around, but to no avail.
It feels too empty sleeping there by yourself when there was another person in the room.
You peer over at Dirk again, wanting nothing more than to be near him.
"He won't mind….right?" you ask youself, staring at the ceiling. Your mind is made up within the next ten seconds.
It was far too lonely up here.
You get out of bed and walk over to him, lying down on the blankets next to him.
"Jane?"
Shit, you've woken him up!
"Jane what are you doing?" he asks, his voice gravelly from sleep. He turns his head, his orange eyes clouded over slightly.
"Do…do you mind if I sleep with you?"
He drops his head back against the pillow, letting out a small sigh.
"Yeah sure, go ahead,"
You wrap your arms around his torso, pressing and cuddling yourself against his spine. One of your legs snakes its way between his, wrapping around his calf. Dirk holds both of your hands with one of his, pressed against his chest.
You fall asleep spooned against his back, a content smile gracing your face.
A few short notes about this chapter:
- short haired Equius is my humanstuck headcanon
- I literally have no idea how to write Nepeta
- Dave and Jade were doing the diddly doo if you haven't caught onto that yet
- Some guys like being the little spoon and I can imagine Dirk being one of those guys.
As always, if you can illustrate a scene in this fic feel free to contact me on tumblr. I would love to put the scene in the actual fic, and I'll give you credit for it.
Tumblr: magnificenthoofbeasts
Please review if you can, it really boosts my morale and it lets me know what I'm doing right or what I need to improve.
~Pyralspite