Have I ever mentioned that I like getting reviews? Because I really love reviews. And I tend to reciprocate by either giving my own review or following or fav'ing stories of the reviewer. Since Lacie doesn't have an account, I'm granting the request for another chapter. I don't do this too often, since I have exams and papers coming up, but I'm making an exception since she was the first person to review this story :)
I do not own Homestuck. In case you missed it last time, I am calling that the Strider bro reunion will happen when the meteor-sans-brakes tries to run into Dirk and he slashes it in half Bro-style. I'll feel stupid when that doesn't happen, but I'm still calling it.
Normally, Dirk would whack his alarm clock for buzzing at such and ungodly hour on a Saturday morning. Normally, it wouldn't even go off on a Saturday, so it was really a moot point. As it stood, though, the alarm was buzzing. It was doing it's hardest to inform him that today he needed to get out of bed in order to be on time for his date. Dirk would have whacked it, but he was already in the shower. He cussed underneath his breath the moment he realized he forgot to shut the stupid thing off before stepping into the spray.
Fortunately, he was just finishing up, and it didn't take him long to get out and silence the buzzing. Permanently. He hadn't slept well, and was a little edgy because of the significance of the date, and using his katana often helped him cope with stress.
Today was no exception. A satisfied smirk settled onto his face as he swept the mutilated device into the trash bin. Setting up the new one could wait until later. At the moment he was more concerned about finding a good outfit.
His concerns were hardly necessary. He had picked out an outfit after arriving home last night. Now, however, he was having second thoughts. He spent about twenty minutes rifling through his closet like some dim-witted anime girl before settling on a forest-green polo and a nice pair of jeans, which was exactly what he had picked out the prior evening. He dashed out of the room, but not before giving his favorite puppet a fist bump. He'd left Little Cal hanging long enough.
As he slipped into his car, he wondered what had brought about the sudden offer to go on a date. Jake had been in the middle of one of his bouts of avoiding Dirk for no obvious reason, when out of the blue he had offered to go out for breakfast.
Well, whatever the reason, Dirk was ecstatic to be going on a date with his boyfriend. Especially since it was a bit of a commute every time they wanted to be together.
It took him a little while to find a parking spot. The diner Jake had wanted to meet at wasn't extremely famous, but it was always busy around this time of day. Eventually he just parked at the far end of the lot and quickly made his way across the pavement when he noticed Jake's car was already there. It didn't take Dirk long to spot his boyfriend of 3 months. Jake was sitting in a booth, fidgeting with his napkin. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he realized Dirk was there.
"Good heaven, old chap! You're just as stealthy as ever!" he laughed it off, smiling as Dirk took his seat.
Dirk felt himself smiling in response. "You need to be more observant. What if you were off on an adventure and the bad guys slipped by you?"
"By jove, you're right!" Jake admitted, slapping a palm to his forehead for good measure. "I would hardly be a grand adventurer if I were so easily duped."
This was one of the things Dirk liked about spending time with Jake. It was so easy for them to slip into conversation after having been friends for so many years.
The waitress arrived before Dirk could respond. He was only half paying attention, so he didn't realize right away that she was already carrying two plates. She set them down and rushed away after telling them to enjoy. He looked down at the meal; omelette, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns for him, waffles and eggs for Jake.
When he looked up again, eyebrow quirked, Jake smiled sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind that I ordered for you."
Dirk smiled. Jake was kind of cute when he looked embarrassed. "Nah, you know I love a good omelette." He'd actually considered getting pancakes for once, but it was sweet that Jake remembered what he ate.
They tucked into their food for a quick moment before Dirk asked the question that had been niggling at him since yesterday. "How come you wanted to go out today?"
Jake looked up rather abruptly. If Dirk wasn't so stoic and trained in swordplay, he might have been startled by the quick movement. "Well, actually…" he muttered, setting down his fork. Dirk waited patiently as he fished around for what it was he wanted to say.
"You see… I… Uh… I wanted to celebrate."
Dirk blinked behind his ever-present shades. "Celebrate?" He didn't sound too excited. "Oh, Jake, did you finally get the archaeological job?"
Jake laughed, and Dirk had to wonder why he sounded so relieved. "Sadly, I'll still only be reading about adventures in far off places. I did get promoted to a managerial position at the publishing firm, though." He grinned, showing off his buck teeth.
"That's still something to be proud of! And don't worry, you'll get to see the world eventually," Dirk assured him without a single doubt in his mind.
"You think so?" Jake asked unnecessarily. "Until then I'll just have to keep a stiff upper lip and do my best as a proofer. Not that some of my colleagues make it easy!"
Jake rattled off about the incompetency of his fellow workers between bites of syrupy heaven. Dirk enjoyed his meal in a quieter fashion, nodding or commenting when Jake paused. He liked listening to Jake talk about how his life was going. Sometimes he would share, too, but Jake didn't understand technology as well as Dirk understood literature, so he was content to listen the majority of the time.
They split the bill evenly, as per their own rule, and headed out to their car. Dirk followed Jake to his vehicle first. "Sorry I don't have more time to spend. Perhaps we can meet up later this week?" Jake suggested, pulling out his keys.
"It's not a problem. I'll see you later." So saying, he gave Jake a kiss. Jake didn't object, but he ended it fairly quickly. Dirk wasn't surprised; Jake had never been one for public displays of affection. That he even let Dirk get away with it said something.
Having said their goodbyes, Dirk wandered back to his own car. Perhaps he should go home and sew a new outfit for Lil' Cal. The blue shirt the puppet was currently wearing was getting worn from the constant handling he'd gotten the last time Dave was home. Dirk sighed at the wave of nostalgia. Perhaps he should quit harassing his younger brother by secretly moving the puppet around when Dave thought nobody was home.
Just as he was about to slide the keys into the ignition his phone buzzed. He pulled it out to find a text from Roxy
Yo, Dirky. Me an Janey are gonna face-cam Callie today my place. Wanna join us lurvly ladies 4 some fun ;)
You know I'm down for that
Woooooooo. Its gunna b totes awesome
Dirk really couldn't object. He had chatted online with Calliope a few times, but he had yet to actually see her. They had met online through Roxy, though neither girl would say how they had first come to know each other. She would request drawings form him from time to time, and was effusive with her praise to the point that it almost embarrassed Dirk. Putting a face to the name of the sweetheart would be nice. It would be nice to visit Roxy, since he hadn't seen her in a while.
Jane on the other hand might not be so pleased to see him. Still, he would deal with her animosity, they would be civil, and they could both enjoy a pleasant conversation with Calliope.
It was a half hour later that Dirk pulled into the lot of Roxy's apartments. Taking the steps one at a time, because he was a cool dude and didn't feel the need to go bounding up the steps three at a time, Dirk was soon on the third floor landing and heading over to Roxy's. He didn't even bother to knock, as he knew the door was open when Roxy was home for the day.
"Dirk! Perfect timing!" Roxy called him over to her sofa, where she and Jane were comfortably nestled already. Roxy was still wearing her purple pajamas. Jane had her street clothes on, but Dirk wouldn't have been surprised if she had spent the night and only changed because she knew he was coming.
The laptop was perched on Roxy's knees, so Dirk made himself comfortable next to her just as the video stream popped up. Calliope, in addition to being possible the kindest person he knew of, was also a cutie, and if he was into girls he would probably have tried to court her. She was quite fair, with a black pixie cut and shining lime-green eyes. She smiled brightly as she realized they were now connected.
"Greetings! It's good to see you two girls again. I'm surprised to see you here, Dirk," she commented in a pleasantly surprised manner.
"What can I say? I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk to such a sweetheart."
"Ooooh, Calliope, you better watch out! He's a real lady-killer," Roxy winked. In the corner cam Dirk noticed Jane rolling her eyes at the exchange.
The blue-eyed girl turned her attention back to Callie before Dirk could comment. "How have you been, Calliope?"
The girl smiled brightly. "Things have been rather pleasant as of late. Thanks to all three of you I've been able to interview several Alternians throughout the nation. I should like to pass on my thanks to your relatives as well! Thanks to their connections I've even gotten into contact with acclaimed author and speaker Aranea Serket! And as the cherry on top, so to speak, even Caliborn seems to have taken an interest in my thesis!" The girl seemed to light up, and her enthusiasm was contagious. For a few minutes, even Jane and Dirk were able to talk like they used to, without the passive aggressive undertones and the hurting silences.
All good things must come to an end, though, and after about two hours of chatting with Callie the animosity returned, though not at its former intensity.
"It was so good to chat with you all. Dirk, please give my regards to Jake." And just like that the camaraderie had ceased.
Dirk nodded, his smile not faltering for the young woman's sake. "Will do."
"Jane, Roxy, I hope your baking venture turns out alright. I'd love to speak with all of you again sometime soon!"
The three twenty-somethings agreed wholeheartedly, and then Roxy closed the video chat. "So, Dirk, want to stick around for some fun with frosting?" she asked, waggling her eyebrows in an overly suggestive manner. At one time, Jane might have looked embarrassed and elbowed Roxy for making such a ridiculous innuendo, and they would all laugh. Now, she simply waited to hear what Dirk's response would be.
"I should probably get home. There's been a glitch in our latest software and we're running on a tight deadline.
Roxy threw her hands up, and then dramatically collapsed backwards onto Jane. The Crocker yelpd and tried to shove the limp girl upright once more. "Dirk, you never do anything fun," she whined, letting Jane shove her face first into where Dirk's lap had been a second before. Jane looked sheepish when she realized what she had almost done, but Dirk just shrugged it off as Roxy *le sighed* into the cushions.
"Sorry, Rox. Dave's smart, but there's still tuition to pay."
Roxy hoisted herself up and looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Dirk, I know you make more than I do. And you take all these extra assignments. You are running yourself ragged. You need to do something for you for once."
Dirk was honestly taken aback by the serious statement. He thought Roxy would just whine again. It would be a lie to say he knew how to respond properly. "I like my work Roxy. It can be tiring, but it's worth it to see the programs run or the machines whirring to life."
It was true, Dirk enjoyed his job. Therefore, it shouldn't really be an issue if he volunteered to work a few extra hours, right? "Anywho, I'll see you around. Tell your dad I said hi," he directed at Jane, who nodded in confirmation. Mr. Egbert had taken in Jane after her own father had died. When the Strider couple passed as well, he often helped Dirk take care of Dave. As such, the eldest Strider held great respect for the man. Jane understood his feelings, so Dirk knew she would be happy to pass along the message regardless of their current status as frenemies.
Dirk fully intended to start troubleshooting, as he had told Roxy, but there was something else he wanted to do first. Callie was an Alternian enthusiast without question. She probably could have told him what he wanted to know without much effort, but he didn't want to talk about his latest hobby of trying to get a rise out of CG. A quick google search should provide enough information. If it wasn't 100% accurate, all the better.