Notes: HORRAY, NEW CHAPTER!
Things will start to pick up from the next chapter onwards, and we also ends this lovely chapter with CLIFFHANGER. Only not really (haha)
Chapter 9: Here's My E-Mail, So Message Me Maybe
The following morning, Dave woke up to the smell of bacon filling his nostrils. Shifting on the couch, he almost instantly remembered he fell asleep on his brother the night before, just a few minutes after lying with him. He didn't even get to see the ending to that terrible movie they were watching.
Sitting up, he looked over the couch to see his brother cooking breakfast, the sizzling sound from the frying pan reaching his ears.
"Hey." He called, and Bro turned around to face him.
"Good morning." The older Strider said, before turning his attention back his present task. "You sure slept early yesterday."
"I think I can only go to bed late so many times before fainting..." Dave spoke more to himself than anything, getting up from the couch and walking to his brother.
"And, fuck, you sleep like a goddamn rock! I mean, I moved from under you this morning and that didn't even faze you."
"Oh, so that's why I felt so comfortable all of sudden." Dave commented, getting a punch in the arm right after.
"Very funny." Bro kept paying attention on the sizzling bacon and eggs. "I could barely move at night with your sleepy ass on top of me. You were pretty damn comfortable if you ask me."
Dave simply shrugged, rolling his eyes.
What a cry baby...he thought before walking out of the room. He needed to go to the bathroom and to his bedroom real quick to turn off his computer before Bro found out he left it running all night long. If he did so, he wound definitely lecture him about not wasting energy and all that. Dave thought it was too early in the morning for that.
After a quick visit to the bathroom, the boy entered his room, greeted by the sight of his new camera which made him smile almost involuntarily. He walked to his desk to turn off the computer and pick the camera up, when his eyes rested on a small piece of paper resting near the monitor.
It was the note he wrote down with e-mail address from the message he got the day before.
Thanks to the excitement related to his new gift, he pretty much forgot about the message completely, but just looking at the small note brought it all back, and he eyed the e-mail address for a while. Should he send that person a message back? "Entertain" them for a while, like Rose said? If everything was safe, there would be no harm in trying, right?
This wasn't the time to make such a decision though, so Dave simply stuffed the note on the back pocket of his jeans, to prevent his brother to ask questions about it, and headed back to the main room. Bro was almost done with their breakfast.
"Are you going to carry this thing everywhere now?" Bro asked when he saw the camera on the boy's hands.
"You can't say much mister 'I play the same record for a whole week straight after I buy it'." Dave snapped at his brother, arms crossing in front of his chest.
"OK, fair enough." Bro said as he set an egg and the bacon on a plate, together with a slice of bread. He promptly handed it to Dave, along with a fork. "Here. Have a ball."
Taking the plate, Dave went back to sitting on the couch, ready to "maneuver" his way into eating, thanks to the lack of a knife. Bro joined him shortly, and for a long while they just sat there, eating in silence.
Dave was still thinking about the message from the day before and, admittedly, he wanted to give it a shot. Maybe fuck around with that anon for a bit just for shits and giggles. Although, if he were to go on with it, he needed the same sort of safety measures his brother had on his own computer, because 1) staying in contact with anyone through Bro's PC would be a dire mistake and 2) he couldn't just start interacting with a stranger without some manner of protection. Not only it could be an undercover cop, but it could also be some sexual predator trying to track down the origin of those pictures. Both options were grim in their own way.
Then, he had an idea. He wasn't sure if that would work, but it was worth the try.
"Bro, can you tighten the security on my computer?" Dave asked all of sudden, not daring to look at his brother.
"Why do you even want that?" Bro rose an eyebrow at his younger brother.
"Well, since I've be accessing the site's inbox now, maybe we need to get my PC secure too." Dave made up that excuse not really sure if his brother would fall for it. He honestly didn't understand much about computer safety aside from the basics, so he was just going on a limb and hoping for the best.
"Hmm... Actually you may be right. It won't hurt making your computer safe too. Good thinking." Bro smiled, genuinely believing Dave's words. And that was a relief to the younger Strider. "I'll get on that as soon as we finish breakfast, because it may take a while to set up everything."
"Anh, ok." Dave was actually speechless by how easy it was to persuade his brother. Although, his request probably triggered the older Strider's more cautious side, and the boy was glad such a thing happened. That way he wouldn't have to make up some crazy story to convince him.
The rest of the breakfast went by in silence.
When both were done eating, Bro just dumped the dirty dishes inside the sink. He couldn't care less about washing them, especially in the morning.
"I'm going to go take care of your computer now." He said, turning to leave the room. "Are you coming?"
"Nah. I'm just going to stay here playing X-Box… Don't go messing with my personal stuff though." Dave glared at his older brother, who just scoffed at him.
"Yeah, as if there's anything that interests me in your files. It's probably filled with pseudo-artistic photos and lame music anyway." Bro could literally feel Dave's eyes like daggers on his back, even if no words left the boy's lips.
Three hours passed until Dave grew bored of playing, and wondered what was taking his brother so damn long anyway. He didn't know much about the subject of adding safety measures to a computer, but he definitely didn't expect it to take forever.
Getting up from the couch, he walked to his bedroom, pushing the door open to see Bro sitting at his computer, clicking and typing away.
"Still not done?" Dave asked, leaning on the door frame.
"Just a bit more." Bro replied, eyes fixed on the screen.
"Well, get on with it, I have people I want to talk to." In reality, Dave was just getting more and more impatient to finally get to talk to whoever that person who messaged him earlier was. Curiosity was, once again, getting the best of him and he would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to mess around with them, even if only for a cheap laughs.
"As if you don't talk to your friends all the time. I think you can survive another hour away from them." Bro shrugged, as he kept on working on Dave's computer. "Also, way to make your computer totally exposed to everyone. I know you don't do anything too important on this thing aside from storing your silly photos and songs, but still…"
"… I'm going for a walk." Dave sighed, pretty sure that his brother wouldn't be done with that anytime soon, and being lectured wasn't something he was looking forward to.
"Get some money and bring me a bottle of Mountain Dew from the store, will you?"
Dave only nodded, moving away from the door and back to the apartment's main room, getting some money that was lying on the kitchen counter and stuffing it into the back pocket of his jeans before leaving the apartment.
Thanks to it being a Saturday afternoon, the sidewalks were packed with people everywhere, and cars were zipping down the streets. The weather was hot, as it usually was, as Dave made his way down the block, heading for the nearest convenience store.
While he walked, he caught himself thinking about the recent events. Some of that old feeling of uneasiness began emerging from the back of his mind. What if they were taking things too far? What if they were risking themselves too much? Dave had come to accept the situation as almost natural now, but it still didn't change the fact what they were doing was dangerous. And the last thing he wanted was to get separated from his brother due to an irresponsible action.
And what they were doing was the peak of irresponsibility.
Deep in thoughts, he almost missed the convenience store. Walking a few steps back he pushed the front door open and was greeted by the cool air on inside. He walked to one of the many fridges in there to pick his brother's order, thankful for the bottle being ice cold.
Taking a quick look at snacks aisle, he picked up a bar of chocolate to himself. He was sure Bro wouldn't mind he was buying something extra. After all, most of the money they had was thanks to his efforts, so he deserved a treat.
Waiting in line, paying and leaving was as uneventful as expected, and Dave was soon enough back on the warm streets, turning at a corner to just take a walk around the block and then return to the apartment. Although, he stopped at a small park, that was somehow empty despite the crowds on the streets, and decided to stay there for a while. His brother wouldn't be done with his task for a while, so going back seemed pointless.
Sitting in one of the benches, he picked his chocolate and unwrapped it, taking a bit from it before leaning back. He tried to suppress all the thoughts of insecurity that were threatening to come back, and tried to focus on his plan. So he was really going to answer that stranger- whoever they were. He couldn't believe he was actually going for it.
Sure, if he wanted to, he could always drop them whenever he felt like and pretend nothing happened, but he was still surprised he was feeling bold enough to reply at all.
Dave sat there thinking about how that would go down. What was he even going to say to this person anyway? Their intentions were quite obvious, based on the hundreds of other messages from his brother's site, but Dave never really had to think about answering to those.
But maybe he was thinking too far ahead. Maybe that anon wasn't going to virtually jump his bones on the first opportunity… That was a possibility, considering their first e-mail seemed quite polite and collected.
He sat there munching on his chocolate and thinking for God knows how long, until he finally realized he had spent far too much time out and about, as evidenced by how warm the bottle of Mountain Dew had gotten.
Shit… Dave thought to himself, picking up the bag with the bottle and rushing back to the apartment.
When he finally arrived at the front door, his hand quickly went for the knob, but it turned before he could reach it and he was soon face to face with his older brother.
"Fucking finally. I was about to go out and try to find you. What took you so long?" Bro asked, letting out a sigh of clear relief.
"I was at the park and I kind of lost track of time. Sorry." Dave hesitantly handed the shopping bag to Bro. "Brought your drink though."
"At least you didn't forget about that." The older Strider smiled, snatching the bag and putting a hand on Dave's shoulder, guiding him inside. "What made you lose track of time anyway? Busy playing on the swings?"
"No I… I was thinking." Dave said, staring at his own feet, entering and hearing the door close behind him.
"Were you over thinking again?" Bro gave his younger brother a worried look as he went to the fridge to get some ice.
"A little. All this is still kind of strange." Dave scratched his arm, not really looking at his brother as he heard the sound of ice hitting against glass.
"Look, like I said, whenever you want to quit this whole thing, you just have to say the word. Don't push yourself, alright?" Bro turned to Dave, a glass full of Mountain Dew and ice in hand and a reassuring smile on his face.
"It's not that I just… Whatever. Did you finish doing all the shit you needed to do on my computer?" Dave tried to change the subject and hoped his brother would follow accordingly.
"Yeah. It's done. You are free to use your computer and chat up with your friends." Bro took a sip from his drink, watching Dave leave without another word. He thought it was better to leave the boy be for the time being and not push him into talking.
In his room, Dave pretty much threw himself into his computer chair, looking at the screen. Everything looked pretty much the same on it, except for an extra icon on the desktop. He decided it was better to leave it be.
He didn't even bother opening Pesterchum, because that wasn't the priority at the moment. He pulled the note with the e-mail address from his pocket and stared at it for a moment, thinking about the conversation he had with Rose about the subject.
Just a small exchange of messages wouldn't hurt, right?
Although, he couldn't just straight out use his main e-mail account to send those messages. He had to be more careful than that. So, he set up a side account, solely for the purpose of getting in touch with that stranger. After picking a random username that didn't really mean much, he just sat around for a while, wondering just what he should say. All he knew is that he wanted something brief and straight to the point.
After some thinking, he finally started typing a new message, checking the "To" field countless times to see if he wrote down the e-mail address properly.
Stopping for a second to stare at the screen, he took a deep breath and read what he wrote for the ninth time.
ok ill bite
what do you want from me
Taking a deep breath, Dave hit the "send" button and sat back on his chair, patiently waiting for a reply. Which came pretty quickly. Less than ten minutes to be exact.
You did reply to my message! That makes me quite elated!
As for my intentions, they are many, but first I would like to know more about you. We could start by your name.
As he read the message, his lips curved into a smile, and he promptly typed a reply.
yeah good luck trying to get a name out of me
totally like me giving my name to strangers on the internet
Another five minutes passed by before there was another message.
Both cute and smart. What a wonderful combination.
Can't you even give me a random name? I just don't feel it's right for me to be calling you just "boy" during our conversations.
Shifting on his seat, Dave considered the stranger's request. An alias was a good idea... But he had a better one.
just call me dave then
first name that came from the top of my head
and i think now we should be naming you as well
and you could tell me your damn gender while we are at it
In all honesty, he thought that was a smart move on his part.
Dave. Very well then.
You can call me Mike. And I believe my gender is quite evident now.
Tell me Dave. Your eyes are astounding. Such a gorgeous shade of red. Are they really such an amazing color?
So that guy had the time to pick up his eye color from the pictures. Dave doubted most of the people who visited his Bro's site cared about what color they were.
yes those are my very own eyes
no photoshop tricks or contact lens
How wondrous. I wouldn't mind looking deep inside those for hours on end.
I also couldn't help but noticed your skin is sprinkled with freckles. I really like that.
That guy was proving to be a lot more observant than Dave expected, and he wasn't sure if he should be flattered or freaked out. Maybe a little bit of both would do.
you sure took time to analyze all my pics didnt you
I can't help it, I'm quite fascinated by you.
Seeing your face is the highlight of my day.
you must lead a really sad life dude
i almost feel bad for you
This time, it took a good while for another reply to come around. In the meantime Dave just decided to click around some sites, and when he grew bored he started trying to draw something for SBAHJ, to no avail. The things he was drawing weren't coming together bad enough.
The sound of a new message, almost more than half an hour later, took him away from his attempts at shitty art.
I apologize for the delay, something came up.
And my life is far from sad, believe me.
And speaking of your face, can you tell me when the next site update is? I would love to see you in different attires.
Staring at the screen for a while, Dave couldn't help but roll his eyes. Why was that guy beating around the bush so much, when it was pretty clear he was just after some tail?
dunno man
i'm not the one who decides that
also you can drop the politeness act now
we both know you are just talking to me because you want to do something disgusting to me
so just spit it out and save us some goddamn time
There was another long delay, and finally a new e-mail.
Sharp kid.
Although, I am not so shallow.
As attracted as I am to you, I'm also curious about who you are. After all, I assume there's more to you than a pretty face.
Dave honestly couldn't believe that guy. Was he trying to woo him with that bullshit?
now I know you really lead a sad lonely life
taking the time to get to know boys on the internet
I do not "know boys".
You are the first one I addressed directly.
yeah ill believe that
In a way, Dave was amused. That was the most interesting thing to happen during that whole experience and it sure broke the routine of all those perverted and unsavory messages he got on the site's inbox, even if he was still convinced that was a ruse and that guy would jump at him on the first opportunity.
We have barely spoken to each other.
You shouldn't jump to conclusions.
dude you visit a porn site with puppets and an underage boy in it
i dont think the conclusions im taking are too far off
I admit my tastes are odd but it's not my intention to jump at you like some animal.
And shall I remind you that those puppets do not attract me in the least?
Crossing his arms, Dave didn't know what to say in response to that. Maybe whoever was on the other side of the screen was being just a bit sincere and actually wanted to know him before the inevitable wave of debauchery those messages would lead to.
Letting out a huff of air, he began typing again.
alright lets suppose you are being honest
just what kind of stuff do you want to know about me anyway
Oh, there's so much I want to ask.
I'm willing to bet you are a very interesting boy!