Before the new chapter, it's time for your love! Nxtilla, yes! WolfCatHybrid, me too! ASmallNestOfWarmBees, I try to make them longer in this story to keep the story from having a lot of chapters, but it's not always easy! Ambiguous Cake, you'll have to wait and see, but really, you're pretty much spot-on. And now on with the story!
Limerance: The state of being infatuated with another person.
The Car and The Story
Even as a fox, Dirk still has an insatiable appetite, and he eats more of the meatloaf Jade cooks than any of them. At first Dirk is put off by not being able to eat with his hands, but he soon decides he's perfectly fine with shoving his face in a bowl, and Jake suspects it's because Dirk has realized he can get more food in his mouth that way. Dirk still sits at the table, and Jake has to get used to eating beside a giant fox, especially when Dirk's tail keeps hitting him.
"Can't you do something with this?!" Jake finally yelps after the fifth time of being blindsided by the fluffy missile. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were doing it on purpose!"
Dirk looks him straight in the eye and whacks him with his tail again, right in the face.
"No horseplay at my table!" Jade chastises, watching them fondly.
"It's technically fox play," Jake says. He goes back to his food and is outraged when Dirk's tail acquaints itself with his face again. "Dirk!"
Dirk is unbothered, of course, and he continues to shove his face in his bowl, halfway on top of the table as he tries to lick the bowl clean. When he emerges he looks very pleased with himself, looking at Jake's plate, and then at Jake himself, giving what can only be described as puppy eyes.
"Oh, you—you absolute pest!" Jake grumbles, shoving a dinner roll in Dirk's mouth. "Other people have to eat, too!"
"I'm surprised he's still eating that way," Jade muses aloud. "Normally once the body is accustomed to the changes, the increased appetite diminishes on its own."
"He probably isn't used to it yet," Jake replies, looking up at her. "It's only the first month." He looks back to Dirk and sputters in rage when he sees the fox licking the food off his plate. "Dirk!"
"There's more food on the stove, darling," Jade tells him. "Get Dirk some more while you're at it, or I'm afraid he'll come for my plate next."
Jake goes to fetch seconds, and he can't help but smile as he notices Dirk's tail wagging enthusiastically. He finds it funny that Dirk is so much easier to read this way, even without being able to verbally communicate.
After dinner Jake helps his grandmother wash the dishes, and then he kisses her cheek before he climbs the stairs to his room, unsurprised when Dirk trots after him. Dirk's claws make a tiny "click-clack" noise on the floor when he walks, and it makes Jake laugh. Dirk tilts his head to the side in question, and Jake grins at him, not answering.
He showers, and when he emerges he finds Dirk pressed against the window, his tail sticking straight up. He looks back at Jake and nods to the window, yipping.
"What is it?" Jake asks, moving to his side. He's still toweling his hair, trying very hard not to drip any water on Dirk, though he doubts the fox would even notice. He doesn't see or hear anything outside aside from the usual trees swaying in the slight breeze, his grandmother's wind-chimes making musical symphonies as they dance around. He starts to ask what it is Dirk is referring to again but before he can, he hears a wolf howling dangerously close to the house. Another wolf answers, and Dirk's ears are twitching. Jake pets his head.
"Don't worry about that," Jake tells him. "It's a full moon and you aren't the only beast in town." He smiles when Dirk turns to glare at him. "I mean 'beast' in the best way possible, seeing as how you're not even a menacing wolf."
Dirk moves away from the window and hops onto the bed, bouncing around a bit before giving him another long stare.
"What is it now?" Jake asks from his computer desk.
Dirk whines and gives a slight bark, hopping again.
"I'll go to bed in a moment!" Jake says, waving him away. "I wanted to make sure the girls are inside tonight, especially if there are that many wolves wandering around."
Dirk makes another noise and jumps off the bed, coming to Jake's side and standing on his hind-legs, watching Jake type.
-golgothasTerror [GT] began pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG] at 21:13-
TG: whaaaaaaat whys the great jake english pestering me outta the blue
GT: I always pester you out of the blue!
TG: not for awhile you havent! been too busy with dirk right
TG: and by busy i mean busaaaaaaayy ;)
GT: ROXY.
He groans and looks over discreetly to see Dirk is reading all of this. Hurriedly he changes the subject.
GT: Youre home correct?
TG: why
TG: did you want me to come over and join your and di-stris little love boat
GT: NO!
GT: And we do NOT have a love boat! What even IS a love boat!
TG: its called the ss homo
GT: ACK!
GT: Roxy just answer my question!
TG: whao whoa
TG: *whoa
TG: im at janeys house cause her dad makes damn good food and my moms never home
GT: Youre staying the night there?
TG: well yeah since janeys boobs are just
TG: RIGHT THERE
TG: waitin to be slept on and defiled and squished
GT: Andbwedjwedwqdqwdkp.
Jake puts his head in his hands and takes a long moment to compose himself. He should have messaged Jane. He can hear Roxy messaging him over and over again but he doesn't lift his head until he's sure his face isn't red anymore. When he does read the messages it's all he can do not to scream.
TG: heh oh man youre so fun to mess with
TG: so have you talked to dirk about the BIG secret yet
TG: the secret of you being in you know what with him
TG: *nudges you the fuck over with these big wonking eyes*
Jake scrambles to respond before she can keep going.
GT: There is *nothing*to discuss roxy and i will see you tomorrow!
-golgothasTerror [GT] ceased pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG] at 21:25-
He turns his computer off and moves to his bed, flopping face-first into his pillow and willing himself to die before Dirk can ask what that was about. No such luck. Dirk hops beside him and gives him an imploring gaze.
"I do believe it's time for bed!" Jake says, pulling the covers over himself. Dirk makes a huffing noise and pulls his ears back, staring him down. Jake frantically tries to decide if he should tell Dirk the truth and get it over with, but he doesn't think it's the right time. He doesn't think it will ever be the right time. He rolls over and refuses to look at Dirk, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep until he actually falls into sweet unconsciousness.
He wakes up to a very human Dirk wrapped around him, Dirk's face buried in his hair. Jake grumbles and tries to free himself but, as always, Dirk has managed to tangle them together so tightly Jake knows he'll probably have to wake the clingy Strider to get anything done. He decides just to enjoy it until he remembers a key factor in all of this: Dirk is naked.
His heart beats erratically as he feels the heat of Dirk's body pressed to his, Dirk's bare hips pressed right against his pajama-clad ass. Any moment now his alarm will go off and save him, right? Dirk will wake up and let go and they can forget this unusually intimate experience. He curses himself for forgetting Dirk would be naked when he turned back into a human! He was just so eager to escape the embarrassing topic Roxy's chat forced him into that he forgot everything! He has to make sure to remind himself of this next full moon before he gets himself into a worse situation than this one.
Carefully, he extracts himself from Dirk's clingy limbs. It isn't a hard process, considering Dirk is weakened from all the energy his transformation took. Jake gives him a sad look, reaching down to smooth his wild hair before he turns the alarm off, letting Dirk sleep a while longer until breakfast is ready.
"Good morning, Jakey," Jade hums from the stove, whipping up a stack of Jake's favorite pancakes. "Sleep well?"
"Yes. I had a fuzzy blanket with me, after all," Jake says, moving to her side to see if she needs any help.
"Heh, of course. Is Dirk still asleep?"
Jake nods. "I think the transformation took a lot out of him. He didn't budge when I woke up."
"The poor dear. Make a pot of coffee, would you? I'll slip some rejuvenating potion in there to perk him up for the day. It'll take him a while to get used to these drops in energy, but we can't expect him to have mastered it already. It's only the first night."
Jake starts the coffee and watches as his grandmother whips up a batch of her bright yellow potion, which she then slips into the coffee before finishing her pancakes. Jake climbs upstairs again and gently shakes Dirk, who whines and tries to bury himself in pillows.
"Dirk, come on now! Gramma's made pancakes! You have to wake up!" Jake tries, shaking him again. He yelps when Dirk's hand swipes for him and yanks him back onto the bed, where Dirk cuddles him shamelessly.
"Guhhh..." Dirk says.
"Enlightening," Jake huffs, trying to pry Dirk's limbs off him. "We're going to be late!"
"I don't care. Don't care about anything. Just leave me here to die, I'm cool with that."
"Oh, good grief, Strider! Now isn't the time for your dramatics!" Jake manages to squirm free again and grab hold of Dirk's feet, which he yanks until Dirk falls into the floor, wrapped in a pile of blankets. His head pops out and he glares up at Jake, looking so pitiful that Jake can't help but pet his hair.
"There! Now I believe a shower would do you some good! But you're going to have to hurry because you still have breakfast to eat, and I know how much you hate being late!"
"You don't know what I hate." Dirk grumbles, still glaring. "I hate you, mostly."
"Hogswallop!" Jake huffs. "Now go get in the shower!"
Jake leaves the room once Dirk growls and has to untangle himself from the mass of bedding, and he hops down the stairs, sitting at the table and stealing a cup of coffee while he diligently waits for Dirk before he eats. The rejuvenating potion perks him up too, and he's bouncing in his chair by the time Dirk emerges, not bright-eyed or bushy-tailed.
"Here, sweetie," Jade says, handing Dirk the coffee, who looks at it with a frown. "This will help."
"I'm so—ugh." Dirk manages before he literally chugs the hot coffee down, most likely burning his mouth horribly.
"There, there," Jake says, drenching his pancakes in syrup while his grandmother pours Dirk more coffee. "It'll get easier from here on out! Oooh, Gramma, these are delicious!"
"Thank you, Jakey!" Jade smiles. "And he's right, Dirk, the first time will be the worst. Drink more of that coffee! I've put something in there to help you."
"Is it crack?" Dirk asks, and he grins as Jake and Jade both laugh. "I mean, I'm cool with that if it is, long as it wakes me up."
"While crack probably would help for a short while, it's just a simple potion. Jake's already had a cup of it and that's why he can't seem to sit still and stop playing with his food." Jade gives her grandson a look, and Jake promptly shoves the forkful of pancakes into his mouth without another word.
They eat in silence for a while, each of them obviously lost in their own thoughts before Dirk speaks up again.
"Uh," Dirk tries, looking between them. "So. I was a fox last night."
Jade snickers into her hand and Jake nods sympathetically.
"We really should have told you sooner about that, Dirk," Jake says. "It's just that I didn't exactly know how, and I doubted you'd believe me!"
"Got no reason not to believe it now," Dirk hums, forking a sausage link into his mouth. "All those wolves we heard last night though...won't they attack other people?"
"You heard more of them?" Jade asks, giving them a concerned look.
"Yeah, there were about four of them," Dirk says. "I could hear them hanging around the neighborhood. Is—is that because of you two? Since you're...magic or something?"
"I'm not magic," Jake mutters petulantly, stabbing into a pancake.
"Yes, that might have something to do with it," Jade muses. "Things used to be a lot more active around here, but I'm too old to deal with wolves attacking the public." She sighs. "I do hope they aren't hanging around for the sole purpose of causing trouble."
"Why else would they be staying near?" Jake asks moodily, mopping up syrup, thinking still of the things he can't do to aide his grandmother. Jade looks at him with sadness in her features.
"Jakey..." she says softly. He finally looks up at her, but only after brooding a little longer. "Don't dwell on it."
"I know," Jake huffs, still upset. "I'm not trying to."
Jade hums absently and turns to Dirk, who is looking curiously between them, obviously trying to figure out what they're going on about.
"Of course you know not to tell anyone else about the things you saw," she says to him. "Any human you tell will be in danger. They're forbidden to know of Derse and its inhabitants."
"I won't get in trouble for knowing?" Dirk asks, finally taking his eyes off Jake.
"Of course not," Jade replies. "You aren't human anymore."
Dirk opens his mouth, shuts it again, and then stares at the table.
"She means to them, Dirk," Jake says hastily. "To Dersites, you aren't human anymore. Obviously you're still very much human, at least until the next full moon."
They leave the house a little earlier than Jake normally would. Dirk is a punctual fellow, and Jake wishes some of Dirk's punctuality would rub off on him, because Jake is always late. It's a perpetual problem he would love to get rid of.
As they're walking, Jake wraps his scarf tighter around his neck. It's a cold morning, and winter is steadily drawing closer, December just over the horizon. He's thinking about what to get his friends for their birthdays when Dirk speaks again.
"If you're that cold, we could always hitch a ride with Roxy."
"I prefer to walk," Jake says, thinking of Roxy's new car. Roxy's mother may be gone a lot, but she makes sure Roxy has everything she could ever want. Sometimes Roxy will still walk place to place in defiance, but most of the time, especially when it's cold out, Roxy will drive. She hates cold weather.
"Speaking of cars," Jake says suddenly, "have you still been fixing yours?"
Dirk bought a clunker of a car last year, hoping to fix it up. Dirk is an excellent mechanic, and he could probably have it going in no time at all if he would stop spending every waking moment with Jake, who knows nothing about cars and has no desire to learn.
"Eh, here and there," Dirk replies. "It still needs brake pads and drums, not to mention I gotta make sure the radiator isn't leaking. The engine starts though, so that's a major plus. Just have the kinks to work out."
"You know, you don't have to stay with me every night. You can go home and work on your things."
Dirk gives him a long stare.
"Do you not want me hanging around anymore?" Dirk's voice sounds more hollow than Jake's ever heard it.
"That's not what I mean at all!" Jake says frantically, stopping in his tracks and looking up at Dirk. "I just meant that I know you get bored with me! I can't keep up with your smart jargon! And—and if you hadn't been hanging around me, you wouldn't have gotten bitten! And now these wolves are staying put outside our house and I just—I want you to be okay, Dirk!"
Dirk grins at him and pulls him into a warm embrace, his hands rubbing soothing circles in Jake's back.
"Hey, stop that. You're working yourself into a tizzy. You know I don't care that you're not into my engineering stuff, that's what Jade is there for. And if I hadn't been there, you would've gotten bitten instead of me. I'm glad I was with you."
"I'm not. It should have been me."
"Shhh," Dirk says easily, still petting Jake's back. "It's not all bad. It's kinda cool being a fox. I wish I could be a talking fox, though. It's hard to get your point across when all you can do is make weird fox noises."
"Well," Jake finally says after a beat of silence, "at least we know what the fox says."
And when Dirk snorts with laughter, Jake knows things will be okay.
The day drags on slowly and Jake hates the fact that time only seems to come to a halt when he's in class. Lunch flies by, as usual, but as soon as he's back in the classroom, he decides Father Time must hate him and everything he stands for. By the time the dismissal bell rings, Jake is all but running from the building, and he doesn't have to look to know Dirk is right behind him.
"You wanna come by my place?" Dirk asks after he's caught up. "You did have a point earlier, y'know. I need to keep working on that car. If I can get the brakes fixed, I can at least drive it to your house."
"But I thought the radiator was bad?" Jake asks.
"Worst case scenario, the car overheats. I can just blast the heat and make it to your house no problem. It's not like you live far away," Dirk shrugs. "The radiator isn't bad, it just might have a hole in it. I'm still trying really hard to locate the damn thing, but it isn't easy since it could be head gasket. Or the water pump." He runs a hand through his hair, and Jake doesn't think he's ever wanted to kiss Dirk quite as badly before in his life. Something about Dirk talking about cars makes him even more irresistible.
"I'll come with you," Jake says, hurriedly turning around so Dirk can't see him blush from his own thoughts. "Just let me call Gramma."
After a quick phone call, he's trailing after Dirk to his house, which is in the opposite direction. Dirk lives in a nice brick house, and though it's not a big as Roxy's, it's still no secret Dirk and his brother are loaded. Dave is a screenplay writer, and he has plans to move to Hollywood after Dirk graduates high school. Their parents died when they were young, and Jake admires Dave a lot for putting his dreams on hold to make sure Dirk would have an almost normal life. Jake can still remember how poor the Strider brothers used to be. One of the reasons they even met is because Dave had a very important meeting to go to and had absolutely no one to watch Dirk. He happened to meet Jade, and the rest is history.
"Yo," Dirk calls when they're inside the house, shutting the door behind him. Jake bounds after him, careful to keep close. Dirk and Dave have this weird hobby of ambushing each other, and Jake almost has a heart attack every time it happens.
Surprisingly, Dave is sitting at the kitchen table, typing away on his computer, and Jake breathes a sigh of relief. If Dave is working, he'll be too occupied to cause any shenanigans.
"Sup," Dave says, lifting a hand in greeting.
"Deadline?" Dirk asks.
"The biggest. Make sure y'all keep it down."
"Can do, we're gonna be in the garage."
Jake waves to Dave before he follows Dirk into the garage, crossing his arms and hopping a little bit to keep himself warm. The garage isn't quite as cold as it is outside, but it's definitely chilly. Dirk simply raises an eyebrow at Jake's motions, grinning when Jake scowls at him.
"Shush! I am in no mood for your sass!" Jake huffs, still bouncing in place.
"Hang on a second," Dirk says, going back inside the house. When he comes out he tosses a coat at Jake, who eagerly puts it on over the one he's already wearing. Dirk is bigger than him, and usually it makes him angry, but at this moment, he's very happy because the coat is so warm and snuggly.
Jake finally manages to stop dancing for warmth and make his way to Dirk's side, who is popping the hood of the car, making a face as he examines the car parts, obviously seeing something wrong with the mess that Jake can't make heads or tails of.
"What are we looking for?" Jake asks, and Dirk nudges him with his hip.
"You're my assistant, so your job is to stand there and look pretty." Dirk hands Jake a flashlight. "Also you gotta hold this."
Jake squawks in indignation. "I think not! I will hold your stupid flashlight, but I want to help in other ways as well!"
"You hate car stuff," Dirk says simply, his head disappearing under the hood.
"Then why even bring me?" Jake mutters to himself, but Dirk either doesn't hear him or chooses not to answer.
After about an hour of watching Dirk tinker with the car, Jake's mind wanders and he waves the flashlight toward the wall, trying to perfect his shadow puppet hand technique. The sound of a throat clearing behind him has him whirling back to face Dirk, who is grinning at him fondly.
"Having fun?" Dirk asks.
Jake blushes and returns to Dirk's side, holding the light for him as directed.
"Fuck!" Dirk finally spits after a few minutes more of tinkering, the sudden exclamation making Jake jump.
"What is it?" Jake asks.
"I'm no closer to fixing it than when we first came in here!" Dirk growls, and Jake is surprised by how animal-like it sounds.
"Well—well you did say the brakes were more important, right?" Jake asks.
Dirk sighs. "Yeah. Yeah, they are more important right now. It's just if the car overheats, it could do more damage to the already damaged parts in there and cause even more work for me."
"No one said you had to move it to my house to begin with!" Jake says. "You shouldn't drive it until it's ready, you dunderhead!"
Dirk turns to frown at him quizzically.
"Driving it to your house would let me work on—"
"I know you need to work on the damned car more, Dirk! I've already told you I'd accompany you here to work on it, even if I don't see why you need me at all!"
"I just—!" Dirk stars before biting his words back, seemingly struggling with how to say what he means. "I don't know why I need you around so much either, okay? I just do. Since the bite, I only feel safe if you're with me."
Jake stares at him. Dirk Strider has never said things like that to him. Dirk isn't the kind of person to say he relies on others for safety. Dirk takes care of himself, takes care of everything on his own. Jake has always known Dirk to be a control-freak, even when they were kids. It's part of Dirk's allure for Jake, because Jake hates making decisions, likes to follow Dirk's lead.
"I don't understand... I'm not exactly...protection from anything. I couldn't even stop the wolf from—"
"I don't mean it like that," Dirk interrupts. "I mean, when you're with me, I know you're safe. Otherwise I just—I worry. And it's gotten worse lately, probably because I knew something went down last month, even if you and Jade weren't telling me, and I mean, I had a feeling it was you that was in danger, so..."
Jake looks down at his feet, his mind whirling with everything Dirk is telling him. His heart hammers in his ears, and he knows his face is probably on fire. He finds himself nodding before either of them can say another word, and then he looks up into Dirk's inquisitive eyes.
"Then we'll just keep coming here after school until you've finished the car," Jake says simply, stepping around Dirk and to the door. "But we've got to go for tonight. I've got homework and Gramma hates me to be late for dinner."
He doesn't look back as he enters the house, and doesn't have to to know Dirk is right behind him. They pass through the kitchen and Dave looks up at them, grinning at his brother, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
"You staying with Jake again?"
"Yes," Dirk says curtly, an edge to his voice.
"Seems a lot like you're moving in," Dave replies. "Most of your clothes are slowly making their way over there."
Dirk's eyes narrow and he starts to retort, but before he can, Jake intervenes.
"We love having him there! And we really can't stay, I'm afraid, Gramma has dinner cooking. Unless, of course, you want to tell her you were keeping us?"
Dave gives him a look and Jake grins. The Striders know all too well what an angry Jade can be like. He waves them away, going back to his laptop.
Dirk trails after Jake as they make their way outside. It's already getting dark, the sun low on the horizon and the sky painted with pink and purple hues. Jake cheerfully marches onwards, thinking about the homework he really doesn't want to do, when Dirk's voice invades his thoughts.
"Why're you being so cool about all this?"
"Huh?" Jake blinks in surprise, turning to face him.
"I mean about..." Dirk's cheeks seem a little redder than Jake's ever recalled seeing them. "About my sudden constant invasion of your personal space."
"Didn't you hear me just explain it to Dave?" Jake asks confusedly. "I like having you around, Dirk. I may not understand what you're feeling in this instant, but I do know I'd like to do whatever I can to make this entire thing...easier for you. If being around me and Gramma helps, then so be it!"
He turns back around and resumes walking, Dirk's footsteps soon falling into rhythm with his as they make their way back to Jake's house. The wind picks up a bit, and Jake looks up at the sky, a tiny speck of rain falling on his glasses. He makes an irritable noise, knowing it's much too cold for them to get caught in a rain storm. The last thing he needs is to get sick again.
They round the corner and Jake is thankful it's still only sprinkling, they heavy rain seeming to stay at bay. Dirk nudges Jake's shoulder and points ahead to Jake's house where a symphony of chiming is carrying over to them.
"Are those just wind-chimes? Or are they...y'know. Witchy things?"
Jake laughs, wiping the rain droplets from his glasses before answering.
"Some of them are wind-chimes. Do you see that big one in the back? The one shaped like the solar system?"
"Yeah. How come it's completely still? It's so stormy out here," Dirk says.
"It only chimes when there are dark spirits around. The last time it made a noise was when those wolves were outside."
Dirk's eyes are wide as he takes in what Jake said, no doubt thinking of the laws of physics and whatnot in his head. Dirk is a very scientific person, and Jake is actually surprised Dirk has handled all of this magic talk as well as he has been.
"Guess I never noticed them before," Dirk finally says.
"Most people don't," Jake replies. "Most of us aren't trained to stop and look around at every little thing, especially when we're busy. Gramma has always taught me that it's important to look around every now and then and take in the world around us, because there are always ways to detect oncoming incidents if you listen vigilantly. I'm still not very observant, but I like to think I'm getting better."
Dirk turns to look at him, an inquisitive expression on his face.
"There's this whole part of your life that I don't know anything about. I mean, I always thought I knew you pretty well before, but now I'm not really sure anymore."
Jake is alarmed by the sadness in Dirk's voice, but before he can answer, his grandmother is out on the porch, waving to them.
"There you are! I was about to call! It's supposed to storm the rest of the night!" she calls, and Dirk and Jake hurry to her. Conveniently, it starts pouring rain the second they make it to the safety of the porch.
Jake thinks of what Dirk said to him, playing the words over and over in his mind as Dirk tells Jade about his car, Jade nodding and offering little tips and pointers as they eat dinner together. Dirk has been upset about Jake keeping things from him, about being left out of Jake's life. Jake thinks of how he'd feel upon learning Dirk had kept such great secrets from him and he fidgets in his chair, knowing he'd be miserable.
He lingers downstairs after dinner, cleaning up the already clean kitchen as his grandmother waters her houseplants. Dirk goes upstairs to take a shower, and Jake is so focused on his thoughts he jumps when his grandmother speaks.
"You know," she says, "there's no shame in opening up a bit."
"I know that," Jake grumbles.
"Based on how you were acting at breakfast this morning, I don't think you do."
Jake turns to frown at her, and she sets the watering can down, moving to his side. She cups his face in her weathered hands, and he leans into them in spite of himself, falling prey to her comforts.
"Jakey," she coos. "Why don't you talk to him a little bit? He's been so upset about all of this and I can tell it's driving him batty."
"He has been a little weird..." Jake relents. "Why is he so insistent on staying here all the time now? Do you know?"
"I had my suspicions," Jade grins, an ominous sign. "And after last night, I think I know for sure."
Jake blinks at her, confused, but she just waves him towards the stairs.
He changes into his pajamas, deciding to shower in the morning, and gets into bed, his mind buzzing to the point he knows sleep will be impossible. He looks up when Dirk emerges, freshly showered and drying his hair.
"Thought you'd be asleep already," Dirk says, flopping beside Jake in bed.
"Not all that tired," Jake says, sitting up.
The sit in silence for a few moments, the only sound in the room the rain still pouring outside, the occasional claps of thunder. Jake plays with a thread in his comforter before he sighs softly, glancing at Dirk.
"My mom was the witch," he says.
"Huh?" Dirk asks.
"My mom. It's usually passed down by bloodlines, you know? My grandmother got it from her dad, and then her daughter was my mom, so my mom was the witch. But my parents were...kind of awful, I guess? I'm sure you gathered that, since I never talk about them."
Dirk nods, his brows furrowed. "I didn't wanna ask about them and push you."
"I know. And thank you for that. I don't like to talk about them."
"You don't have to now," Dirk says.
"I do." Jake looks at Dirk before he stares at a thread on his comforter instead, picking at it to occupy himself. "I don't...don't want you to think you're being left out of my life. Not when you're such an important part of it."
The wind howls outside and Jake is grateful to it because it covers the sound of his own pounding heart.
"I am?" Dirk asks quietly.
"Of course you are. You—you're the person I trust most in the world."
Dirk doesn't respond, but his eyes are bright and beautiful, and Jake hurriedly looks away from them again before he does something stupid.
"I think they only had me for about two years. My parents, I mean. I don't remember much about them aside from them never really being around. Gramma says they were just a pair of children who had a child, and that's why she adopted me."
Dirk remains silent, and Jake plays with the loose thread, wrapping it around his finger till it turns red. Dirk's hand catches his and makes him drop it, their fingers threading together, and then Jake squeezes those instead.
"They died in a car crash, but you already knew that part. Icy roads at night. There's millions of stories like it."
Dirk nods, his eyes burning a hole in Jake's. Dirk and Dave's parents died in a car crash too, but not from icy roads or anything other than Dirk's father's drunk driving. They took another driver out along with them and left all their bills, and their youngest son, for Dave to inherit.
"I'm sure you can guess why that story is a little strange now," Jake says softly.
"Your mom should have been able to save them. Since she was a witch," Dirk says, and Jake nods. "Why couldn't she?"
"My mother lost her abilities. We—our family was gifted these abilities ages ago. The magic was passed down every generation. It wasn't for nothing though; there was a purpose for it. To help control occurrences between humans and the population of Derse. There are upsides, of course, but mostly the magic was used to stop incidents between Dersites and humans, like Gramma did for you by getting rid of the wolf."
"I don't get it," Dirk says after a few more beats of silence. "She lost her magic because she didn't do her job?"
"Well, yes, that and she used her magic for personal gain. She bewitched my father to love her. That's a taboo among all magic users. As punishment, she lost her powers, and everyone of us that comes after her is doomed to also be powerless."
"So you...you won't ever be able to use magic either?" Dirk asks.
"No. Gramma is the last of us that can."
"But...if she lost her powers, why'd your dad stay with her? He didn't really love her, right?"
"She got pregnant with me. So he stayed with her just for that. When they lost me to Gramma, I think they were well on their way to divorcing. Sometimes I...I wonder if the car accident was really an accident, or if my mom did something stupid to keep him with her. She wasn't very...balanced, you see."
Tree branches scrape along the edge of the house in the howling storm outside, and Jake finally looks away from Dirk to look out the window. Rain is pouring from the sky, the trees swaying to and fro, and Jake is very glad to be in here with Dirk, safe and dry from the elements. Dirk's hand is still holding his, and when he looks back to Dirk, their eyes lock.
"I've tried, of course," Jake murmurs. "I've studied under Gramma my entire life. I've read the books, learned some of the spells. I can't produce anything, but I at least keep up with the knowledge. Once Gramma passes, I'm sure another will be gifted with her magic, so the humans here can be protected still from wayward Dersites."
"Are there a lot of other magic users?" Dirk inquires.
"Not as many as you'd think. There are a few portals from Derse in other cities around the world, but probably only about a handful. We just live near one."
"Where's it at?"
"In the woods. You wouldn't be able to see it though. I've only seen it once, and that was when I went on a trip with Gramma. She was meeting with the queen of Derse to let her know which Dersites were repeat offenders in human attacks."
"Queen of Derse? Is she...y'know. Good?"
Jake laughs. "She's not really good or evil. She's just an authority figure and I think she likes punishing criminals. Derse isn't like here, of course, and I think most Dersites think light of the things we would consider crimes, but they do have their laws, one of the most important being not to interfere with the human world. It's mostly weak demons that wreak havoc here though, since they can't really do much damage in Derse."
Dirk opens his mouth to say something else, but Jade bursts into the room, her eyes narrowing at Dirk and Jake as they jump apart, both of them startled by her sudden presence.
"Keep this door open," Jade says primly, and Jake's face floods with color at the insinuation. "And also, it's time for bed!"
She walks back downstairs, and Jake gets out of bed with a huff, turning off the light before padding back to bed. He settles in next to Dirk, and the two of them watch the lightning outside light up the room.
"Thanks for telling me all that. You didn't have to," Dirk says, and Jake looks over at him.
"I know, but I wanted to. Thank you for including me in your car repairs, even though I don't have the foggiest idea of what you're doing or what you expect me to help you with."
"I like you being there, that's all," Dirk says.
Jake swallows but the lump in his throat makes it a little tricky. In all their recent cuddling, Dirk has been the instigator, but tonight, Jake is the one who rolls closer, tucking his face in Dirk's neck and wrapping an arm across Dirk's chest. Dirk makes a soft noise, and Jake sighs when Dirk's hand settles on his hip.
Jake's almost asleep when Dirk speaks again.
"Didn't you have a math test to study for tomorrow?"
Jake shoots upwards and scrambles for his backpack, cursing Dirk the entire time for letting him forget.