"Say what now?" It takes you three seconds to process what Casey had said, two to think of a coherent response, and one to actually spit it out.
"Egbert," she replies, smiling.
You put two and two together in your head. So that's why John said he couldn't do it. If you assumed correctly, this was his house, his family. It made sense that he would panic like he did.
. . .
You didn't that John had a little sister.
"Do you have any other siblings?" you ask, playing it safe.
"I used to have a brother named John, but mommy and daddy say he died before I was born," Casey replies.
Apparently neither did he. He'd never met her.
"Wow, I'm sorry kid," you tell her, showing all the signs of sympathy. She shrugs it off.
"I never knew him. But most of the time, I wish I did. I bet he was so cool!"
You have to hold back a laugh. Nah, he's just a dork, you think to yourself.
"I got most of my pranking stuff and tricks from him," she adds, not noticing your small chuckle.
"Figures," you tell Casey. "He was probably a great kid."
"That's what mom and dad say. They miss him a lot, I can tell."
Casey looks down, fiddling with her hands. When she speaks again, her voice is softer. She doesn't look up.
"I don't think they love me as much as they loved him. I'm trying really hard to be good enough, but I don't think that I am."
Damn, this kid sure knew how to draw out feelings. You just want to hug her and tell her that she was perfect, and neither John nor her were better than the other. But you don't, it would blow your cover. Instead, you reply.
"Casey, don't think like that. I think you're really cool, and that's coming from the ultimate coolkid."
She smiles at you, a cute little blush on her face.
"Thanks, Dave!" Casey seems to have the most extreme mood swings, deep and depressed sounding to happy and cheerful once more. And loud.
"Casey? Who are you talking to in there?" Lucy calls from the kitchen, having heard.
"Imaginary friend," you quickly tell Casey. Her eyebrows furrow together.
"But you're not imaginary," she argues.
"Just say it."
"Casey?" her mom repeats.
Casey huffs, but answers, "It's just my imaginary friend, Dave!"
You sigh in relief, and Casey pounces a question on you.
"Why did you tell me to say imaginary friend?"
"Your mom can't know about me."
"Why not?"
"Because," you say, searching for a reason. "It's our special secret," you finally tell her.
Casey looks at you with wary eyes, but says, "Okay, if you say so."
A moment of silence passes before you make a suggestion that immediately causes Casey to brighten.
"How about you show me some magic tricks?"
"Okay!"
You proceed to spend the next few hours watching Casey perform an abundance of tricks that you already know, but you pretend to seem fascinated anyways. It keeps Casey in a good mood, and her mom off her back.
It wasn't until later that evening that Ben had come home. You sort of fazed your attention in half to observe him as he greeted his wife. He looked mildly upset, but it didn't show too much. Lucy was making dinner, and having a whispered conversation with her husband.
"Do you think Casey is too old for imaginary friends?" she asks.
"She's almost 7, Lucy. I think she's perfectly fine having an imaginary friend. I heard it helps stimulate the imagination in young children like her. Is there any reason why you're concerned?"
"Well...she was talking to one today, calling him Dave."
"Isn't that the name of the kid who was in that car accident recently?"
"Yes. Coincidence? I think not. He's new, I think she saw the recap on the news and is using him, or his name at least. We need to monitor closer what Casey watches on television."
"Lucy..." Ben starts. "We can't hide the world from her. Don't be overprotective, you'll smother her."
"Overprotective?" Lucy snaps. "I'm being overprotective? You're not being protective enough! Look what happened when you stopped protecting Jo-" Lucy cuts herself off, taking a quick intake of breath. Ben responds calmly.
"I never stopped protecting him, Lucy. It was an accident."
The blonde sighs deeply, looking down.
"Yes. Yes, you're right. It was an accident, it couldn't be helped."
Ben puts a comforting hand on his wife's back, rubbing soothingly.
"Let him be. We did the best we could for him. Let him rest in peace. Just let it go."
Ben had a hard time saying this, as he couldn't let it go himself. Not easily, at least. John was his son after all. Their son. But alas, they needed to get over the fact that he was gone, he wasn't coming back. It's been years after all. It was time to move on, they had Casey to take care of, after all.
Lucy finally nods. "Would you mind calling Casey for dinner?" she asks Ben as she begins dishing out the cooked food onto plates. It was a hotdish of some sort.
Ben obliges, walking to Casey's room, only to hear her having a conversation. He stops at the door to listen.
"Hehe, Dave you're so funny! You should show me some more of the music you make!"
This is when your intuition lets you know that Casey isn't the only one listening anymore, and you faze back. You don't have to worry about being seen or heard, but Casey could still give you away, and make her parents worry about her sanity.
"Hey Case, how about we do that another time. I think your dad is calling you for dinner."
As if on cue, that's when Ben walks in.
"Casey, it's time for dinner. You need to wash up, we'll be in the kitchen," he tells her. She nods excitedly, and he leaves.
"Hey Casey?"
"Yeah?" she asks, grinning up at you with a smile that matches John's perfectly.
"Don't tell your dad about me either. I'm gonna leave, 'kay? Next time I come, I'm bringing a friend like me. I think you'll like him," you tell her with a small smirk.
"That sounds cool! What's he like?"
"Well for starters, he likes magic tricks," you say, and you know already that Casey's hooked.
"Awesome! I can't wait to meet him!"
"Yep. He's a dork. Anyways, I'm gonna leave. Night, Casey."
Casey hugs your legs, giggling, "Bye, Dave!"
You leave as soon as Casey runs off to wash her hands and go to dinner, going the same way as you arrived. John isn't outside when you step into the dark outside, feet padding across the perfect lawn. It doesn't matter, you know where you'll find him.
You make your way to the pond in the gated park, having no trouble getting there. You find John exactly where you thought you would. He's sitting on the dock, his feet swinging slowly in the water. He looks like he's been crying.
You're silent as you approach, stepping up behind him, only to sit beside him, crossing your legs instead of letting them hang over the dock's edge.
"Hey," you greet.
John hums a reply. You hope he's okay, that he's ready to talk.
"You realize this is your mission too, right?"
"I can't, Dave." His voice is cracked, barely a whisper.
You don't say anything for awhile, just watching the water's slow waves created by the breeze. When you do speak up, your voices sounds more uncertain than you'd like.
"You got a little sister, did you know that?"
John turns his head to look at you. "Really?"
"Yeah, what other little kid would be living in your house?"
"So you found out."
"Yeah."
More silence follows, and you uncross your legs, rolling up your pants and taking off your shoes and socks so that you can also put your feet in the water. It's mild, the weather warm. You think of the meet up you're supposed to have in three days, to celebrate Karkat's birthday. It's on a Wednesday. You'll bring it up to John later.
"What's she like?" John asks. You assume he's talking about Casey.
"Well, her name is Casey," you begin. You can see John crack a smile at that. "She's exactly like you, John. Well, almost. She has your mom's hair and your dad's eyes. But her smile is a mirror image of yours, and she's in love with magic tricks and pranks and Ghost Busters. She has a lot of your old stuff."
John nods, looking down into the water as he smiles fondly. "She sounds pretty great."
"She's a dork, like you, man. But she's really cute and nice. A good kid."
"I didn't know you were good with kids, Dave," John chuckles.
"I didn't either," you reply with a smirk. "I told her I was going to bring you with me next time," you say after a pause. "But I didn't tell her that you're her older brother. She also knows to keep me a secret. Her..your? I dunno, your mom is convinced that I'm an imaginary friend of hers.
"How are they doing anyways? My parents?" John asks, tilting his head towards you again.
You smile sadly, kicking your feet. "They could be better. I mean, they lost a son, ya know? They loved you a lot, John. Still do. Casey got kinda broken up over it, doesn't think they love her as much as they love you. I told her it ain't true, it's all equal."
"I hope so," John replies. "I miss them."
"I know. I miss my Bro. But I can't risk visiting him. And you can't risk letting your parents see you," you tell John, flushing any ideas he might have straight out of his mind.
"I know. Did they talk about me at all?"
"Er..I'm pretty sure your dad visited your grave today. But you know, I think that's a thing he might do every Sunday. They had a little argument over protecting you. They quickly got over it though. I think they both just have a lot of regrets, ya know? Anyone would if they lost their kid."
John nods in agreement.
"She threatened me with your Ghost Buster's gun," you tell John, an amused tone in your voice.
"Who?"
"Casey."
John laughs, "Seriously?"
"Yeah. It was before she saw me, and I was spooking her with my voice."
"That's mean, Dave!" John exclaims, hitting your shoulder playfully.
"Hey, hey now!" You put your hands up in mock surrender. "It was all in good fun! She even brofisted me."
"I guess I'm glad she knows, of all things, how to brofist. Is her magic any good?"
"She's a kid, but it's as good as it can be for one."
John smiles at that. After a moment of thought, he asks accusingly, "Did you swear in front of her, Dave?"
"Not even once."
"Good. Can't be making a bad influence on her."
"Okay, mom," you reply sarcastically.
"Seriously, she's only a kid! How old is she anyways?"
"She was born after your passing, obviously. I'd say 7, from what your mom said."
John nods, "She's old enough to learn new tricks. Do you think I should teach her some when I see her?"
"Yeah, definitely. The bonding'll be good for you guys."
"When are we going to see her anyways?" John asks you.
"I think we should give it a few days before we visit again. We can't have Casey get super attached right away, we don't want her blabbing about two new imaginary friends to your parents. The dead kid named Dave from the news and oh yeah, your dead son John. That'll go over real well," you tell John, chuckling as you don't want to ruin his improved mood.
"I can only imagine how they'd react to that! Mom was never a really lenient one to begin with, she would probably end up taking Casey to the doctor to get her head checked or something! I mean, she was great, but she worries a lot like that."
"I can only imagine so, she's a mom. Moms are like that."
"Yeah, I guess so!"
You take John's face in your hands, planting a chaste kiss on his lips. He's getting more comfortable with kissing you and all that now, even as angels. He was so worried about it before, but it must've been the trial. The way the Judge looked at you knowingly, yet almost approvingly. You know he could sense the relations between yourself and John. You pull away after a few more moments, smiling at the way John's eyes gleam when they look into yours. Almost. He takes off your shades, and you don't mind. It's easier to see the bright blue of his eyes this way. You love his eyes.
John kisses you again, but it's brief. He's smiling his special little smile when he pulls away, and you really can't wait to see those smiles between John and Casey. Cheesy, yeah. But you can't bring yourself to care. So what if you're actually kind of a sap. John likes that, at least.
"You know, it's almost as if Casey is a mix of me and you. She brofists, seriously man that's rad, and she's into my music. I watched her do magic tricks for a while today and then I had her listen to some of my music. She's totally into that," you mention to John.
"She's my sister Dave, and we both know that I'm actually really cool and you're the lame one, so of course she's cool!" John teases. You ruffle his hair, mumbling,
"Shut up."
John just giggles again, looking back into your eyes. "I can't wait to meet her, Dave."
"Man and I can't even wait for you two to meet. I might just have to leave, too much dork suffocating me in her small little bedroom. I don't think I can handle that much Egbert at once."
John punches your shoulder, "It'll be just fine, Dave. You'll survive."
"You sure about that?"
"You're immortal, Dave. You have to survive."
You snap your fingers through the air, stating ironically, "Well shucks."
"Don't you even dare pretend you aren't excited, Dave." John's tone of voice has a hint of fake-stern.
"I can willingly admit that I'm excited. Your smile is to die for and she has the same one," you say.
"You've said that, Dave."
"It's true. She's just like you, really. She'd have to be an idiot to not catch the resemblance if she was old enough to understand."
"Are we really that similar?"
"Hella."
"We share the same genes, that's understandable," John states. You cut him off before he can continue.
"John, don't get all science-y on me here," you joke, wrapping both your arms around John and pulling him into your lap as you feel him shiver.
"Well excuse me for passing Biology!"
"Hey, I did pass that one test after we studied that one time," you inform John with a smirk, waggling your eyebrows in a lewd gesture.
"Oh yeah, because we did so much studying then. Dave, we practically had sex."
"John, there is a difference between handjobs and sex. I think you're the one who needs a breakthrough lesson in biology," you chuckle, kissing the side of John's neck.
John just waves you off, and the conversation reminds you of how you have yet to show John the wonders of sex. You wonder if you can even properly get it on as angels. Things don't seem to work quite the same unless you're in human form. John deftly derails your train of thought, killing millions, but uncaring. More like unknowing.
"Do you think she'll like me?" he asks, sounding unsure of himself.
"John, there is not a person in any universe who can't like you. You're fucking great, and she's going to love you," you reassure him. Even Karkat put up with John, and that's saying something.
John smiles at that, looking genuinely happy now, and you're grateful for that. You hesitate a little before speaking again, but you know it has to be said.
"Just don't give away too much when we see her. Man, I didn't even show her my wings. We gotta be careful."
"I know that, Dave. I'm sure we'll be perfect."
You pull John closer, humming softly and kissing his forehead.
"Yeah, I know we will."
Bluh, I apologize for the short chapter! I really do! It should be longer for the amount of time I took writing it. Anyways, we've hit over 100 reviews, and 15,000 views on this you guys! This calls for celebration :D
You should review or some shit, tell me what you want in the next chapter. cough smut cough (Funny thing is, I got over this writing block by writing JohnDave and DaveKat smut. Lame :P)
But anyways, really, next chapter should be special, a chapter to celebrate 101 reviews. I'm not even joking, tell me what you want from the next chapter! :D I never thought my story would become this popular, and I'm thankful for all of you who read and are fans and all that good stuff :D
Also, I changed the cover art to something I drew :D Sharpies take away from the quality of my art, sadly, but whatever. I tried, and I did it at school, so it's not the greatest, but I tried!