The two were sitting on the couch as The Santa Clause played, it wasn't even December yet and ABC was playing Christmas movie marathons every night. When asked why they were watching the film so early in the year, Dirk was surprisingly straightforward. "So many holidays are about what you can see. Halloween is about spooky images, I mean sure there's jump scares, but it's mostly about costumes and visuals. Independence Day mostly has to do with fireworks, I guess it sounds cool, but I never feel like I get the full experience. Valentine's Day isn't ever something I've celebrated, not that I feel particularly inclined to, it's stupid. Easter isn't something I celebrate at all now, but as a kid it was all about decorating eggs and egg hunts, Roxy always had to help me, kids would always take them from my basket. And the decorating aspect wasn't something I could really participate in. Christmas is the only holiday that encompasses all of the senses. You don't just see Christmas. You smell the candy canes and apple spice and cookies. You feel the fabric of the tree skirt and the texture of the ornaments. You taste the eggnog and hear the carols. It's something I can experience my own way and not really miss anything." This was all said in a matter of fact tone, like a script he's memorized from previous explanations.
"I had no idea." The sound or watery sentimentalism fully apparent in the brunette's voice.
"You're not going to cry English, are you?"
"I'm not crying." Said Jake as he wiped a tears from his eyes. "That was just beautiful." He felt a hand cup his face, and the blonde leaning in closer, a thumb brushed against his cheek and he could feel himself lean in.
"Oh my god, you are crying." The words brought him back to reality and his face heated up, "And you're blushing now too. How cute. I didn't know you were such a sensitive guy." Dirk was teasing, of course he was, but "cute" was still ringing in Jake's head, only making him more flustered.
"S-shut up. You're the one spouting personal feelings jackass. Forgive me for being moved." Jake was violently wiped his face as, Dirk remained turned towards the TV. He couldn't tell if the blonde was giving him some form of privacy to pull himself together, or ignoring him. It wasn't until a few minutes later, as the caretaker's hand rest between, them that he felt the blonde reach and prod until their hands were firmly clasp together.
"…Thanks."
"For what?"
"For being moved, for caring."
Jake let out a small laugh before bringing Dirk into a crushing hug. "You act cool, but you're a giant dork like me, aren't you?"
"No one could be a dork like you English."
"Don't deny it Dirk, you're as sentimental as I am."
"Oh hell no, you are not saying we're equal when you watched the fucking Notebook. You are the dork in this rel-friendship, Jake."
"I WAS FLIPPING THROUGH CHANNELS! It had just come off a commercial, I didn't know what I was watching."
"Wow, you are such a liar. I know that there are menus that tell you what's on the channel you're watching Jake. Way to try and pull a fast on one the blind guy."
"…. Just watch the damn movie."
"Let me rest my head on your lap."
"What?"
"I'm tired, but I want to listen to when their going over the contract. Be my pillow."
Jake rolled his eyes and it was evident in his voice, "Fine." He guided Dirk to his lap, insisting that the point shades move to the table.
Jake woke bleary eyed the next morning, a crick in his neck and his head leaning uncomfortably to one side all night. Dirk was still resting, curled on his side, head on Jake's legs. The brunette brushed some hair out of the way and enjoyed the sight of his resting charge, peaceful and pretty. He glanced at his watch, jumping in his seat, 11:30, they were supposed to meet Roxy at noon and to was a twenty-minute drive. He shook Dirk's shoulder, "Chap, we have to go. I cannot be late for the meeting with your sister, c'mon." Dirk batted his hand away, irritable, he was having a good dream, a REALLY good dream. "C'mon, c'mon. You'll get coffee when we get there. We've only got ten-minutes."
"Fine, whatever." Dirk half stumbled, half stomped down the hall, following an automatic route, and turning into his room and closing the door. He felt the clothes on the floor, he should really clean up at some point, but time was of the essence. He groped around, searching for his shirt. "Where are you-fucken-gotcha, elusive bastard." He stripped his pajamas and hastily threw on his shirt, only to feel the tag against his throat, he had put it on backwards. "Fuck."
With the shirt on right, he quickly found his pants, pulling them up, he could hear Jake calling him, the sound of frantic footsteps outside the door, before the soft creak of the hinges. "Dirk, hurry up, we don't want to be late to our meeting with Rox- ….What are you…wearing?"
"I know! You could fucking knock." A waft of leaves and salt grazed his nose. "Uh?" He grabbed the shirt, taking a big sniff, and his olfactory senses were attacked with the scent of the outdoors and a hint of Jake's sweat. "These are your clothes." The words uttered more from an intoxicating realization, than from an admittance of a mistake. He swallowed, regaining his mind. "You'll have to help me change."
"WHAT?"
"It will go quicker, and why are your clothes in here."
"This is my room!"
"Oh.."
"For the love of…" Jake marched up and grabbed his hand, dragging him down the hall, ripping the clothes off him and replacing them with new ones. Small after sensations lingered on Dirk's skin, where Jake's finger tips grazed his sides. He tried his best not to dwell on it.
"There, all dressed." Without thinking, Jake gave Dirk a peck on the forehead, making them both freeze and their faces become bright read. "I-I-I That wasn't supposed to happen."
Dirk touched his forehead, the after feeling of Jake's lips burning into his skin. "You kissed me."
"I used to help my niece get dressed, and I would kiss her forehead, it was a reflex. I'm sorry."
His niece, a reflex. Not an indication of his feelings. "It's fine, we're going to be late."
"Oh, right!" Wrist in hand once more, Jake raced to the car, dragging Dirk behind him and grabbing the blonde's sight stick along the way.
Once they arrived at the mall, Jake found a parking space as quickly as possible, it was busy place. Thankfully, there were some free handicap spaces at the opposite end of the mall. He helped a groggy Dirk out of the car, the blonde had fallen asleep again during the ride, and gave him his stick. A Starbucks was near the mall's entrance and seemed to be experiencing a lull, so Jake popped in and grabbed coffee for them both. Dirk decided to sit on a bench in the main area
When Jake approached, Dirk was happily talking to a small child, handing them his sight stick for a moment as the child chattered. "Here's your coffee."
"Thanks."
"What's it like to not see?" Interjected the child.
Dirk raised his hand to his chin, thinking, and taking a drink of his coffee. Jake decided to answer for him, "Close your eyes." The young girl did as she was told. "What do you see?"
"Blackness."
"Imagine that's all you ever saw, even when you opened your eyes."
"Is it scary?"
Dirk decided pipe up here. "No, not when it's all you've ever known. You learn to understand the world through your other senses. I can smell and hear and touch, so my experience isn't that different."
Jake was beginning to wonder where the child's parent was when a woman came running up, a man standing not far from her with three other children that closely resembled the little girl. "Samantha, what did I tell you about wandering off?!" Her gaze shifted to the two males. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Dirk said, a soft smile on his face.
"Mommy, this guy can't see!"
"Samantha!"
"He can hear and smell though, so it's not different."
"Sweetheart, give him his stick back, he needs it."
"Here you go."
A little bit of awkward groping, the girl still didn't seem to completely understand what blindness truly meant. "Thank you, Samantha." Dirk smiled and though he couldn't see it, he was sure the child smiled back.
The two made their way to the food court, to find Roxy.
"I didn't know you liked kids."
"I don't, actually."
"You seemed to get along with that little girl."
"She hadn't experience someone like me. Kids hold on to their first impressions, something that they fear when they are young can easily turn to hatred as they get older. I wanted to give her a positive impression, I only hope her mother doesn't quash that curiosity."
"What do you mean?"
"Curiosity is how we grow, we ask questions so we can understand. With understanding comes acceptance and sometimes love. With acceptance comes humanization, and compassion, but when that curiosity is quashed, assumptions are made and everything goes to shit. People deter children from asking questions for the sake of manners, what they should do is teach their children to ask questions in polite ways. Rather than saying 'Don't approach, it's rude' they should teach them, 'Ask if you can ask them questions about their condition.' Teach them to treat people as people, not their disability. There are blind people that want kids, want the white picket fence and when all they hear is fear, hatred, or misinformation, it's incredibly discouraging. In a way, if I don't put on my teaching cap, I only perpetuate the issue."
"You've thought about that a lot haven't you."
"When I was a teen, yeah. It actually came about with some conversations with Karkat."
"It must be hard."
"What?"
"Having to perform whenever you meet children."
"And some adults."
"…I see Roxy." Jake spotted the blonde woman waving her arms, looks like she's shouting too, the roar of bustling shoppers drowning her out.
Jake narrated their path, allowing Dirk to make his way over, rather than guiding him. Dirk maneuvered himself masterfully, and a small air of satisfaction surrounded him when he was seated.
Roxy was all smiles. "You guys are late." A matter-of-fact tone with an underlying edge.
"Traffic, sorry about that."
"No, no, don't worry about it." Her over exaggeration of length in each word giving a distinct feeling of unease.
"Really, Rox, traffic was bad."
She settled into her seat and gave a reluctant sound of assent to his words. "So, how's the first month been?" Her gazet never leaving Jake.
"Great, Dirk's pretty quiet, all I have to do is cook, clean, and keep his affairs in order."
"My affairs? What am I, a mob boss?"
"Not like that, you know what I mean."
Roxy chuckled, "Well, he's put on a little weight since I last saw him, you must be working wonders getting him to eat that vegan food. I never had any luck."
"Ah, well, you see…."
"Hmm?"
"The vegan thing did really work out. I've been making some other food, all very healthy! Lots of vegetables!"
Roxy's grin took on a sinister tint. "Jake, why don't you get a soy burger for Dirk and I from No Kill Andy's."
"Nah, I want Panda Express. Half and half with a double serving of orange chicken."
"Okay, Soy burger and Chinese, anything else?"
"Just water." Roxy's voice was one of shock and a hint of anger and outrage.
"Diet Coke for me."
"Got it." Jake nodded and made his way to place the orders.
Roxy sputtered. "CHINESE FOOD!? That shit has MSG in it! It's not good for you, really now Dirk, be reasonable. "
"Roxy, it IS reasonable. This will actually be my first time having it since we were kids. Jake really does cook healthy food. Maybe not your idea of healthy, but by normal standards it's pretty healthy."
"He didn't help you over to the table either."
"He gave me directions, I didn't want more than that. He knows that."
"What else has he changed?"
"A lot, but nothing that I didn't want or agree to."
"I'm not sure he should be your caretaker anymore."
"Roxy, that isn't your choice."
"Yes it is. Dave is the one with the money and he's given me full authority for your safety."
"I AM SAFE! God, just because it isn't done your way doesn't mean it's wrong, Roxy. I've had a lot of fun with Jake. He gets me, he understands his duties without becoming overbearing. It's MY choice. I'm an adult, not a kid, not YOUR kid. I can make my own decisions."
"You have a crush on him, your view of things is skewed!" Her voice beginning to squeak with the swell of emotion building inside her.
Dirk froze for a moment, nails digging into the palm of his hand. "My feelings don't matter in this Roxy, nothing is ever going to come of it. Jake isn't the type of guy to mix business with pleasure and I'm not about to put him in that position. I don't even know if he swings that way. He's a good guy who listens to me, cares about what I want for my life and works with me on creating the kind of life I want."
"…Nothing has happened between you two?"
"Nope."
"He hasn't taken advantage of you?"
"Roxy-"
"I'm serious, he's in a position of power, he doesn't need to physically attack you for it to be coercive."
"Roxy, I can kick his ass. I did during the interview."
"Wha-"
"I'm not as weak as you seem to think. I can take care of myself, Jake just makes things easier."
Dirk couldn't see the thin line Roxy had pressed her lips into, or the look of conflict in her eyes, but the all-consuming silence was enough to signal her mood.
Jake approached them with food in hand. "Here you go."
Roxy stood up silently, taking the bag from his hand and producing a paper slip, her voice small and distant. "He has a doctor's appointment on the 15th, here are the directions. " She turned to face her brother, "Dirk, I love you and only want what's best." She hugged him, slipping something into his pocket before leaving.
Jake placed food in front of Dirk, placing the fork in his hand before asking, "So, I picked up on some of that, she isn't happy with me is she?"
"No, but it's not for her to decide. You haven't been rude or abusive, therefore she has no say."
"She could fire me."
"She doesn't have that power."
"But-"
"Jake, I'm going to need you to trust me on this. Your job is not in jeopardy."
"…Alright."