[AU] Quasi-Update Weirdstuck

[fightingcargos]

[You return to BONER CITY, as you are still reluctant to call it, with a step full of bounce, a heart full of vim, and a pocket full of MULTIPLE TYPES OF GRIST. You love the Caves of Despair. They are simply the best spot to grind, and that is really all there is to say on the matter.]

[You do not bother knocking before entering.]

Strider old boy!
I think we have enough build grist for turrets now!!

Comments

[sickheartbeats]

[You're in the shower, effectively unable to hear him, and not only because of the loud spray. Somehow you've found yourself going through CRUEL EPIPHANY OF SORTS, at about the same time when the water suddenly ran freezing and you nearly had half a heart attack.

Suddenly you know things you haven't known before, and remember things there shouldn't have been enough time to go through.]

[fightingcargos]

[Oh of course he's in the flipping shower.]

STRIDER!!
I GOT A BUNCH OF GRIST.
LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU WANT TO BUILD!

[sickheartbeats]

[This time you heard him. Thank god, he's around. You feel like not even five minutes ago you were trying to get used to the idea that you HAD NO IDEA where he went off to, and no pleasant ideas as to why.

The shower doesn't heat up again, so you turn it off before you have time to catch death in the freezing water.

What did Jake say? Grist. You don't even remember what you were building. That was over five months ago. SOMEHOW.]

[fightingcargos]

IM FEELING PRETTY FUCKING PECKISH. WHAT ABOUT YOU?
I MIGHT HEAT SOMETHING UP.
WHAT DO YOU SAY?

[sickheartbeats]

[You THINK RAPIDLY as you dry off and get dressed. This is Camp Fuck You Die, clearly, since you never bothered with building a house in the medium. Your first necessary step is to confirm if Jake remembers what happened.

You have a feeling that he wouldn't be here if he did.

You step out of the bathroom.]

I can hear you just fine, you know.

[fightingcargos]

You never said so i couldnt be sure!
Put some socks on you are going to get pneumonia.

[sickheartbeats]

[If you heard what he said, you show no sign of it -- instead, you try to figure out how to best figure this out without letting him in on your entire screwup act, in case he doesn't remember.

He doesn't look as tired as he did the last time you saw him.

You walk over and put a hand on his arm despite yourself. What you really want to do is A LOT MORE.

Get your act together, Strider.]

[fightingcargos]

[Your hand stills before taking a pot from the draining board. Strider looks pale, even for him.]

Strider?

[sickheartbeats]

[He doesn't call you Dirk. You don't think you've ever felt such a profound sense of relief at this happening. Still, you dip your fingers into his sleeve and tug it up a little.

BARE SKIN DEVOID OF QUESTIONABLE TEENAGE DECISIONS greets you.]

Yeah?

[fightingcargos]

Uhh.
What are you doing exactly buddy?
Did i get bitten and not notice?

[sickheartbeats]

Dirk: > Be the Prince of Spontaneous Bullshit.

No.
I thought I'd nicked you the other day, strifing.
But I guess not.

[fightingcargos]

A nick would have healed by now i think!
That was a week or so ago wasnt it?

[You don't exactly mind the hand, but you are hungry, so you slip out of his fingers and go about your kitchen business.]

[sickheartbeats]

[You DON'T FOLLOW HIM, which takes a ridiculous amount of effort now that you consciously try to get out of his bubble.

He doesn't remember, and you need to not fuck things up. This could be the time you need in order to get your shit together and not even let that STRIDER FATIGUE begin to creep up on your boyfriend.

Now if only you could stop freaking out.]

I guess.

[sickheartbeats]

[It's been precisely THIRTEEN HOURS since you have a bit of a feelings jam with your best bro slash boyfriend, and once you'd calmed down enough you actually MANAGED TO GET SOME REST.

Considering he is now NOWHERE TO BE FOUND, the peace does not last particularly long, but even so, you've had time to think about this. He could of course be out on a SOLO ADVENTURE losing track of time, but as hours pass you settle more and more for accepting that he did exactly what he had done on LOTAK. There had been a chance of Jake catching up in the memory race, of course. You were going to have to deal with this sooner or later.

You suppose you should actually consider yourself lucky this is happening in regular old Camp, where there are distractions and people to keep you from going absolutely batshit with worry. In theory. In actuality, you don't feel like doing much of anything.

So you wait.]

[fightingcargos]

[You know Dirk is waiting up for you, just as you know you aren't GUNG HO TO THE MAX to see him. You wonder if you might not rather camp out in a tent and get some real alone time.]

[There's nothing for that, though. That would be a mark of direct avoidance, which is just as bad as confrontation. You return to your house.]

[sickheartbeats]

[You hear the door and almost jump, but you're not going to meet him in the hallway. You stay in the kitchen, firmly seated, slack in a way YOUR NERVES ARE NOT, and wait for him to come to you. Or not. Jake's choice.]

[fightingcargos]

[You slip off your boots and close the door behind you. You're hungry after a long day of hiding out thinking and sighing, so you head straight for the fridge and get yourself a bottle of water and an apple. You do not look at Dirk.]

[sickheartbeats]

[You look at him, willing him to catch your obfuscated look. He's your best bro. This is STUPID.]

[fightingcargos]

[You catch his eye and give a LONG SIGH.]

[You sit at the other end of the table, drumming your fingers on your food and waiting for him to apologize.]

[sickheartbeats]

I made some pumpkin stuff.
Leftovers' in the fridge, if the apple doesn't cut it for you.
All you gotta do is heat it up.
I guess.
Apples rock, of course. Nice change.
Wouldn't want you to grow bored with the squash.
Though I'm guessing that just happens after a while.

[fightingcargos]

Hello to you too dirk.

[sickheartbeats]

... Hey, man.
Long day?

[Really long day.]

Five months sound about right?

[fightingcargos]

You could say that.
Quite a few things have happened!
Including you lying to me by the way!!
I am pretty cross about that to be on the up and up.

[sickheartbeats]

Trust me, I regret it.
Dragging out the inevitable isn't my usual modus operandi.
I wanted to take a chance, and it blew up in my face.
Lesson learned.

[fightingcargos]

*Sigh.*
Apology accepted i guess.

Jake: > Look around the room.

[You feel nostalgic, but you are not sure why.]