[ he'd already started moving from the doorway, thanks. he heard the footsteps, and he'd been edging in to try to figure out what was up, though it occurred to him he should check the nameplates. but this was supposed to be a single.
granted, it'd been a double room, but he was supposed to have a single. before he'd fucked off into space for most of a month, he'd had one. he'd checked it out, even. his side of the room is neat and tidy - it won't stay that way, exactly, although he doesn't like leaving his stuff around to be browsed through - and he's too-quick to dodge an incoming touch from behind. just a hair too quick, though. for all he'd hugged his friends coming back from outer space, dave still doesn't really like being touched.
especially not from behind. he opens his mouth to ask what the fuck is going on or something more intelligent but the "shit" registers in his mind. or not even the word, or anything that follows, but the voice.
dave turns, eyes wide behind his shades, and...stares for a heartbeat. because he knows the voice, he knows the face - the eyes aren't right, but the color missing has never been quite so jarring.
because there's no recognition on that face, but dave strider absolutely recognizes john egbert. it's like a punch to the gut how immediately he does and how absolutely unfair it is that there's no recognition, and his mind offers up countless memories with that same face, or the stupid blue text egbert used to use, or that voice.
the inane: too many memories to count of just being friends, familiarity born from years of knowing someone. a boy in a lab; game bro is a joke and we both know it in an aside for a stupid everyday conversation and dave knows they'd had millions of them; are you taking notes on how to be cool?? jesus get a fucking pen; we'll talk later if i am still alive and the earth isn't blown up; the stupid juice prank; talking to jade about his present; contemplating juice revenge; no but hes still got a ton so screw him; lying about john snooping on rose; egbert stfu and give me your goddamn boonbuck j3gus fuck and he had without that much trouble, what the fuck; telling jade not to bother john so he could meet his stupid windy destiny instead; promising not to tell john they were making him grab a bomb; john will also be your friend because hes cool and also a doofus who is easy to be friends with and god he'd never genuinely had a single bad thing to say about john that was really genuine; what the hell happened to john; john no stop turning into wind you fickle idiot; thats time travel genius; his bitching about it is literally my only point of reference for his degree of proficiency; standing on the platform, making the new universe; traveling ahead five thousand years; that stupid trickster party, the stupid fact that john was - is? - deathly allergic to peanuts.
the flat-out embarrassing: i should probably text him soon, see what's up; john god dammit stop embarrassing us; dream johns and rose's eyebrow raising; i keep my apartment misted with his odor at all times; what if we ran an experiment and spent the rest of our lives finding out what happened if we never told him;
the terrifying: a phone conversation while shopping (a phone conversation john could remember, and dave recalls being perhaps too honest about how things were and it makes his blood freeze over - a mistake he can't unmake);
the things that hurt: maybe if john was to try with his pure heart and shit it woulda popped out like a champagne cork and fuckin hero confetti woulda blasted him in the face but they'd had to break it because dave strider isn't john egbert; a night sky full of fireflies as john died; talking with terezi about how he'd been outpaced as he looked down at a dave he was never going to kill; johns even better than that even though he doesnt know it at the moment and knowing john egbert would never think that about himself; im not a hero. my bro was. john is. im not; talking with rose when she'd stolen the fucking suicide mission, and would he give a message to john for her - but he'd never heard what it was and he almost hadn't cared because a universe without rose wasn't worth living in even if john and jade were there; but his dad and her mom no matter what they said it was so obvious they cared about them deeply and he'd never had that -
and the things that had meant the entire fucking world: just between you and me i think you might actually be that cool words that had meant everything packaged with the shades he never takes off. because he'd seen space itself crack and his first thought had been thank fuck it wasn't the shades.
more recently, a dream he hadn't thought anything of, on a baseball field and then in a kitchen.
he knows all of them too well. those who have forgotten and those who haven't. he remembers more about aradia and karkat than he is willing to say. ]
That's my line. [ and thank fuck he's past the age where his voice would crack, even if it sounds a little hoarse; he clears his throat. dave's left hand is tight on the headphones at his neck, and he lets himself slouch, casual, and pretends like he always does that things are perfectly all right. it isn't like there's anyone who remembers john who he can text - not anyone he's willing to share with. ] When I went out this mornin', I was the only person living here...? Which is what I requested, so. What's the nameplate say?
[ the terrific thing about shades and a poker face: aside from a minor pause before he'd responded, and the way he'd had to clear his throat, he's playing it off decently. ]
what if i give you excessive bracket text because i CAN.
granted, it'd been a double room, but he was supposed to have a single. before he'd fucked off into space for most of a month, he'd had one. he'd checked it out, even. his side of the room is neat and tidy - it won't stay that way, exactly, although he doesn't like leaving his stuff around to be browsed through - and he's too-quick to dodge an incoming touch from behind. just a hair too quick, though. for all he'd hugged his friends coming back from outer space, dave still doesn't really like being touched.
especially not from behind. he opens his mouth to ask what the fuck is going on or something more intelligent but the "shit" registers in his mind. or not even the word, or anything that follows, but the voice.
dave turns, eyes wide behind his shades, and...stares for a heartbeat. because he knows the voice, he knows the face - the eyes aren't right, but the color missing has never been quite so jarring.
because there's no recognition on that face, but dave strider absolutely recognizes john egbert. it's like a punch to the gut how immediately he does and how absolutely unfair it is that there's no recognition, and his mind offers up countless memories with that same face, or the stupid blue text egbert used to use, or that voice.
the inane: too many memories to count of just being friends, familiarity born from years of knowing someone. a boy in a lab; game bro is a joke and we both know it in an aside for a stupid everyday conversation and dave knows they'd had millions of them; are you taking notes on how to be cool?? jesus get a fucking pen; we'll talk later if i am still alive and the earth isn't blown up; the stupid juice prank; talking to jade about his present; contemplating juice revenge; no but hes still got a ton so screw him; lying about john snooping on rose; egbert stfu and give me your goddamn boonbuck j3gus fuck and he had without that much trouble, what the fuck; telling jade not to bother john so he could meet his stupid windy destiny instead; promising not to tell john they were making him grab a bomb; john will also be your friend because hes cool and also a doofus who is easy to be friends with and god he'd never genuinely had a single bad thing to say about john that was really genuine; what the hell happened to john; john no stop turning into wind you fickle idiot; thats time travel genius; his bitching about it is literally my only point of reference for his degree of proficiency; standing on the platform, making the new universe; traveling ahead five thousand years; that stupid trickster party, the stupid fact that john was - is? - deathly allergic to peanuts.
the flat-out embarrassing: i should probably text him soon, see what's up; john god dammit stop embarrassing us; dream johns and rose's eyebrow raising; i keep my apartment misted with his odor at all times; what if we ran an experiment and spent the rest of our lives finding out what happened if we never told him;
the terrifying: a phone conversation while shopping (a phone conversation john could remember, and dave recalls being perhaps too honest about how things were and it makes his blood freeze over - a mistake he can't unmake);
the things that hurt: maybe if john was to try with his pure heart and shit it woulda popped out like a champagne cork and fuckin hero confetti woulda blasted him in the face but they'd had to break it because dave strider isn't john egbert; a night sky full of fireflies as john died; talking with terezi about how he'd been outpaced as he looked down at a dave he was never going to kill; johns even better than that even though he doesnt know it at the moment and knowing john egbert would never think that about himself; im not a hero. my bro was. john is. im not; talking with rose when she'd stolen the fucking suicide mission, and would he give a message to john for her - but he'd never heard what it was and he almost hadn't cared because a universe without rose wasn't worth living in even if john and jade were there; but his dad and her mom no matter what they said it was so obvious they cared about them deeply and he'd never had that -
and the things that had meant the entire fucking world: just between you and me i think you might actually be that cool words that had meant everything packaged with the shades he never takes off. because he'd seen space itself crack and his first thought had been thank fuck it wasn't the shades.
more recently, a dream he hadn't thought anything of, on a baseball field and then in a kitchen.
he knows all of them too well. those who have forgotten and those who haven't. he remembers more about aradia and karkat than he is willing to say. ]
That's my line. [ and thank fuck he's past the age where his voice would crack, even if it sounds a little hoarse; he clears his throat. dave's left hand is tight on the headphones at his neck, and he lets himself slouch, casual, and pretends like he always does that things are perfectly all right. it isn't like there's anyone who remembers john who he can text - not anyone he's willing to share with. ] When I went out this mornin', I was the only person living here...? Which is what I requested, so. What's the nameplate say?
[ the terrific thing about shades and a poker face: aside from a minor pause before he'd responded, and the way he'd had to clear his throat, he's playing it off decently. ]