parodeity | recollé ic inbox 3.0;

[He's going to stare at him for a moment because that is a lot to comprehend and it is a lot to handle. He doesn't know what to say exactly and he doesn't want to answer immediately and risk screwing it up. So. Staring. That happens for a minute before there's a small sigh and he moves, grabbing Dave's arm and bedspread cape and pulling him to his chest anyway since Dave stopped halfway through the request. Take your hug, Strider.]

You are so goddamn weird. [It's mumbled, but there's a small hint of fondness in his tone.] You're jealous of people I don't even care about anymore. That's why I came here. And yeah, okay, maybe it is a little weird and unfair but I think it is sort of like one of those things that's a side effect of paradox space. In every other timeline we were best friends. I know that much even if I do not remember other timelines. So this one not having that probably is even weirder.

You just had to ask, dude. You've remembered so much about our universe and about me that I was really not even sure you wanted to hear about the stuff I remembered or the stuff about this life. I thought maybe it'd be boring since you grew up here and you had Yuri and Anya and your family and stuff. And I am making a lot of friends here but you are still the friend who understands what I'm remembering so...you have that over everybody else. And since you brought the creepy metaphor back, again, I am still okay with you eating my insides.

[A breath.] ...are we okay?

[ every time dave says something is weird and john goes haha surely it’s not that weird dave is obligated to prove him wrong. if only it were less easy? he doesn’t dodge being dragged but he’s been up here most of the day and night so john is treated to the frozen version of dave strider. dave has icicle fingers to latch onto john’s arms to catch his balance and this is stupid so.

he does not know the answer to that question. ]

Are we? Because I always want to know everything, and it isn’t fair. Because there’s shit I just can’t tell you.

[ it’s an uneven trade even if john were willing because dave isn’t sure he can work up to saying the words a third time. ]

I don’t...I’m kind of not a great pick for a best friend, I realize. I laugh when I shouldn’t and I don’t know how to do this right? I don’t know how to be serious either.

[He makes a face because yeah, he can feel Dave's hands and he resolves this by bundling him up tighter.]

I would like to be if you would let it be a thing. Being okay, that is. It's...we're not perfect yet but I definitely feel more at ease with you than I do with other people. I'm not sure what you can't tell me but...I can only guess they are just things that are pretty hard so they can maybe be talked about later. Or something. I don't think we need to know right this second what the fuck we're doing, but I would rather work on it than just leave it half-completed.

[ what if dave resolves it by trying to catch john’s hands and sap all his heat ]

Work on it how?

[SIGH. He'll wrap his hands around Dave's because god!! Whatever!!]

We can start by going back inside and not sleeping on the roof? Just saying?

[ john initiated this hug now he has to pay the consequences ]

I don’t know if we can yet. Why are you tryin’ to remember faster and then not telling me what you do? You get that’s not...you don’t havr to do that?

[They're going to sleep on this fucking roof, aren't they.]

Okay. [But. Hm. That's troubling to answer and he thinks it over.] I know I don't, but I want to so I understand things better and it takes pressure off of you keeping spoilers from me. [He frowns lightly.] Do you really want to hear everything else I've remembered so far?

Yes? I already know enough that you probably won’t shock me. And I...

[ ....... ]

...it’s not like there’s pressure for that, but...

[ that’s vague and not a full sentence but basically he only wants to check john is still bro free ]

[...raising an eyebrow??]

But...? [Words, Dave.]

...it’s up to you. It’s your shit, you know? If anything, it’s fine to just mention the ones that involve me so I know what might come up. If possible.

[ he can settle for that?? it’s a warning he wants?? ]

...I mean I don't mind, it's just. [How do you explain.] Hard to figure out when to bring things up. I remember them at the weirdest times so it's like...I don't want to text you every single time I remember something. [He licks his lips a bit to pause and think.] I remembered something last night when I finally fell asleep, for example. And things were weird with us so I just ignored it. But I can tell you anything I remember involving you, that makes sense.

...yeah, I figured. [ blandly. ] ...whatever you prefer? I...

[ he already said he wants to know everything and modified it to “uh about me” to seem a little more reasonable because the rest isn’t even partly his to ask for.

dave shrugs. ]

I don’t know. I used to just bring Dirk up to speed when I saw him. I haven’t...tried to do that otherwise?

Let's try this. I can tell you what I've remembered recently and you can see how much of the rest of the dumb bullshit you want to remember. Mostly because I cannot remember what you already know and what I have already told you. I told you everything about you, I think.

All right. Go for it?

[ he’s reasonably sure john can’t like rock his understanding of their dumbshit universe too much.

...he’s reasonably sure john never had a clue what the plot was. ]

...Karkat told me about the bomb and he told me about you and Rose. I knew about that before last night. And I did not really understand what that meant. I remember fighting Jack and winning, but he didn't die. He ran away, I think. I had a different hammer? I remember Rose throwing a blanket fort down into the endless abyss. Um. I remember talking to Jade about meteors and things being destroyed.

And...I remember ascending.

The Jack thing was probably around the time you started pulling bullshit, and yeah, I figured. [ re: ascending.

...

he remembers rose mentioning the jack thing. so as per usual none of the information seems to shock him. ]

And by bullshit you mean the time-changing powers? [Thanks Dave.]

What time changing powers? [ calmly...he can’t remember what the fuck john knows ]

[...]

See, I cannot tell if you actually know and you're waiting for me to say it, or if you have no idea. [He frowns a little.] I met Terezi. I guess I have powers that can change things but I don't know how to use them so...I have to go talk to a giant snake monster. Why, I have no idea, but Terezi tried to do this thing and it didn't work so I went to go talk to the snake.

That does not really sound like the wind though. And if I am changing and fixing things, then that is sort of like what you do, right?

Not really. You operate by an entirely different rule set. It sounded similar, but seeing the outcome, I can say it wasn’t.

[ ...so yes apparently he was waiting for John to say it. he remembers arguing about it seeming like time travel, but he has memories on either side of whatever John did.

dave is aware it isn’t time travel as he knows it. ]

So...everything that happened when the planets broke and you guys were killed. I eventually go back and fix that, right? And that's why you remember us being older and everything.

[He's not exactly asking for confirmation but he's talking himself through it.] What does that have to do with making Jack wear a stupid hat though?

Uh, as far as I can tell you were zapping into weird places. That was a dream bubble. I heard about it through the grapevine.

[ he actually sounds

Annoyed

because why did rose get dream john :/ ]

So actually I can place that pretty precisely on my timeline. Pretty sure the stupid hat is just because you’re a hopeless dork though.

I remember zapping because I disappeared from your room. I don't remember dream bubbles though I think? [A shrug. The tone gets his attention but he doesn't ask.] The whole thing is very confusing but yeah, I remember that, I remember talking to Terezi about learning to use my powers, and I remember Vriska putting me to sleep.

You were asleep when you ascended?

[ he had been about to briefly explain dream bubbles just to have the terminology out there, but his attention snaps to the relevant part he didn’t know. ]

Uh huh. I think so, anyway. [He's still holding Dave's hands to warm them up but he's thinking about that particular memory.] AG is Vriska, right? We were talking and she said that taking a nap on this specific bed would make me climb the god tiers. But it was like a slab of rock instead, and she asked if I wanted her to put me to sleep. And I said yes because sleeping would help me realize my destiny or whatever.

And then I remember the fireflies and ascending and becoming a god. [A beat.] I saw my death in the clouds.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject