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[parodeity]

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[splinten]

That's fair. [Dirk exhales too, slowly. It's a fair reply.]

...Would you rather have heelies or light-up sneakers?

[Also a stupid question to add in. He thinks having something dumb to think about will help Dave though.]

[parodeity]

If I couldn't combo 'em, probably the heelies. Light-ups are cool, but they're crap for stealth.

[ which isn't really a concern, but. ]

[splinten]

Combo heelie-light-ups sounds like a disaster.

[...he says, clearly interested in the idea.]

[parodeity]

I think you mean pure genius?

[ praise him ]

[splinten]

You can't get that label until you explain how you'd have the light up work while in heelie mode. Then I'll decide.

[A tough judge when it comes to shoe engineering.

You know, because Dirk has only the best taste in shoes. vomit.]

[parodeity]

Scrolling marquee lights around the base, obviously.

[ does dave even want these. who knows. ]

[splinten]

Nine out of ten.

[well dirk now wants them so]

[parodeity]

[ he is suddenly super offended by his 1 off point. ]

With alternatin' colors.

[splinten]

Eleven.

[Thanks for that extra level of stupid, Dirk is now in.]

[parodeity]

Damn straight.

[ he'll regret this when dirk tries to wear these abominations with a suit or something ]

...That it?

[splinten]

[Yes he will.]

On what? Adding any more to the shoes would be gilding the lily, but I assumed you know that and are not actually asking about it.

[because clearly Dave knows when enough is enough on bad shoes]

[parodeity]

Questions.

[ he'll just. succinctly explain what he meant rather than doing a song and dance. it's late, he's tired, and he just helped dirk commit a fashion atrocity in the future. ]

[splinten]

I didn't want to ask you too many.

[So he didn't. His eyes peek open.]

[parodeity]

[ dave's eyes are still open? though they weren't, like, last time dirk checked. ]

Just ask.

[splinten]

[That's new. Hello, Dave's eyes. Dirk can't make everything about them out in the darkness.]

What things are the things you aren't fine about right now?

[parodeity]

[ they're still crimson and all that. no sharingan or anything tho so it's cool.

also, shit. ]

The laundry list? [ that's so open-ended. he breathes out again, quiet. ] Me. You. Bro. Vantas. John. Whether or not any of it even matters, when it's not permanent.

[splinten]

[Right. It's all what he thought, more or less. But Dave said it. Dirk is always grateful for Dave saying it.]

Do things have to be permanent to matter? Not being rhetorical here, or a sarcastic dick. Askin' for your perspective.

[parodeity]

It's not exactly thrillin' to think we could all fuck off and remember none of this. Maybe it'd be for the best, but even so.

[ so. that's what he meant by "permanent". dave had always pretty much believed shit would end someday, but he thought he'd for sure remember it and the realization that isn't a fact he can count on has not been super fun. ]

[splinten]

Memory shit, or alternate timelines?

[Different kind of question: Dirk's asking for Dave's judgement call on what's happening here. Different universe John, or stuff happening to his head?]

[parodeity]

He's not from a different timeline.

[ he's pretty sure that's not the case. he can look more closely, but - ]

It's John.

[splinten]

[Confirmation enough. Dirk says nothing for a little bit. But he's holding Dave's hand tighter.]

I don't want to forget.

[Mixing music. The rainbow sponges. Wiz's raps. The arguments, each other's apartments. Saying I love you. Half year anniversary, three quarters anniversary. Birthday parties, bunk beds, Cal's funeral. Becoming brothers more and more.]

Not that I expect the universe to give one quanta of a damn about it. Still.

[He doesn't want to.]

[parodeity]

I spent most of the day just not thinkin' about it after I got to him in person to confirm it.

[ john felt as "right" to him as any of the others did. though "not thinkin' about it" meant thinking about nothing else and having what amounted to a panic attack, but hey. ]

You could go away and come back and remember none of it. Or I could. Or anyone else. Or they could go away and stay gone and maybe someday when we got out they wouldn't remember a damn thing.

[splinten]

Yeah. That...

[Fuck. How would he handle it? With Dave. With Jake. With Roxy, Rose, Karkat. Even with Rin, or Sorey and Mikleo. Hotaru.]

For a new depth in understatement, I would handle that not well. [He thinks, but does not say, 'suboptimally.' But it's there. In his head. He was tempted to say it just to get Dave to give him an unimpressed look.]

Fuck.

[parodeity]

After I ditched John.

[ last week. valentine's day. ]

I didn't handle it super well, either. I couldn't breathe for a bit. [ it's the nearest he'll get to saying panicked, heart and mind racing too fast and making no sense because of it. ] But there's nothin' to be done about it.

[splinten]

[You wouldn't let me come find you. He doesn't say it, it isn't even an accusation. It's a sorrow. A regret.]

There isn't. For the moment, we have as much leverage against that as we did against the game.

[Some leeway. Not much. But some.]