@stupidinspadesconstantine
Getting a present for someone Rip cares about has always been very difficult for him.
First of all there is the fact that you have to get outside and drive to the city to buy something which means going out into the “real” world and meeting people - not something he’s very fond of on most days.
But then there is also the question of what to get, which usually ends up being the bigger problem for him. Presents are something to make people smile and be happy about getting them which, to him, means they should be something those people actually need. But, of course, as with so many other things, it’s not that easy, just because someone needs something doesn’t mean it is a good idea for a present.
Getting something for his mother has become less of a problem during the past years, she usually gives him enough not so subtle hints as to what she would love for her special day. And everytime he isn’t sure if his idea would work, he asks John what he thinks about it.
Getting something for John… well, that’s where he always gets stuck for a few days because it’s so much more complicated. He can’t really ask John what he thinks about his ideas since they are supposed to be a surprise for him. Asking his mother is a possibility, but the older him and John have got, the less his ideas make any sense to her.
Then there is also the fact that he is always worried about what John’s father would do if he saw something of any kind of value in John’s room. He knows that John usually hides all the things that are important to him, but he also knows John’s drunk father well enough to not want John to get into trouble with him over something that is meant to give John joy and make him happy.
It has taken him a long time to figure out John’s birthday gift this year and the longer he thinks about it the more he is convinced that this time it’s going to be something that John is going to love and that his father won’t be able to take from him or even realize that it’s something special.
Because it’s something that means a lot to Rip, it’s something he understands, something that is a huge part of his own life and something John has been showing some signs of interest in lately. Well, tiny signs to be fair, like sometimes asking him about how the last campaign went or who won, but that’s enough for him to try and get John involved with it as well.
And that is why he is waiting at the street corner where they usually meet before school, the present hidden behind his back as he scans the street for his best friend. When John finally shows up Rip gives him a smile and holds out the wrapped item, not bothering with a greeting as he rushes to wish him a,
“Happy birthday, I got this for you, I hope you like it.”
gummygunk
jbbartram-illu
theartofmadeline
2087
dededos
yousharknotpass
