i swear i&#x27;m not 12

[pvt.]

#should i leave you alone now??#enlightenedlalonde

[pvt.]

Maybe had I been in a different place, Chris, that would’ve mattered. But I meant what I said, I meant my words, that I might never be able to dissociate love and David. And how would that have been fair to John? And now to know that his absence was isolation due to danger he couldn’t bare to put me in to know that for six months he lived in silence with the thought of me keeping him alive? I could not describe my love for him if my life depended on it. My heart is his, my entire life is his.

I was never anything but honest about this. And while I may have sympathy for John, it’s only because he didn’t listen to me that he suffers this way.

Do whatever you want. I have no breath left to hold.

i’m sorry rose

i hate saying it because i know it’s not good enough but i am really really sorry and i really hope you know that i’m more sorry than there are stars in space

i was so so wrong and i just!! i’m sorry i didn’t mean to mess up again i love you so so so much and you probably don’t want to hear that but i do

i’ll talk to john when he wakes up and i’ll talk to dave and i’ll get everything sorted out!! i promise

#enlightenedlalonde

[pvt.]

He knew the situation just as well as you did. I confided in him.

Obviously, he didn’t even know me.

It means you should talk to Dave about your relationship.

okay well then blame john too.. but i can yell at john and still explain things to him

even if he didn’t he wanted to!! he spent a whole night memorizing silly pick-up lines and even tried them on me!!

rose i can fix this i swear just please let me try i promise i can make everything okay before it gets even worse and i promise i won’t leave you alone this time

#enlightenedlalonde

[pvt.]

Don’t worry. I blame you just as much as I blame John.

And, since this is apparently foggy for him, he never had a chance with me. Ever. I thought I made that very, very clear.

You might ask Dave what his intentions with yor relationship are while you’re at it. Normally I’d decide to be the bigger person and not go the “I told you so” route, but, I told you so.

#rose i understand i really do #it isn't john's fault you can tell david that #it's mine for not explaining it properly #i understand what happened i really do #and i understand how i messed up #i'm really sorry rose i am!!!#and i didn't mean to do any of this #i can fix it #i promise #i'm not trying to misinterpret you or anything i just wasn't sure what to say and what not to say #it was a problem on my part and really i'll just sit dave and john down and tell them what happened #like what actually happened and not a badly censored version #and i can talk to david and tell him it was my fault #if you'll let me #enlightenedlalonde

none of this is john’s fault so please don’t blame him!!

and i’m not sure if he had a chance with you or not but he really thought he did. so much so that he was sulking in his room by himself!! he did really like you rose, i know he did.

and what’s that supposed to mean??

[pvt.]

Oh.

[pvt.]

You lied.

#yeah i guess i could've explained that better than i did #i just wasn't sure what you would want me to say or what you didn't want me to say #i can explain it to him tomorrow (today??) if you want me to!!#enlightenedlalonde

[pvt.]

==> sugarhighantics

I’m really disappointed. In both of you.

#i'm really sorry i didn't see this sooner :c!!!#dad's been having me busy #enlightenedlalonde

???

“She what? Wtf Rose.”

Dave shakes his head, grumbling to himself, “Who the hell kisses a hottie like that and walks off with their ex what the fuck are you playing Rose. Fucking save some for the rest of us. Trying to make Christina Perri proud by collecting your damn jar of hearts or something not cool.”

He’s cut off by John, clearing his throat in attempts to forget everything he may or may not have said out loud (honestly he doesn’t even realize when he’s thinking or speaking).

“Well dude just think. Somewhere out there there’s a you who wasn’t a dumbass and asked her out earlier. Probably got rejected but who cares that guy learned the hard way that you don’t crush on Rose. And hey if she’s happy that’s good, she deserves to be happy and shit. Even if it isn’t with you”

He pauses, glancing around the room for a minute before looking back at John.

“You want to go scope out hot girls at a bar or something. That’s what they always do in the movies dude it could totally work for you if you cleaned up a little. Jeez it’s like you didn’t even think I was coming over. Look at your hair did you even brush this shit.”

“That’s.. Oddly comforting.”

An alt that didn’t fuck up. Okay. That was something he could get behind. The ‘probably got rejected’ part made him both cringe and chuckle a bit. Dave seemed to be trying really hard to cheer him up and he was pretty grateful for that.

John rarely went to bars. He wasn’t really a drinker. That was one of the only things that kept him from going to college parties and things. He didn’t want to get drunk.

“I didn’t know you were coming! And no, it’s fine. Alcohol isn’t really my thing.”

That’s right. Just open up Egbert. Damn was it really this easy to get people to talk to you about how they feel? No wonder Rose did it so often this was a piece of cake. A hot piece of cake. Wait what?

“Dude long stories are my favorite stories. The more complicated the better man, just tell me everything. Paint me a picture of all this so I can assess this shit. Make battle plans or whatever.”

Dave watches John as he talks about what was up, nodding along with a few hmms. With his arm comfortably draped around the other, he looks over at him. “Well see here’s your problem.”

“You were all macking on her before you asked her out. For all she knew those were platonic smooches you were handing out just then. That’s a noble way of putting it John, the whole wanting her to be happy because when she’s happy I’m happy shit. Real cute. But are you really happy? Cuz you sorta lost a babe. I feel like not even the hottest-” Dave seems to choke here, recovering quickly, “nicest. I said nicest- guy could be happy about losing a girl to her ex. Like c’mon.”

“She kissed me first.”

John groaned and hid his face in his hands. Dave had a point, even if he accidentally called him hot. Though he was serious when he said that he just wanted Rose happy. That’s all Chris and him really wanted, because she was usually so sad. That’s what Chris said at least.

“And I really am happy for her! But I guess I’m mostly upset that I missed my chance? It doesn’t really matter now anyway.”

Dave often forgot that he wasn’t as close to John as he thought. He constantly projected his feelings for his timelines John onto him, and he considered them extremely close. This was probably why he had his arm around him after having just kidnapped him from his own house.

He looked over to Roxy, who had waved to John semi-awkwardly when he arrived. “Rox could you like, not chill here for a bit. I feel like me and John have some stuff to talk about and it might get deep. He’s sensitive like that I’m just saying.”

Roxy simply shakes her head and dismisses herself to Jake’s house, patting John’s head and ruffling Dave’s hair on her way past the couch. She leaves with a zap, Dave immediately beginning to talk when she’s gone.

“Shaking my head sorry about her. Anyways yeah she told me sort of. Something about Rose getting back with her ex. I was a little too busy running to read.”

John sighed. He also guessed there was really no way to get out of this, so he might as well use it. Rose and Dave where really the only people he could called friends besides Chris. He and her usually spent most of their time together, and they had no problem with that, but it’s good to have other friends too.

“Chris says it’s more complicated than that but she really doesn’t want to explain because it’s kind of a long story? And she’s not sure what Rose would be okay with her saying and what she wouldn’t be okay with.”

He paused.

“But yeah I sort of have this dumb crush on her and we kissed and stuff. It was nice! And I was planning on asking her out soon but. I guess not. I’m happy for her, though. I just want her happy since the reason Chris wanted us together was to make both of us happy.”

….

> There is no response. However, moments later, there is the zap of a transportalizer and loud footsteps that seemed to be growing closer. Suddenly the door to John’s room is kicked open, Dave looking around the room quickly. With disheveled hair it definitely looked like he hadn’t planned on coming over. He spots the two, and takes action immediately. Prying Chris from John’s arms, he picks her up and gives her a quick kiss before setting her aside. He then proceeds to grab John and throw him over his shoulder.

“Ain’t no bro of mine gonna be upset over some girl even if she is my sister in some bullshit timeline way.”

> With the struggling teen over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Dave takes off out of the room and down the stairs back to the transportalizer. The two of them are transported directly into Dave’s living room, where Dave promptly slam dunks John onto the couch. With an extremely startled Roxy watching them from the kitchen, Dave throws a blanket over John’s head and sits beside him.

“I got you bro, just you and me (and also roxy) bromigo, no reason to be upset anymore. Unless you don’t take kindly to kidnapping which to be fair was something that just needed to happen. Anyways, tell me what’s got you down dude I am all ears now. These ears are tuned into radio Egbert and I am ready to hear all about this shitty turn of events. You wanna fight bro? That’s cool too we could fight. To be honest you probably look like you wanna punch a guy right now. Namely me. Of course I can’t see you since you haven’t really taken the blanket off your face. Is that bad for you? I read somewhere on the internet it could kill brain cells or something. Jesus take the blanket off before you get stupid John. You’re killing me here.”

John was probably just as startled as Roxy. He didn’t even know that Dave was coming, let alone expecting the Strider to kidnap him. When he’s on the couch he looks around and gives Roxy a small wave before having the blanket thrown over him.

John listened to Dave’s rambling, rolling his eyes at certain parts. Was he really calling him ‘bro’? They had talked, what? Twice? Guess he didn’t have too many friends.

He guessed it wouldn’t be too bad, being bros with his little sister’s boyfriend.

“Um. No I don’t really take kind to kidnapping.” He said as he took the blanket off his head. “But I bet Chris already told you what’s upsetting me because she has a tendency to do that.”