rhapsodeity | 🌟INBOX

[ (jade's pretty sure her father can hear this and dave might be dead meat, but jade will perform the ultimate checkmate against her father as soon as she can. it will be fine.)

dave told her to tell him what she thinks tomorrow, and she supposes that by the time she finishes blow drying her hair for the first time in years that it'll be midnight, and by the time she gets to the strider house, it'll be fifteen past twelve or so, and so. that is definitely february twelfth, and she's doing what dave asked of her.

accidentally, mind you.

so yes, jade wolf blow dries her hair and tosses it up in a ponytail as well as she can manage. it's not ironed flat like it had been earlier, but it's clean and dry, so she grabs a coat out of her closet right after finishing with her hair and thank god for fire escapes because jade climbs down it and lets go to fall onto the cement like she does at least once a week. her route's the same as always, but she makes sure to text her mother and a friend and bolts from the apartment complex parking lot to the strider's driveway. she knows the path better than the back of her hands - which are freezing, she knows, but there's a lot of adrenaline pumping and running keeps her blood warm.

so it's just like always, except this time jade ran out of her bedroom without her ukulele. she'll have to rely entirely on the pebbles against dave's window.

it's past midnight, so she is definitely telling him what she thinks "tomorrow", technically! ]

[ it's past midnight and that doesn't always mean dave is asleep. his sleep schedule on the weekends is sporadic, like any self-respecting teenagers'. today, however, it kind of does. he didn't actually really sleep last night because of nerves, and while the nerves didn't dissipate on getting home he pretty much slumped into bed expecting to stay up all night until he saw jade in the morning (he is a Fool) and then kind of just crashed when exhaustion beat him upside the head.

however, he's had years of experience in waking up to pebbles (or, once, a rock) at his window. there's no shattered glass but he's always been a fairly light sleeper and while it does take a few minutes to rouse himself, eventually he stumbles over to the window (trips on his shoes and curses, before fishing his phone out of his pocket to light the way).

when he opens the window it's dave in black pajama pants and a red t-shirt, blinking sleep from his eyes as he squints down at jade, and his brain and mouth work on automatic around a yawn. ]

Jade, it's super late, don't tell me your parents are havin' another date night - oh.

[ OH. oh. shit. fuck. he definitely gave her the mix tape earlier. came home and had dinner and showered and dicked around online, then went the fuck to sleep. a quick glance as the cellphone in his hand gives the time as past midnight, and, well. shit.

he wasn't ready for the confrontation this soon. or ever, actually. but.

shit holy fuck he doesn't know what to say? or do. maybe he should close the window and pretend he's not home.

no that's stupid ]

[ jade waits, not very patiently. she's bouncing on her feet, sneakers crunching against the grass repeatedly. she stays like that, hurling pebble after pebble at his window until it rolls open and she can hear him drawl and yawn, then she's stiller than the night, a grin frozen on her face.

okay, this wasn't... she didn't.

what was it her father said last week? she hadn't been thinking. yeah.

there was no plan, and seeing dave in his sleep clothes makes her realize maaaaaybe she could have stood to wait until morning. but she buries her hands in her pockets and shakes her head, trying to answer him despite how dry her throat is. ]

No, Dad's working on a case.

[ probably. when is he not? he's got to be the busiest detective in town because he's a workaholic. ]

...Can I come up?

[ she's never asked. not since they were kids. usually it's "move!" or "i'm coming in!" but tonight, she asks permission.

maybe there was a sliver of hope that she hadn't listened to the tape yet.

if there was, the fact she's asking for permission might... destroy that. still, jade's there, looking a tiny bit shy with her hands in her pockets and a grin she can't quite contain on her face, despite her best efforts. ]

[ jesus, yeah, it's been a bit since he's actually heard those words and dave's eyebrows wing up but he's not about to say no. when has he ever said no to that question, really? sometimes he complains that her parents or his will definitely get upset (usually hers, usually her dad, look bigby is sort of terrifying on purpose to him so) or tells her it's late, but dave strider will always open the window and move over and let her in when jade wolf shows up at his window. ]

Of course. No need to ask, Romeo, get on in.

[ he shoves the window up all the way, moves to the side. he never really offers her a hand up these days because jade wolf isn't a damsel in distress and also she usually clambers through before he can, but he always lingers near the window just in case she needs an assist anyway. ]

Your dad should go the fuck to sleep at some point, though, can't imagine he gets enough of it.

[ okay. right. he can still do this. he shoves his hands into his pockets while he steps aside, though, and tries to pretend his mouth isn't dry and his palms aren't hot. ]

[ she's done this a million times, now. it's a fluid motion, up and over and slipping inside with barely a clatter. jade can't dance but she always manages to stick the landing when it comes to sneaking into dave's bedroom. ]

Leeeeeeeet's not talk about my Dad. [ before discarding her coat to the foot of his bed, jade removes a familiar marker from her pocket. it's a green marker (washable, dave should know because jade definitely used a plain sharpie the first time she did this) and she pops the cap with a grin.

she's usually pretty content to talk about her father, because there are few people jade adores as much as she adores bigby. this time, though, she nips the conversation in the bud. ]

Let's play Connect the Freckles!!! Modified rules this time, though: You have to guess what I'm writing!

[ is she going to torment him? yes. ]

[ ...

dave is officially on the losing side of Mixed Signals Avenue because he thinks she's listened to the tape, and this could be an answer, but what the fuck kind of answer is it? what the fuck kind of question is a mixtape, though. but maybe? she didn't? it's not like jade hasn't come over at random to play games just like this before.

oh god why did he do this to himself.

still, dave rolls his eyes and hooks his thumbs under the hem of his shirt to pull it off over his head. sometimes he'll just let her lift the back to get at his back, or give her an arm, but if she doesn't want him to see what she's writing, it's probably going to be on the back. the shirt can just get tossed towards his bed, where he will go to sit down facing the wall. ]

Yeah, okay. Stakes?

[ asked after already agreeing to it. hes a pushover. ]

Edited 2017-02-12 07:54 (UTC)

[ there's a lot of ways she could answer that. "absolutely nothing" "your heart" "unreal air" there's plethora of stupid comments that come to mind because half of the fun of hanging out with dave with the quips and monologues they can shove at each other. jade usually does the listening, but the moment space comes up, it's like a switch is flipped and dave's shoved into the listener slot.

the thing is, jade's suddenly very aware she just had dave take his shirt off and now that she is staring at it, she's a little

taken aback, mostly, but also, wow that text to rose is a little weird now. ]

Unreal Air.

[ but this is no time to monologue about teenage hormones and the dumb way they react because you are suddenly very, very aware you're about to confess a nearly ten year long crush to the object of your affections. just do it, wolf.

so she does, even with the dumb quote tossed at him. it's a non answer - there are no real stakes. jade doesn't know his answer or if it's even intentional but she's here half past midnight, on dave's bed with him, and she is committed. if she gets her heart broken then that's...

well those were the stakes, she realizes. jade busies herself by putting one hand on his shoulder and the other grips the pen. her hands are cold. three straight lines, one horizontal. a vertical line dropping from the middle of the first line and then another horizontal connected to the bottom of that vertical line. "I". ]

Juuuuuuuuust guess, banana freckles!

Edited 2017-02-12 08:09 (UTC)

What the fuck, no, I demand a new nickname stat? Where did the banana part even come from??

[ see, the thing about this method of confession jade has chosen here is this: DAVE HAS LITERALLY NO IDEA WHAT SHE'S WRITING ON HIS BACK. he can feel her making the lines and he can kind of...try? to feel them? but it's not like he has some hidden talent at figuring out what she doodles or writes. usually he just lets it happen and makes faces or figures it out later. it's jade: she doesn't usually do anything that bad and she's been bugging him over this game since they were kids and it was summer and she'd had a marker on her when they'd headed to the public pool.

he's trying really really hard to acquire these magical marker mark reading skills in the space of three seconds.

so far he is not having much luck, however. ]

I need a little more to go off of before I start makin' any guesses, dude.

[ it could be l or i or t? but if she's writing a full on word here he could be guessing wrong and needs more letters to probably incorrectly guess.

Because only bananas have this many freckles!!! You are a banana. I thought you liked bananas, anyway!

[ it's an earnest statement, at least.

jade has no idea she is probably going to have to outright state what she's writing, but his request is reasonable. she'll oblige with a noise of recognition to show she heard him.

a vertical line and at the bottom a horizontal line. "L" followed by what can only be an "O" - which maybe gives away that she isn't really playing connect the freckles. ]

How about now, Tex?

I do, but aren't banana freckles fungus? You're callin' me a fungus. I have a right to be offended, I think, as I am definitely a higher form of fungus than banana freckles. Like one of the cool fungi. A fun guy like me deserves a better fungi, Jade, I want a resort.

[ all right, there was an o in there.

lio?

lie?

lie is possible maybe the o was an e shit

uh

crap okay ]

...Gimme a few more letters.

[ why didn't he practice this skill ]

You are the only person who would know that and bring it up, Dave! Okay, okay, jeez, you huge baby. What about... bearded tooth mushroom! Wait, I changed my mind, that's too much of a mouthful. You are still a banana fungus.

[ it's said with a giggle despite the light smack on his shoulder.

a few more letters, then. okay. hm. jade hums, holding the marker just above the skin of his back. how many, though? she could write the entire message, she realizes, but she wants to think dave can figure this out. and if he doesn't... she has the chance to back out, to wipe it away and pretend this never happened.

hm.

she settles on "V" and "E". ]

Do you want a hint, or do you think you can solve the puzzle?

[ no he does not think he can solve the puzzle but unreal air or whatever game jade is playing is on the line here. dave is pretty sure this doesn't say "yes" and also it doesn't say "no". there are too many letters?

like what is it "friend" or something???

this is such an elaborate way to do anything and suddenly he has regrets for going the strider route. he's tempted to just ask her if she likes him or not. maybe draw two boxes, check yes for yes check no for no?

that's not any less elaborate, although it is more comprehensible. ]

Alive?

[ there was a v and maybe an e in there somewhere. ]

Nope! Sorry, Dave.

[ "alive" is not that bad of an answer, though, he can pinpoint certain letters well enough. maybe this wasn't the best idea? jade can't pass up a chance to play a game, though, and it sounded fun and unique enough. kind of like the mixtape? a mixtape was very dave. a game is very jade.

she'll be merciful. ]

It's three words.

[ jade's nearly running out of room on his back, so she opts to finish up. two lines that meet and one the drips from them: "Y", another "O" and "U". ]

I'll give you two more guesses, one bonus round, just for you!

[ LMAO SHIT.

alive...tov.

er. not alive. all right come on strider you've got this there's a v, there's at least two vs. ]

All vet...lives. Are you gettin' a dog?

[ there's strike two ]

[ oh

oh my god? that's not even relatively close. she should have known, dave strider has been oblivious for almost ten years? ]

Whyyyyy do you think I would answer your mixtape with a "all vet lives"?

Edited 2017-02-12 09:09 (UTC)

[ okay shit this was a mixtape answer. he hadn't been sure? he had wondered, but then suddenly they were playing a game jade has insisted on playing since they were like eight and he got very confused? also he has never been able to tell what she wrote on his skin and that never bothered him until right this second when the answer actually started to matter.

he feels a little like choking on air but instead dave stops staring at his wall and turns around to face jade.

it takes a second to get his jaw to work. ]

You didn't give me a category.

[ when she asked for his first two guesses.

...

having a category does not help him at all here. ]

So you listened to the tape?

[ ob...viosuly she did she just said so basically ]

[ it's so good that this marker is washable because jade is just burying her face in her hands to laugh because oh my god. this is so stupid? this is stupid and she can't stop laughing. ]

Of course I did!

[ she listens to everything dave sends her. she watches all the vines? every youtube video, every meme, every dumb picture he sends her. she can't not look at them, can't bring herself to not listen when he hands her a cassette or cd or sends her a download link over whatever chat client they're using. (rip aim)

jade removes her hands from her face, and her face is probably red? but she's literally written "i love you" on dave's back. she is staring at it, even as he turns to look at her over his shoulder. it's there and she really doesn't want to get rid of it, now. ]

I... I don't know what category this would even go under!!!

[ she just assumed he'd be able to tell? and now she feels silly, but it's a nice kind of silly. they both have to feel dumb, she thinks. ] I don't even know how you're going to figure this out, now. Jeez... this was a dumb idea, I'm sorry. Let me see your arm.

[ yes she's going to write it on his arm instead? brilliant. ]

"Answering the question"?

[ he's flustered and he turns around fully, not just looking over his shoulder, and holds out his left arm. he still isn't sure what she's trying to write. dave doesn't want to let himself hope it's one thing or another because what if he's wrong?

he just -

well, he just wants to know. ]

Do you want me to close my eyes until you're finished?

[ he will if she says yes. otherwise he'll. get to see it in slow motion oh god maybe he'll just close his eyes anyway? ]

You can if you want to, but we're not playing the game anymore! So it is completely up to you, banana freckles.

[ this is

nerve wracking. to put it lightly. but she's done it before and it got easier to say i love you to dave without any kind of actual romantic intention the more she did it. this isn't any different and now the idea of writing her answer wherever she can on him sounds like a lot of fun to jade, but she has to take it one step at a time.

so instead of drawing all over dave, jade grips his offered arm, and writes her answer on him for the second time tonight.

jade's handwriting has always looked more like vines (regretfully, the floral kind), and she can't help but add exclamation points to everything. hearts? sunflowers? little puppies with their tongues lolling out of their mouths? all of those are good.

for now, though, her answer is quick and simple.

"i love you!!! ♡♡" and the hearts stretch as far up his arm as she can manage. ]

[ HIS EYES IMMEDIATELY SHUT AFTER HE SUGGESTED IT HONESTLY HE CAN'T TAKE THE NERVES. although there's a twist of a scowl on his face it's not a serious one, but the put-upon look he gets when his family or close friends start to tease him and he's annoyed and amused and affectionate all at once, and doesn't care enough to put a stop to things.

dave prefers "tex". or anything not "banana freckles", wtf jade. ]

Jade. [ he's not opening his eyes yet even as she doodles up his arm. ] Just so we're clear, you - uh, you got the point. Of the mix?

[ he should say the words. he was too much of a trainwreck to manage that without the music, but she's listened to it - ]

That the question is "will you go out with me?" Like, I figure at least the last song was like, you know, really obvious, Dirk suggested the first one on the second side and uh, some of the others, but that's - the question you're answerin' here. Right?

[ he kind of desperately wants to die having said the words out loud why is he this way? a heart shouldn't beat quite this fast, even if dave's expression has gone back to mostly controlled and neutral. ]

[ it's a good thing dave's eyes are closed, because jade rolls her own. then, with a click of her tongue, she decides that he's forfeited his chest, so don't mind her as she scrawls "yes!" across it. ]

Duh! Oh my god, Dave, why else would I have ran all the way here in the middle of the night? I thought I was going to... I don't know, explode!

[ which is true.

she was too excited to sit still even standing outside his window. ]

Open your eyes and stop being so dumb. I drew hearts on your nipples.

[ no she did-- okay, yes, she is. ]

[ all right no he draws a line somewhere apparently for drawing on him and as soon as the marker go nears his nipples (jade!!! leave him alone!!!) his left hand snaps out to grab her wrist and stop her from doing that for more than like the barest brush of a line. it's a pretty loose grip and easy to get out of but he is protecting himself from being even more markered up okay.

his eyes open mostly so he can narrow them at her ]

Jade, c'mon, I already showered earlier and I don't want to get up early to do it again, I'm not Dirk -

[ it's not even a serious complaint. it rarely is. he's talking to talk and his eyes slide to his left arm and he just. freezes.

the thing is, dave's plan consisted entirely of like. giving jade the mix tape? and then, like. ...nothing. that was it. that was the plan. he didn't make a plan for what to do if she agreed to go out with him or if holy shit she wrote i love you on his arm he's not even bothering to see what his chest says he's staring at the little hearts and trying to figure out a step 2 on the fly here. he's supposed to be smooth? or well ok no one who knows him thinks that but he'd like it if he were smooth, that would be just. super great and cool?

he swallows and his eyes flick back up to jade. this is it this is the moment where he has to say something smooth and cool and like, semi-competent - ]

Can I kiss you?

[ or that what the fuck ever fine we can also go with that. dave immediately lets out a hissed breath of irritation at. himself. why did he say that first. ]

I mean, y'know, if that's chill - I love you too? Shit that's not a question that's a statement just pretend I didn't do the thing where I like, raised my voice ever so slightly indicating it might have been a question, as it is not. At all. The kiss thing was a question the other part was not a question that was a statement of fact. I love you, the sky is blue - yes I know it's not really blue because science - my twin potentially plans to take over the world, iguanas are rad. All true facts and not in fact in question.

[ that wasn't cool either. oh my god. kill him. ]

Oh my fuck can we erase most of what I just said from our collective memory?

[ dave.

dave.

he's doing the talking thing too much. not that this is new, because dave strider's ability to monologue is nearly legendary at this point. there is no one more comfortable with their own voice than dave, and it gets him into trouble like this. this time, dave can watch in full view as jade rolls her eyes. she was absolutely going to point out the sky isn't actually blue, though.

but they both have their vices, because jade's impatience wins out in the middle of his ramble. she gets as far as letting him finish the word "memory" before shaking her head and biting her lip before ripping free from the loose grip he's got on her wrist. both of jade's hands are on either side of his face, holding his head still - she can tilt her head and lean in while he's still fretting over how he definitely isn't cool.

it's not like jade has any experience with this, and there's very little you can figure out from daydreaming or watching movies. that said, she's mindful of her teeth and doesn't open her mouth against his - it's lip to lip but her jade wolf is actually, finally, literally kissing dave strider and that's actually pretty cool.

there was no way she was going to wait for him to nail that monologue? that could take till sunrise. ]

[ joke's on you it probably would have taken like a week. he will never get it down perfectly enough for his own standards. he's had years to try to draft it but every single note he'd ever made on the topic had faded away the second he'd needed them to come to mind. words fail him completely again when jade holds his head still and there's just barely enough time for dave's eyes to widen fractionally before she leans in and kisses him.

then jade is actually kissing him and dave's eyes shut as he tries to figure it out on the fly. this isn't a daydream or an actual dream but an actual real live thing and he distantly thinks he hopes she capped the marker before dropping it somewhere on his bed or laundry will have to happen sooner than usual and then he thinks maybe he should think about anything else. like the kiss that is in fact happening.

his left hand flies up to cover her right on his cheek, and dave angles his head a little more. his mouth is a little less firmly shut because she'd surprised him a bit, but dave doesn't really push any boundaries. he just kisses her back slow and gentle, his right hand dropping to her knee. ]

[ thank god he shuts the hell up and just lets it happen. jade's always been impatient at best - jade's the only baby in her family, and it shows. "spoiled rotten" might not apply to her, but she's definitely spoiled and if dave had insisted on trying to fix his monologue here, she might have actually smacked him. (lightly, on the shoulder again, because jade doesn't ever want to hurt dave so much as reprimand him for his stupidity. stupidity that is exceedingly endearing because it just shows what an honest person he is. it's a charm point.)

the thing about kissing him, though, is that dave's not that bad at it. she's pretty sure she's doing something wrong (not breathing through her nose for one, her breath probably smells like what she ate last - an orange, probably, her hands are planted firmly on his face like she's trying to keep his attention on her), but dave's fine. or maybe it just feels fine? kissing isn't uncomfortable but it's her first and jade's mind is wandering. she thinks about last summer and how she was at space camp and not in town and wonders if someone taught dave how to kiss, or if he's a natural at it.

she's probably the least qualified person here for it, and it's mostly because jade wants to come up for air, but she opens her mouth, parting from him for a moment and taking in air before pressing back against him, her left hand letting going of his cheek to sling over his shoulder and she's still not breathing through her nose because she's afraid of fucking it up. she's overachiever. it runs in her blood and it's the result of wanting to impress a boy she's spent at least seven years awkwardly pining after. sue her if you must.

to her credit, she's not brave enough to go beyond an open mouth kiss. her hands aren't kept to herself because one is holding his cheek, her thumb running back and forth lightly and the other is snaking around to--

okay no, she has to breathe and also marvel at the fact she's trying to turn this into a make out session? it takes a bit, but jade pulls away to take in air and say two words. ]

Hopy shit.

[ of course it's a sbahj quote??? ]

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ok i'm done

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