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[potentite]

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[splinten]

[Ah. He fucked up some more. Dirk blinks slowly at Jake.]

Sorry.

[Then he flops his head into his arms again. He wishes a bunch of glitches could take him out of Jake's life so he could stop hurting him.]

[potentite]

[Jake looks back up. Fuck. He rubs the back of his neck, staring at the table and trying to breathe.]

No, I— Don't be sorry. I'm sorry. I wasn't— I didn't mean to hurt you again, I—

[What should he do? Dirk doesn't seem to want him to go away. It might just hurt him more if he does. But staying, speaking, hurts him too. His hands drop into his lap and he fidgets with them under the table, trying to think how he can fix this and knowing he can't.]

Sorry.

[splinten]

[He pauses. Then, slowly, he raises his head, and his eye peaks out.]

Do you know where a straw is?

[potentite]

[Jake straightens up quick.]

Oh! Yes, I can find one? I mean no I don't know but I'll find one for you, all right? If you want me to?

[splinten]

Please and thanks, man.

[That seems safe. Jake seems to like that? He will do that. And then he'll have a straw, so it's a win all around. His pride can handle the hit if it means Jake brightens up like that.]

[potentite]

[Nodding, he jumps up and starts looking around the weird food devices, poking around the utensils until he manages to find what seems to be a yellow squiggly crazy straw. He has no idea why this is here but sure why not.

He comes back, holding it out to him as he sits down.]

Is this okay?

[splinten]

Yeah, it's good. Thanks, Jake.

[He puts the straw in the cup, props himself up on his elbows, and begins to drink via crazy straw.]

[potentite]

[He nods and folds his arms on the table, curling them up close to him as he hunches down.]

Is it all right?

[splinten]

Yeah. I'm doing better.

[Thanks to the crazy straw, or water, or time.]

What the fuck happened back there.

[potentite]

I don't know. Do you think it was a monster?

[splinten]

It could be. The ghost idea seems bizarrely solid.

[potentite]

[Jake cocks his head slightly, quiet for a moment before he laughs.]

Oh! Because ghosts aren't solid! It's irony!

[Dirk you fell in love with this boy.]

[splinten]

[He like. Kind of snorts, which also blows bubbles into his water. Jake is so ridiculous.]

[potentite]

[Somehow that flusters him and he shyly smiles for a moment before clearing his throat.]

So um, ghosts huh?

[splinten]

Ghosts. Monsters. Psychic echoes. We should start a Buzzfeed Unsolved program.

[Dirk would obviously NOT be Ryan.]

Weird shit.

[potentite]

Oh! Well, they never solved anything but it might be good to try anyway!

[splinten]

At least we could get Space Station Youtube Famous if we put some effort into it.

[potentite]

I bet people would be riveted by you.

[splinten]

Dude, look at my expressiveness. [He gestures at his face. It isn't emoting much.]

[potentite]

Now now, I think that would catch the fancy of some sardonic youth.

[splinten]

Maybe. I don't really have that Indiana Jones vibe that you nail.

[potentite]

[Flush, he glances down at the table.]

That's... well, it requires nothing more than practice, promise.

[splinten]

I'm pretty sure practice wouldn't let me nail that.

[He gestures at himself.]

[potentite]

Nah, I've practiced it my whole life but... even by the time you met me, you bought into it, didn't you? So, probably a few years is good enough.

[splinten]

[He frowns a little, spinning his crazy straw in the cup.]

I wouldn't say that I 'bought into it' the way I think you mean. I knew you were a rugged adventurer type for real. I also knew that you were a huge, nerdy dork who was afraid of monsters and preferred watching movies to throwing yourself at those monsters.

Not that you don't for real like danger, but you were scared, too. I wasn't fooled otherwise.