The young woman stares at Jake with narrowed eyes. For several long seconds, no words are spoken. Dirk shifts uncomfortably behind Jake, unsure whether to look. It would feel awkward and unnatural to look away, but somehow the scene doesn't seem for his eyes.
Finally, she smiles. “Um, hello? Sorry, I don't think I know you.” She thrusts forward her hand to Jake, glancing briefly at Dirk. “Jade Harley.”
Jake shakes it; out of habit, most likely. “Oh, I know! In fact, I'm actually a relative of yours of sorts!”
“Really?” Jade adjusts her glasses. “Well, yes, I did notice the resemblance! I apologise if I seemed rude, but you really are the spitting image of my brother.”
“Brother?” Jake glances at Dirk and he shrugs. “Well, I'm not him! In fact...the truth is a little bit more complicated than that. You see...I'm your grandson. From the future!”
Jade stares at him. “Wh- Is that really possible?”
Dirk rolls his eyes – it seems a willingness to believe the ludicrous runs in the family. But Jake merely nods, and then makes an odd sniffing sound, and Dirk turns firmly away, pretending to be engrossed in the shop's wares.
It doesn't work. He can see out of the corner of his eye as they hug, and he could hear Jake's murmured words, Jade's bemused but oddly understanding reassurances. Acting on impulse, Dirk leaves as quietly as possible.
The sun is warm, the street bustling. People glance at him oddly now and then in confusion, but he ignores them. He shoves his hands into his pockets. What to do now? He'd have to wait for Jake to be done, whenever that was. So should he just – hang around in this time period until then? Maybe he should ask Jake in the future when they should meet up and then return to this time to tell himself where to go. He waits for a future self to appear, but no luck. Guess I decide not to do that or something? Time is weird.
He'd seen his bro once. Back when he was thirteen, when Roxy had first unearthed the machine and they'd managed to get it working. Roxy went to see her mom a lot, but Dirk only went the one time.
He'd just been some kid. Dirk didn't known what he'd been expecting – he'd deliberately configured it so he'd be sent to when Dave was thirteen as well. Just some kid who'd barely glanced over him and moved on.
He has to admit, when he first told Jake all about it he'd expected him to ask to be sent back to the time of the dinosaurs, or something silly like that. Guess this was what he wanted.
But after a few minutes, Jake reappears alone.
“Where's your grandma?”
Jake looks away rather wistfully, a startlingly contemplative expression for him. “It's...strange, talking to her. She isn't really the same person I knew what I was a kid. I don't really remember much from back then anyway, I guess. And she doesn't know me at all.”
Dirk raises an eyebrow. “You really don't have anything else to say?”
“Of course I do! I want to know all about her, and how she lived, and...” Jake shakes his head. “But...it's all a little much at the moment, to be honest! And-” Jake grinned, fists clenched. “I want to spend time with you, too!”
“...you do realise we could do that any time, right? Y'know, with time travel and all?”
“Of course I do! And it's the same with my grandma, isn't it? I could go back and see her any time. And Roxy, and Jane...” Jake shrugs with a lopsided smile. “But you're my best bro! And this is the first time we can actually be together like this, and I guess – I want to do that right now?”
Dirk stares, then lets out a breath in a humph. A smile tickles the edges of his lips. “You have the whole world at your fingertips – every time period you could imagine – and all you don't care as long as you can spend time with me?”
“Yes!” Jake says, with such earnestness that Dirk is caught off-guard.
Jake is a mystery – a deceptive one. You can never tell when he's serious and when he's going along with something and when he's saying the first thing that comes out of his head and when he thinks through every word. For all Dirk knows, he never does any of that. But something tells him now that Jake is totally serious. That's... that's something. He's not sure what, but it's something, anyway.
“...well. I guess I could manage that.” He takes the gadget out of his pocket, rolling it between his fingertips. There are so many places they could go, so many things he could show him... “Where to, then?”
Jake takes his hand with a bark of laughter. “Wherever!”
FILL: TEAM JADE<3KANAYA<3ROSE
Finally, she smiles. “Um, hello? Sorry, I don't think I know you.” She thrusts forward her hand to Jake, glancing briefly at Dirk. “Jade Harley.”
Jake shakes it; out of habit, most likely. “Oh, I know! In fact, I'm actually a relative of yours of sorts!”
“Really?” Jade adjusts her glasses. “Well, yes, I did notice the resemblance! I apologise if I seemed rude, but you really are the spitting image of my brother.”
“Brother?” Jake glances at Dirk and he shrugs. “Well, I'm not him! In fact...the truth is a little bit more complicated than that. You see...I'm your grandson. From the future!”
Jade stares at him. “Wh- Is that really possible?”
Dirk rolls his eyes – it seems a willingness to believe the ludicrous runs in the family. But Jake merely nods, and then makes an odd sniffing sound, and Dirk turns firmly away, pretending to be engrossed in the shop's wares.
It doesn't work. He can see out of the corner of his eye as they hug, and he could hear Jake's murmured words, Jade's bemused but oddly understanding reassurances. Acting on impulse, Dirk leaves as quietly as possible.
The sun is warm, the street bustling. People glance at him oddly now and then in confusion, but he ignores them. He shoves his hands into his pockets. What to do now? He'd have to wait for Jake to be done, whenever that was. So should he just – hang around in this time period until then? Maybe he should ask Jake in the future when they should meet up and then return to this time to tell himself where to go. He waits for a future self to appear, but no luck. Guess I decide not to do that or something? Time is weird.
He'd seen his bro once. Back when he was thirteen, when Roxy had first unearthed the machine and they'd managed to get it working. Roxy went to see her mom a lot, but Dirk only went the one time.
He'd just been some kid. Dirk didn't known what he'd been expecting – he'd deliberately configured it so he'd be sent to when Dave was thirteen as well. Just some kid who'd barely glanced over him and moved on.
He has to admit, when he first told Jake all about it he'd expected him to ask to be sent back to the time of the dinosaurs, or something silly like that. Guess this was what he wanted.
But after a few minutes, Jake reappears alone.
“Where's your grandma?”
Jake looks away rather wistfully, a startlingly contemplative expression for him. “It's...strange, talking to her. She isn't really the same person I knew what I was a kid. I don't really remember much from back then anyway, I guess. And she doesn't know me at all.”
Dirk raises an eyebrow. “You really don't have anything else to say?”
“Of course I do! I want to know all about her, and how she lived, and...” Jake shakes his head. “But...it's all a little much at the moment, to be honest! And-” Jake grinned, fists clenched. “I want to spend time with you, too!”
“...you do realise we could do that any time, right? Y'know, with time travel and all?”
“Of course I do! And it's the same with my grandma, isn't it? I could go back and see her any time. And Roxy, and Jane...” Jake shrugs with a lopsided smile. “But you're my best bro! And this is the first time we can actually be together like this, and I guess – I want to do that right now?”
Dirk stares, then lets out a breath in a humph. A smile tickles the edges of his lips. “You have the whole world at your fingertips – every time period you could imagine – and all you don't care as long as you can spend time with me?”
“Yes!” Jake says, with such earnestness that Dirk is caught off-guard.
Jake is a mystery – a deceptive one. You can never tell when he's serious and when he's going along with something and when he's saying the first thing that comes out of his head and when he thinks through every word. For all Dirk knows, he never does any of that. But something tells him now that Jake is totally serious. That's... that's something. He's not sure what, but it's something, anyway.
“...well. I guess I could manage that.” He takes the gadget out of his pocket, rolling it between his fingertips. There are so many places they could go, so many things he could show him... “Where to, then?”
Jake takes his hand with a bark of laughter. “Wherever!”