expendable but so cute.

[undergrad]

Could you please stop reading those fics where I'm either dead or a passing plot device that winds up a mess like a bug on a windshield? It's getting more than morbid now, thanks. Why am I always leaving behind a mourning husband, anyway? Maybe I'll marry a girl! Shut up.

... Oh my God, no. I do not want a cup of frosted cocoa. I'm onto you, wise guy.

Comments

[jacksonoverland]

[He doesn't know who this is, but might as well chip in!]

You probably don't have to deal with rants about historical inaccuracies, though. Those are awful and boring.

[undergrad]

[ Holy moly. ]

Uh, hi. No, not really? [ Grinning, he steps up and peers at him all over. Kind of stupidly, he blurts out: ] Your hair's brown!

[ 'Scuse Jamie, he's never seen one of you dudebros alive-alive before. ]

[jacksonoverland]

[He grins back, a little awkwardly. He's still not used to meeting people he's supposed to know. And the whole freaking out over how he's looked his whole life thing? Jack does a sarcastic pose, like ta-da! Magical brown hair, yep.]

So is yours!

[undergrad]

[ Laughing, he snorts and bobs in excitement. ]

Wow, Jack, you're still a jerk too. Hey, can I touch you? Are you warm? [ NEVER MIND he's poking your hand anyway. c': Oh, wait, he was told this stuff by one of the Frosts! ] Jackson, right?

[jacksonoverland]

[Hearing the other laugh causes him to do so as well. He's glad whoever you are that you appreciate his humor.]

I try.

[Jack just sorta nods and rolls his eyes as the other touches him.

Jack's fine. But, uh... you should probably tell me who you are.

[undergrad]

[ Oh, wow, ok no, no stop that, Jammy, this is a living person and prodding them is sort of majorly rude. Oops. ]

Hah, yeah, sorry. I'm Jamie, Jamie Bennett. We've been best friends for a while. Me and, uh, other-you.

[jacksonoverland]

Nice to meet you, Jamie, even if you've met me or whatever. No one ever mentioned you to me, sorry. So! Are you another one of the gardeners? [He knows it's guardians, but this is better, definitely.]

[undergrad]

Garde —? [ Smirking, he keeps his lips somewhat level. ] No, I'm not. I'm just me.

[ W e l p. ]

[jacksonoverland]

[He bites his lip, sorry. He really wishes he knew who you were.]

You do look normal. Are you human?

[undergrad]

I seriously hope so, man.

[ Holding out a hand of his own if Jack wants to check. ]

[jacksonoverland]

[He waves away the hand and laughs. He believes you.]

Good. [A sincere smile] That's easier to deal with than the rest of these guys.

[undergrad]

God, you look so weird. In a good way! Hah, this is me humiliating myself, isn't it? Uh, so. What kind of stuff do you like, Jack?

[ Trying to be a Normal Person and not stare. ]

[jacksonoverland]

Thanks? [How do you respond to all of that okay. A nod and] Probably.

I like making people laugh. Pranks, tricks, that sort of stuff. I hear I'm not all that different from the old guy me.

[undergrad]

[ Oh no, he's hot like this too OH NOOO. ]

What kind of pranks?

[jacksonoverland]

[His face lights up as he talks]

When I was younger I used to hide all the eggs during Easter so no one would be able to find them and then I could keep most of the candy for myself.

Right now, I'm planning a few for my sister. Thinking about filling her ice skates with snow for her first time skating. So when she puts them on, they're all gushy and cold and it'll shock her! I was thinking about putting some kind of animal instead like maybe a slug, but I wasn't sure how that would go...

[undergrad]

[ Just how long has this guy been giving poor Bunny a headache? O-Oh, but skating. When you've watched as much Back To The Future as Jamie has, you know not to fudge up timeline events. ]

... That sounds like a lot of fun, Jack.

[jacksonoverland]

Yeah.

[He nods, grinning]

Oh, I used to set up traps for Santa too. To make sure even if I somehow fell asleep I'd be able to catch him. One time... I sorta put poisonous berries into the cookies, but only enough to knock a person out, not kill them. I think, at least. It didn't work anyways, so I guess it was fine.

[He really likes talking about pranks.]

[undergrad]

You put poisonous berries in the cookies? Seriously, have you ever not been on the Naughty List?

[ But he looks impressed! :D ]

[jacksonoverland]

Hey, I only got coal one year! I can be nice, okay?

[It may have also been the year after the cookie incident, but okay]

[undergrad]

I know, I know. [ — more to placate him than anything. ] What do you usually get for Christmas?

[jacksonoverland]

[Jack scratches the back of his head] Well, I'm kinda too old now. But I usually got ordinary toys. Toy soldiers, and tops, a rocking horse one year. I think they wanted me to play with those instead of pulling pranks. Needless to say, it didn't really work.

[undergrad]

That's really sweet, the rocking horse especially. [ Pausing. ] Do you still believe in Santa?

[jacksonoverland]

I've met the guy now, so yeah. Before, though... I probably stopped when I was around 12.

[undergrad]

I almost stopped believing when I was eight, so you outlasted me.

[jacksonoverland]

If he just let me catch him, I would've continued believing, you know.