WHO: Jess and Doug WHAT: Doug comes to his lady friend to share his current circumstances WHEN: Recently WHERE: Her house WARNINGS: None really STATUS: Closed and complete
Jess couldn’t help but smile to herself when she thought about how quickly things had changed in her life this past month. All good changes though. She and Davina were hanging out a lot more often now that the other girl had settled back into life here in California and things with Doug were....great actually. She was comfortable with him, more so than she ever had been with anybody she’d dated, except maybe Sam but they had been friends most of their lives before dating so that probably factored into her being comfortable with him a lot. She scooped Whit up off the couch and padded outside in her pajamas, an old pair of shorts and a long tee tonight. “Okay buddy. One last trip out to the yard and then we’re going to bed. We’ll put the pillows under the blanket so it’s almost like Doug is here with us tonight. Sound like a plan?” She said, setting him down in her yard and sitting down on the steps.
She kind of liked the fact that her boyfriend showed up without warning sometimes for the same reason she disliked it - it was always a surprise whether he was going to or not.
***
Today was one of those days when Doug showed up. Mostly because, well, he had been i and out of dreams all day, and had lost track of time, and schedule altogether. When he pulled up in his small car at her place, and stepped out, it would be immediately apparent that he was not entirely well.
Doug leaned on his car as he saw her on the steps, and slowly started making his way toward her. There was a bandage on his arm, and gloves on his hands, as well as a thing that looked like a high tech watch on one wrist. It was, in fact, a technoorganic jammer, and it was suppressing the to virus that had showed up on his arm, partially infecting him.
Hence the precautions. He was not here to make out so much tonight, as to keep her in the loop. And this seemed more like an in person thing than an over the phone thing.
***
Jess looked up when she heard the car turning in her drive and she smiled when she recognized it as Doug’s. She stood up from her steps, arms wrapping around her stomach as she stepped off them and started walking over to him, following Whit who was already practically bouncing over to the man. She noticed that he seemed to not be his normal self and she called out to Whit to stop and wait for her, scooping him up as she walked past, free hand reaching out to Doug without her even thinking.
“I’m not going to ask if you’re okay because I can see that you aren’t. What’s wrong?” Her concern was obvious in her voice as well as on her face.
***
“It’s a dream thing. A crossover.” He sighed. “Can we sit down?” He rubbed his arm a little, and smled softly, the worry in his eyes. “Its good to see you and your little bouncy guy.”
He wanted to share this with her, and he was afraid to, all at once.
***
“I wish I could claim I was surprised but those things seem to happen pretty regularly here. Do you want to go inside and sit or...just out here on the steps?” Jess asked, fighting to keep Whit from squirming out of her arms trying to get to Doug.
***
“Either is good. Whichever is best for you and your little guy.” He smiled gently at Whit. “With this jammer on my wrist, I should be safe to touch… I just worry.” he didn’t want to hurt her or infect her, or her dog.
He liked Whit.
“I just needed to see you, and tell you about it “
And not be alone.
***
“Inside might be better. Before this one hurts himself wiggling like this. And I can make us coffee if we need it. Or...I think I might have some beer or something. Whatever this conversation ends up needing. And I know you wouldn’t have come over here if it wasn’t safe for me and the fur monsters.” Jess said with a smile. Whit adored Doug and Leo - while he loved everyone - was more than happy to take his place back in her lap while Whit curled up with Doug.
“Come on in.” She said, reaching out for his hand before leading them into the house and setting Whit down, carefully, on the floor. “I’m glad you came over. Not just to tell me about what happened but - I just like it when you come by and surprise me. Do you want something to drink before you start filling me in?”
***
“Yes, please, a drink? Or many of different kinds?” He followed her and smiled as he hugged her and kissed her cheek. “I love being here and being around you. And your kisses and your dog’s silliness.” he pet her dog gently, carefully, and nodded.
This life was odd, but he had this, and this was good, very good.
“Thank you, Jess.”
***
“Okay now Whit. You can stay up a little longer. If you promise to behave yourself and not try to drool all over your brothers tail again.” For some reason, the tip of the cat's tail had been Whit’s favorite toy the last couple of days. And while Leo didn't act like he minded, Jess wasn't a fan of drool covered cat fur touching her. Or trying to go in her mouth like this morning.
She turned her attention to Doug, giving him a smile and a soft quick kiss on the cheek. “Go sit down and I'll start the coffee and get us those beers okay?” She went into the kitchen, familiarity helping her do the jobs quickly and she came into the living room with a beer bottle for each of them sitting down on the couch after handing him his.
***
“Okay.” He smiled fondly at her pets, then settled to the couch, and blew out a long breath, closing his eyes for a long moment. He lost track of time, and only opened his eyes as she sat down, and handed him a bottle of beer.
“To those who make us feel at home, wherever we are.” He grinned as he raised it to her, opened it, and took a sip.
“Have I mentioned how awesome you are, lately?”
***
“To those who make this place worth living in.” Jess raised her bottle to him before opening it and taking a sip herself. She grinned at his question. “I'm not sure. Maybe you should just to be safe since you're pretty awesome and amazing yourself. And then - I want to hear about that,” she said pointing at the jammer as she settled back on the couch, leaning her head on her hand.
***
“You are awesome, and pretty, and you make me smile. Like I never have even thought of smiling before.” He lifted his drink again, then nodded.
“Yes, to that. I dream of a world full of wizards, aliens, and mutants, superheroes and supervillains, and a world where weird shit happens a lot. MY dream self is a mutant possessing the ability to interpret, understand, command, and translate any code, from computer code to cypher to language. But in the end, that power was not enouhg to keep my dream self alive. He was killed and buried. During his adventures, he met an alien who was made of living circuit virus. When Doug died and his friend, named Warlock also died, a portion of Warlock’s code and Doug’s mind coded into circuits, still survived.”
He sipped some more of his beer as he continued. “A few years later, a rogue mutation of Warlock’s people, called the Phalanx, gathered all versions of the virus together, and started trying to take over the world, and gather power. During their gathering, they collected the remnants of Doug and Warlock and merged them, and that being, who named itself Douglock, rose, and remembered who it had been. Who he had been. And I dream of being him, now.”
Doug shook his head. “As soon as I started dreaming of him, I woke with this patch on me, the transmode virus, or technoorganic virus. It’s… its what Warlock’s people use to infect life forms, drain their energy, and live. It turns a living being either into a mindless zombie or drains them of all life, period. Unless, like Douglock, you somehow mutate. So i woke with this on my arm, freaked out, and slapped the jammer on, which, thankfully, my dreams provided me months ago.”
He shivered, eyes looking as tired as the rest of him. “I consulted Kitty, a woman from my dream world, and with her advice, I’m going to go on the network and appeal for aid, tomorrow. I just… i wanted to tell you about this before you saw it there. You deserve to know, and… I wanted to see you.”
He fell silent, sighing.
***
Jess smiled at him. “You make me smile too you know. More than I thought I would ever,” she admitted.
She listened to him while he told her about his dreams, reaching out to hold his hand when he told her about dreaming of being Douglock. She trusted the jammer to work but more importantly she trusted him.
“While I hate that your dreams are putting you through this - I'm glad they at least gave you something to help. And I'm glad you wanted to come over and tell me in person. I'd probably have freaked out if I'd first seen it on the network.”
***
“I’m glad. I love your smile. It makes your eyes crinkle up.” He grinned wider at her. The way she sounded and moved always made him happier. There was just something in the way she moved, that made him feel like no other. He squeezed her hand when she reached out and he felt a surge of gratitude to her.
“Thank you. And yeah. I care about you, and I want to be… well, a good boyfriend person.” He grinned. “I’ve never really done this whole actual serious relationship thing, so this is new, but… sharing things… that is part of it, right?”
And he needed to share this. Not just with a friend, but with his best friend and the woman he was coming very close to being able to use the l word on.
***
Jess slid closer to him on the couch, resting her head against the back of the couch beside his shoulder, almost touching but not quite. There was just something about being around Doug that made her feel happier. “I love yours too. It makes your whole face light up somehow.” She told him quietly, reaching out with one hand to touch his skin just above the jammer, studying it.
She looked up from it when she heard him say he cared about her and smiled at him. “I care about you too. A lot. And you’re doing pretty good at being a boyfriend person as far as I’m concerned. And yeah - sharing things is a part of it. Just like not pushing for the other person to share before they’re ready too. Which if I ever do that...tell me okay?” She paused for a minute before reaching for her beer. “And I’ll tell you if it’s something I’m not ready to share yet. Which...I don’t think you’ll ever push me about anyway.”
***
Doug smiled at her, his heart pounding with how happy she made him. “Thank you. So much. It’s important to me, and I… thank you. Having you here, being here, I feel like there is nothing I can’t conquer.” He nodded again.
He blushed and grinned at her.
“Thank you, for being here, and for being honest, and yeah. If I ever push, please let me know. I don’t ever want you to be uncomfortable with me.”
He felt a weight lift off of him. With her around, and with her told, he felt like his life could only get better, strange dream virus or no.”
***
Jess slid closer to him on the couch. “You know you can always talk to me about things. No matter what it is. And if you just need to come and hang out sometime and not talk, not do anything but sit and watch stupid movies or something - we can do that too. I’m here whatever you need.”
She kissed his cheek lightly. “We’ll get through this and maybe somebody will have some extra suggestions on how to handle this. And if not we’ll just...figure out what Douglock makes possible for you in the dreams. And if it crosses over more here we’ll figure that out too. And I promise - I’ll let you know if there’s ever a time when I’m just not ready to talk about something with you. But when I am ready to talk about something with you - I’ll tell you that too.” They were going to be okay with this. With each other. They could get through this. And anything else Orange County decided to throw at them.
“Stay tonight? I promise to keep my hands to myself but - the pillows are a crappy substitute for you. Pretty sure Whit agrees with me on that.”
***
“I can and definitely will stay.” He felt himself content, and happy, despite his situation. He would survive, and he would find his way through.
He knew it.
And life with her make everything better. “Here is where I feel at home. I’ll stay the night, no problem.”