Work Text:
It was one year after the group of kids had started the game. At the moment there were two groups; the trolls who hadn’t died yet with Rose and Dave, and the other group consisting of Jaspersprite, Davesprite, Jade, and John. The second group also had some animal explorers tagging along Casey, John’s salamander daughter, and the nakadiles, some of Dave’s consorts. It was John’s birthday and Jaspersprite was smothering everyone in cakes. Jade was giggling at John’s attempts to stop Jaspersprite and his dislike of the confectionaries being pushed upon him. Jaspersprite was meowing in response to John’s flailing motions. One thing led to another and Jade jumped after Jaspersprite. Jade was chasing the meowing sprite and John was sadly dragged behind in his futile attempts to hold Jade back. His attempt failed and he was instead just dead weight in the race around the boat. They crashed through the kitchen and through the game room, up onto the top deck, and down below in the storage area. John started wondering when the two would slow down, so far they had not slowed down one iota. He also was wondering why no one else was trying to stop the fight chase.
As they galavanted around the ship John saw that the Nakadiles were too busy playing, Casey was taking a nap, but Davesprite was nowhere to be found. After a few laps around the ship the chase finally ended, with Jade chasing Jaspersprite on top of a cabinet. It was tall enough that Jade would be unable to reach Jasper for a while. John left them to make sure everyone was unharmed after the chase. It turns out only a few chairs and the table had been disturbed during the chaos. John was becoming concerned, he still had not seen Davesprite. He could still hear the telltale sounds of Jade still trying to get Jasper on top of the cabinet, so he still had time. He quickly checked on Casey and then returned to his search for Davesprite.
This time during his search he checked everywhere he could think of; starting from one floor of the ship and then moving to the next strategically. He finally reached the floor with all of the bedrooms and he heard a strange sound. John quieted his breathing and listened very closely. His ears pinpointed the direction and he took slow and quiet steps closer to the source. As he got closer John determined that the sound was a cross between chirping and cursing. The heir’s face scrunched up curiously. He followed the sound as it became louder. The destination was a greenhouse area Jade had set up. His hand grasped the handle to the door and he turned it slowly and opened it carefully. Inside he saw Davesprite.
The sprite looked up and jumped back, expecting a barking Jade and a hissing Jasper. He uttered loudly, “Fuck! John, what the hell? Has no one ever told you not to sneak up on a bro?” The normally collected cool sprite seemed a little frazzled, but no bro would call out another, so John didn’t ask any questions.
“Hey, since you aren’t busy, want to help me separate Jasper and Jade?”
The sprite sighed and put down the watering pail in his hands. Everyone tried to pitch in to preserve their survival on the three year long trip. The two males returned to find Jasper still on top of the cabinet and Jade growling and staring at the cat sprite. Davesprite pulled Jade away and attempted to calm her down logically, while John coerced Jaspersprite down with a piece of cake. Then both were scolded and made to shake hands. Things then returned to normal. Jade and John we sitting in front of the television screen and were bickering back and forth, like the siblings they are, about the game and character designs. For the rest of the group it was a repeated argument between the two, but it never escalated, so they left it alone.
Soon everyone was heading to their respective rooms, the main room being left cluttered with cake, candles, and cups. Soon the ship was quiet, except for the noises of the occupants sleeping. In the middle of the night Jade was woken up. She was confused as to why she had awoken, but that question was answered when she heard the telltale sounds of one of the group having a nightmare. She rolled out of bed and padded to her door, opening it slowly. The noises seemed to be coming from Davesprite’s room. Jade approached his door and knocked quietly, just in case. The chirping and the sounds of tossing and turning continued so she opened the door. One the bed was Davesprite and that was it. All of the blankets and pillows had been previously knocked off the bed. Jade moved closer to the bed and lightly placed her hand on his shoulder. Instantly she was pinned by the other and a blade pressed to her throat. The sleep worked out of Davesprite’s eyes and he lowered his katana.
“Sorry Jade, you startled me...”
She nodded and looked at him concerned, “Were you having a nightmare Dave?”
He didn’t respond verbally, but she noticed his brief avoidance of her gaze. Jade smiled tenderly and started making a pile of all of the cushiony items in the room. He cleared his throat. “Um, Jade. What are you doing?”
She replied nonchalantly, “Making a pile. I have been told that it really helps the trolls, so why shouldn’t help us as well?” She continued until the pile met her standards and then plopped down on it. She patted the pile next to her, “Let’s talk, Dave.”
He huffed, a peep escaping his lips, “There’s nothing to talk about Harley. I am the embodiment of chill and cool. I have no beef with the universe.”
Rolling her eyes, “That does not match up with what I heard before I woke you up.” Before she could get him to open up, there was a knock on the door, “Come in.”
In walked a sheepish looking John, rubbing the back of his neck. “I woke up and I heard voices. Is everything ok?”
Jade patted the spot next to her on her other side, “There is plenty of room, why don’t you join us?” He did just as his sister had suggested with a grin. “We were just starting to discuss what Davesprite was dreaming of before I walked in and woke him up.”
Davesprite shot Jade a glare, but the effect was ruined by his ever present shades. “There is nothing to talk about Harley, nothing is wrong.”
John interrupted, “Geez, are all of us having a bad night?”
“What do you mean, John?” Jade was looking at her brother curiously.
“Well, the only reason I woke up in the first place was due to a nightmare. When I heard voices I figured talking to whoever it was would help me calm down.”
Jade flopped into a hug with her brother and smiled, “Of course! Even if there is nothing wrong, talking is a great way to relax!” Neither of the siblings noticed Davesprite’s discomfort in the situation. Both of the siblings were easy going and trusting, unlike Davesprite who was like a sprung beartrap with his feelings and weaknesses. There were a few factors that led to Davesprite’s poker face to fall; exhaustion, nightmare, thinking, and distracted.The two siblings noticed this and rearranged to sit on either side of Davesprite and hugged him. Of course he stiffened but as their hug continued, Davesprite forced himself to chill and attempt to bring back the cool. The siblings just kept holding him.
“Dave, we won’t let go until you tell us what is bothering you.” Davesprite looked side to side and was met with duplicate buck toothed grins.
He groaned, “Fine, it was a nightmare. No big deal. I can handle it.” The other two, instead of letting go, hugged him tighter.
“Dave, I am glad you shared that with us. What was it about?” He looked away and muttered something incoherently. “What was that Dave?” John leaned closer in attempt to hear better.
Davesprite coughed, “All I remember are barks, meows, hissing, and pain. End of story.” He then sighed and initiated a hug for once, resulting in almost toppling over the pile and its occupants. The feelings jam continued, but the siblings mentally decided not to fry Davesprite’s brain by attempting to break down his cool shield. The two ended up chatting cheerily while Davesprite watched in amusement until they all fell asleep together on the pile.
For the rest of the night everyone’s dreams were peaceful. The next morning the trio were awakened by Jaspersprite bringing them yet another cake, claiming it was leftovers. It was determined later, by the cake sensing John, that in fact the cake was baked just that morning and that Jasper was trying to kill them with confectionaries. Things returned to the normal daily chaos and everyone eagerly awaited their arrival.