[Noah promised he wouldn't tell Derek that Tate blabbed to him about the switcheroo, but that doesn't mean he can't check on him. He just has to play it casual, that's all.]
[ things are - surprise! - pretty awful, but honestly, when are they not? noah's message comes out of nowhere and derek is a bit of a doomsayer, so he naturally assumes that the kid needs help. ]
What do you want?
[ wait, hold on, he calibrates to sound less... like, immediately pissed off and dismissive. ]
[ still kind of weird that people want to seek out his company just for the sake of having his company, but okay, that's a relief. derek calms down. ]
No. Sorry. It's fine. Just trying to keep busy. My friend got a dog, but she can't climb up the steps to his house, so. I built her a shitty little elevator she can ride up in. Currently stress testing it. Pretty sure I need better ropes, but. Real ropes are hard to find around here. They're all made of silk. Like, I get it, people here fuck. I don't care. I'm trying to build a fucking dog elevator.
[Noah is so enamored with the concept of a dog elevator that he briefly wonders about making one for Dol before remembering they have a regular people elevator he can use just fine.]
You should get the kind of rope people use for like getting tied up upside down from the ceiling and stuff Whatever thats called If it's strong enough for that it should be good for a dog elevator right?
She's dog-sized. I don't know. She's kind of a mutt. Labrador and something else, I think. Pretty scared of being around people. She's alright, I guess. Talk to Tate. Ask if you can meet her. I'm sure he'll be fine with it.
Also. Noah. That is a surprisingly good idea. Good work.
Because... you... found a practical use for a sex swing? I don't know. I guess I just didn't expect my day to involve a dead teenage boy selling me on the engineering involved in getting fucked upside down.
Unfortunately, it's gonna be pretty hard to get any more supplies. Only reason I had what I have for the elevator is because it was already lying around. They uh - made me a sub. Don't know if you've heard. So. Can't just wander into the Up and buy what I want without permission anymore.
I'm... adapting. After a year of being a dom, I can't exactly complain about something most of my friends have been dealing with since arriving here. I keep fucking up. Earned some citations. Things like that. But. Just need to adjust. Stiles would be pretty pissed if he knew I was getting into trouble with the law again. That's kind of why he and I signed a contract in the first place, way back when.
Housing situation is complicated. I've been told to vacate. I haven't. A Dom I know might buy it, get it in his name, let me stay there. But. It'd be illegal. I think. So... We'll see how that goes.
Yeah. I don't think he can just buy a house and let an uncontracted Sub live in the Up unsupervised. And. I don't know. I don't really want to sign with anyone.
[ which probably... isn't... the best thing to say if he wants to keep noah from worrying. but. here we are. ]
Nobody WANTS to sign well almost nobody But we all have to do it anyway It's not like they'll just go "oh ok Derek you don't have to" especially if they switched you
Someone's gotta slip through the cracks eventually.
[ a pause. ]
I know. I'll find someone. I'll figure it out. Sorry. This isn't your problem. I shouldn't even be talking to you about this, let alone... whatever it is I'm doing now. Petulantly whining through a thin veneer of careless dismissive bullshit.
Absolutely not. I'm not going to rely on some teenage boy I don't even know. I appreciate the offer. But. I do want to punch you in the face right now. Just a little. Tiny bit.
Okay, well. First of all. You're still basically a teenager at 20. Nobody's an adult at 20. So. Point still stands. Second of all,
[ dot dot dot. ]
I don't want to get you into trouble. Two subs interacting too much is already kind of frowned upon. I'll get by. If you need any help, you can rely on me, but that's a one-way street, buddy.
Older than you, so. I'm right about everything by default.
[ actually, is that strictly true? the age thing, obviously, not the being right about everything thing. that holds up. derek focuses on figuring this out, just because it feels marginally less invasive than grilling noah on how close he is to the other subs in his life. ]
23. Born in 88, if that matters. It's 2012 for me back home. What about you?
[ assuming that's not weird to ask, given... you know. noah getting his ass ghosted up. ]
[Noah just stares at the numbers for a handful of seconds. His friends from home who are closer in age now were actually born much later than him, but he and Derek...]
Same Both years I was born in 88 too
[Actually, he might even be a few months older than Derek, chronologically-speaking, because he would be 24 if he was alive. Not that it matters. He'll never be 24.]
there's a delay, now. a significantly long pause while derek's urge to keep his life to himself and his underlying need to have people in his life duke it out in his head. derek types a few words, backspaces them, types them again in a slightly different way, backspaces those too - and in the end the desire to get to know noah a little better wins out over the shame of talking about himself. bleh, here we go. talking. feelings. gross. ]
I don't know anybody my age. Back home. There was this fire. When I was a teenager. Wiped out my family. I left town, moved to New York for a while. Opposite side of the country. I didn't really do much until I was in my twenties. Sat inside. Worked out. Didn't talk to people. Lost contact with my friends. With everyone. Then I moved back home, and I kept to myself some more. I got caught up in some shit, which meant my first social circle in over half a decade became exclusively occupied by a gaggle of idiotic teenagers I had to babysit. So.
I don't know. I guess I kind of forgot that there are people in the world who probably experienced highschool the same time I did. I've felt pretty out of step with the rest of... everyone... for about seven years now.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
un: czerny (let's say this is pre-mirror event)
Hey man how are things?
no subject
What do you want?
[ wait, hold on, he calibrates to sound less... like, immediately pissed off and dismissive. ]
Did something happen? Are you in trouble?
no subject
No I'm fine
[If this was an emergency he wouldn't be communicating via text message anyway. He would just be right up in Derek's face.]
Sorry to worry you I just wanted to say hi because it's been a while
So hi
Bad timing?
no subject
No. Sorry. It's fine. Just trying to keep busy.
My friend got a dog, but she can't climb up the steps to his house, so. I built her a shitty little elevator she can ride up in. Currently stress testing it.
Pretty sure I need better ropes, but. Real ropes are hard to find around here. They're all made of silk.
Like, I get it, people here fuck. I don't care. I'm trying to build a fucking dog elevator.
no subject
What size dog is she?
[Noah is so enamored with the concept of a dog elevator that he briefly wonders about making one for Dol before remembering they have a regular people elevator he can use just fine.]
You should get the kind of rope people use for like
getting tied up upside down from the ceiling and stuff
Whatever thats called
If it's strong enough for that it should be good for a dog elevator right?
no subject
[ that's not an answer. hold on. ]
She's dog-sized. I don't know.
She's kind of a mutt. Labrador and something else, I think. Pretty scared of being around people. She's alright, I guess.
Talk to Tate. Ask if you can meet her. I'm sure he'll be fine with it.
Also.
Noah.
That is a surprisingly good idea. Good work.
no subject
Why is it surprising?
no subject
I don't know.
I guess I just didn't expect my day to involve a dead teenage boy selling me on the engineering involved in getting fucked upside down.
no subject
+ it's impossible not to see that stuff being here this long
You know how it is
no subject
[ a pause. ]
Unfortunately, it's gonna be pretty hard to get any more supplies. Only reason I had what I have for the elevator is because it was already lying around.
They uh - made me a sub. Don't know if you've heard. So.
Can't just wander into the Up and buy what I want without permission anymore.
no subject
Oh crap that really sucks
Are you ok? Do you still have your house?
no subject
I keep fucking up. Earned some citations. Things like that. But.
Just need to adjust.
Stiles would be pretty pissed if he knew I was getting into trouble with the law again. That's kind of why he and I signed a contract in the first place, way back when.
Housing situation is complicated. I've been told to vacate. I haven't.
A Dom I know might buy it, get it in his name, let me stay there. But.
It'd be illegal. I think. So...
We'll see how that goes.
no subject
[What is he all-caps Derek-ing about? Take your pick. Seems like he was right to worry.]
Be more careful!
I don't want you to end up in the people zoo
or that realignment program
Why would it still be illegal if your dom friend bought it? Are you not going to sign with them?
no subject
And.
I don't know.
I don't really want to sign with anyone.
[ which probably... isn't... the best thing to say if he wants to keep noah from worrying. but. here we are. ]
no subject
well almost nobody
But we all have to do it anyway
It's not like they'll just go "oh ok Derek you don't have to" especially if they switched you
no subject
[ a pause. ]
I know. I'll find someone.
I'll figure it out. Sorry.
This isn't your problem. I shouldn't even be talking to you about this, let alone... whatever it is I'm doing now.
Petulantly whining through a thin veneer of careless dismissive bullshit.
no subject
We're friends
[Anyway, he has a sneaky habit of finding out people's problems whether they tell him or not.]
Until you find someone if there's anything you need to buy or whatever I can ask Adam
no subject
I appreciate the offer. But.
I do want to punch you in the face right now. Just a little. Tiny bit.
no subject
Mean
Also wrong because Adam is 20 and you'd really be relying on me
no subject
You're still basically a teenager at 20. Nobody's an adult at 20. So.
Point still stands.
Second of all,
[ dot dot dot. ]
I don't want to get you into trouble.
Two subs interacting too much is already kind of frowned upon.
I'll get by.
If you need any help, you can rely on me, but that's a one-way street, buddy.
no subject
Also look
If I get into trouble for hanging out with other subs it probably won't be because of you
[Lucy, Jamie, Reggie... One way or another, he's dangerously close to all of them. Tate too, before the designation change.]
no subject
[ actually, is that strictly true? the age thing, obviously, not the being right about everything thing. that holds up. derek focuses on figuring this out, just because it feels marginally less invasive than grilling noah on how close he is to the other subs in his life. ]
23. Born in 88, if that matters. It's 2012 for me back home.
What about you?
[ assuming that's not weird to ask, given... you know. noah getting his ass ghosted up. ]
no subject
Same
Both years
I was born in 88 too
[Actually, he might even be a few months older than Derek, chronologically-speaking, because he would be 24 if he was alive. Not that it matters. He'll never be 24.]
no subject
[ that's - huh, that's kind of...
there's a delay, now. a significantly long pause while derek's urge to keep his life to himself and his underlying need to have people in his life duke it out in his head. derek types a few words, backspaces them, types them again in a slightly different way, backspaces those too - and in the end the desire to get to know noah a little better wins out over the shame of talking about himself. bleh, here we go. talking. feelings. gross. ]
I don't know anybody my age. Back home.
There was this fire. When I was a teenager. Wiped out my family.
I left town, moved to New York for a while. Opposite side of the country.
I didn't really do much until I was in my twenties. Sat inside. Worked out. Didn't talk to people. Lost contact with my friends. With everyone.
Then I moved back home, and I kept to myself some more. I got caught up in some shit, which meant my first social circle in over half a decade became exclusively occupied by a gaggle of idiotic teenagers I had to babysit. So.
I don't know. I guess I kind of forgot that there are people in the world who probably experienced highschool the same time I did.
I've felt pretty out of step with the rest of... everyone... for about seven years now.
no subject
That's awful
Seven years is how long I've been dead at home
I think
It's hard to keep track
Everyone I know I met after
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