CW // tiny mention of vomit ("are we there yet"), sensory overload handled badly ('grocery shopping')
This was originally a scrapped chapter, but I decided to bring it back because there hasn't been much fluff here recently. It's pretty much just little scenes of my interpretation of when Dee was living with Jack. They are very short. That's why they would've been scrapped, since they are not long enough for a full chapter. These are separate, so like mini-one shots.
He/him for Jack, she/her for Dee (since she's, like, 5-6 years old in these)
/// 1 - "she misses you."
Dee sat on the fuzzy navy blue carpet, looking up at the TV. Every now and then she would have to yell out for Jack, and Jack would fix the service by adjusting the antennas, and everything would be fine for a couple of minutes, then it would start again. Jack was getting tired of it.
"Jaaaaack," Dee called out, looking over to the kitchen. "Yeah?" Jack yelled back. He was trying to cook dinner, and with Dee asking for him every five minutes, he couldn't get anything done. "TV." She was now pulling on Jack's sleeve. Jack moved over from cutting up tomatoes and went to go help Dee for the umpteenth time. He sighed as he fidgeted with the antennas. Static fizzled on and off until he found a good setting. "There." He told Dee, ruffling her hair a bit. Dee sat back down on the carpet. "You know, Dee, you've probably seen more static than the actual show by now. You'll just have to watch reruns once I get a better job." Jack told her as he walked back into the kitchen. He started preparing dinner again. Pasta with tomato sauce.
Dee complained as the TV went on the fritz again. "I'm not fixin' it anymore, Dee. Find something else to do." Jack called out gingerly. "Can I call Peter?" Dee asked, getting up from the carpet and walking over to her brother. Jack demeanor changed ever so slightly. "Um, no, not tonight, Dee." He said, his voice now firm. Dee noticed that he was now chopping up tomatoes at a quicker pace. He was staring off into space. "Why not?" Dee pouted. Jack didn't reply. "Jack, why not?" She complained. She kept tugging on his sleeve. "Because I said so, Dee. Okay?" Jack said harshly. He quickly corrected himself. "Sorry," he mumbled. "He's very busy, Dee. He's probably still unpacking things in his new house. That's why you can't call him." Jack said. It wasn't fully a lie. "Aw. Okay." Dee murmured.
|time skip|
Immediately after Jack tucked Dee into bed, he walked over to the home phone. He dialed Peter's number. The phone rang, once, twice, three times before Peter answered. "Hello?" Peter's voice was fuzzy through the receiver.
"Hey, Peter." Jack rubbed his left eye sleepily. It was only 8:30-ish, though.
"Oh- Hi, Jack. Something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. Just, uh, y'know, Dee misses you."
"...Tell her I miss her too. Anything else? Money, food, clo-"
"She wants you to come home."
"Did she say that or is that just your wishful thinking, Jack?" There was a faint sound of a box being put down onto the floor.
"Doesn't matter." Jack mumbled.
"What was that? Didn't catch that, sorry."
"I said it doesn't matter. She misses you. She wants you back home." Jack repeated. He hurled himself up and sat down on the kitchen counter.
"Jack, you- you know I can't go back."
"And why not, Peter?"
"..."
"..."
A sigh was heard on Peter's end. "Just...I'll talk to you later, Jack. I'm busy right now. Goodbye." There was a click, and the call was over. Jack stayed sitting on the countertop, staring at the phone for a few more seconds, before placing it down and heading to bed.
/// 2 - "are we there yet?"
Jack sat in silence as he drove, staring off into the road. Dee was in the back of the car, fidgeting in her pink booster seat. She held in a sneeze which made her nose burn. "Are we there yet?" She asked. "No, not yet, Dee. Couple more minutes." Her brother replied. "Well, where are we going?" She chirped. "The doctors', remember? You had some kinda icky sicky for a week, and now you've just magically gotten better?" Jack chattered right back, and Dee imagined the conversation being like ping pong. "I don't like feeling icky." She murmured.
"Nobody does, Dee. That's why we're going to the doctor's."
Dee looked out the window, watching as the trees whiz by. "I'm not icky though."
"You were puking up your guts last night, and now you're just fine? That's pretty hard to believe, Dee-Dee."
She pouted. "What if the tea you made- what if it helped me feel better? Like a potion."
She heard Jack chuckle. "A magic potion? That'd definitely be cool. Hm...what flavor was the tea? Do you remember?"
"Uhhh....it was bee tea."
"You mean honey tea?"
"Yeah. Honey tea!" Dee smiled.
Jack pulled into the parking lot of the local kids hospital. Dee complained about having to see the doctor again. "It'll be fine, Dee." Jack rolled his eyes and helped out Dee with her seatbelt. He held her hand as she hopped out of the car and continued her whining and complaining. "I don't wanna go to the doctor...it's icky and cold and boring..." She groaned. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Come on, let's go." Jack offered her a small smile, but she pouted back, and Jack knew he would have a long day.
/// 3 - 'grocery shopping'
Dee shoved some name-brand mac and cheese into the shopping cart. Jack put it right back onto the shelf and kept driving the cart. "We've got enough at home." He told Dee. And Dee started whining. When Jack told her 'no' again, she looked close to crying. "Dee, it's just mac and cheese. We have, like, 6 boxes at home, and you never eat it when I prepare it, so they've just been sitting there." Jack glanced at her as he placed a pack of soup into the cart. Dee was clearly insufferable today. Jack was close to snapping at her. And he didn't want to do that. So he opted for trying to ignore her for a while.
As they walked around the store, Jack could barely handle the sound of all of the carts squeaking, Dee whining, people chattering, the intercom going off every five minutes, and trying to keep up with the shopping list in his hands. "Okay, okay, okay, uh, instant mashed potatoes. Where are they?" He mumbled to himself, looking up at the large signs above the aisles. Two aisles ahead, he could just barely read 'dinner sides' and rolled the cart over there. He scanned the shelves for boxes of instant mashed potatoes, and took one box.
Dee noticed how her brother kept repeating words under his breath and how he flinched whenever the intercom went off again. "Whichever customer drives a red AMC Eagle, please move your vehicle. Repeat, whoever drives a red AMC Eagle, please move your vehicle." The intercom blared for the 5th—no, 6th—time.
"Jack, I wanna go home! Ja-"
"I want to go home too, Dee! I want to just lay down in my ratty air mattress since I can't afford a bed, turn off the lights, and sleep. Maybe I'll even get 3 hours! I want to eat take-out dinner since I'm too tired to cook, serve it to you, and hope you eat it. I want to finally take a hot bath, but guess who can't even do that since money is tight and he can only afford 15 minutes of hot water, which he oh-so-graciously donates to his younger sister? I want to go home too, Dee." Jack snaps, his voice rushed and angry, but mostly tired. Fortunately, there weren't many people in earshot. Dee's throat went dry, and she felt hot tears run down her cheeks. Jack sighed. He leaned over and Dee instantly clung to him. Jack pressed a little peck onto the top of her head and wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry for snapping. I'm just...overwhelmed. I've had a long day. A few of them, really. I shouldn't have yelled like that." Jack apologized. Dee sniffled. "'S okay." She whispered. Jack ruffled her hair a little and they continued shopping.
When they got home, Dee ended up going to bed early. She claimed that she was feeling 'extra extra sleepy' that afternoon. Jack didn't object. He tucked her in and went to lay down on the couch. He stared up at the ceiling. The groceries were still on the kitchen counter. He would have to get those organized later. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. He pulled himself off of the couch and went over to cross another day off the calendar. Dee's birthday would be in a few days. He reminded himself of that. "Four days until the party."
///
Word count: 1471
