"The Jock and The Nerd always get together." DIRKJAKE HIGHSCHOOL AU

"On and off."

// hey hoes i missed u guys so im back and ready for gay

//i cannot comprehend how bad this story is rn it is a MESs how do u guys tolerate this suihiuugsngehoirh thank you sm for everyone who has supported it though :)

The breeze whistled an upbeat tune, despite Jake's down mood. His oak brown hair seemed to dance in time with the wind and it seemed like everyone was fine but him. Dirk could live his life without him and yet he still wallowed over that anime-haired blond like his life was over. And it was without him; he longed for Dirk's pristine smile, seeing the way his canines hung over his bottom teeth, smelling that awfully strong cologne and hearing the smirk in his voice even when he faced the other way.  

Jake sighed, his legs picking him up and making him wander around mindlessly like a zombie. He looked exactly like one right now -- pale face, eye bags darker than night itself, bruises swelling and veins on show. Mothers would swerve their kids away from him; looking like the druggy he isn't. This entire ordeal has almost changed him as a person. Dirk going on without him fuels him with sadness, rage, jealousy -- all undeservingly. Dirk was the one who was there for him when no one else was, the light in his darkness and now he's ignoring Jake, for no reason other than Hussie and Aranea. He wonders if Dirk ever thinks of him like this, as his eyes glide across the pebbled floor. He blinked, a puff of air was forced at his body and he hears a thump. He opens his eyes and he's on the floor, and so is someone else.

"This is a public path, other people will be on it so watch it, dou--" The man stopped mid-sentence. You could hear the gravel crackle as he hopped onto his feet. 

A pair of curious green eyes trailed up the recognizable body, a light gasp emitted from his pink lips, shaped like the letter 'o'. He met with a pair of dark shades that stared down on him, a small mouth that opened shyly to speak.

They both stared at each other momentarily, before the blond shook his head, offering a hand for Jake to take, which he did, uttering out an embarrassed thank you. Their hands connected for longer than necessary and a tension began to linger as their hands began returning to their sides.

"I'm so sorry, old chap, I- I best be going." Jake's heart raced, an unforgiving blush tickled his cheeks and he turned on his heels to walk off when a charming voice called out.

"Jake, wait, please--" There was a strain of desperation in Dirk's voice, you could hear the huff he let out after, impatient and worked up. Something was on his mind. "Let's talk."

Jake's feet stopped instantly, the cogs in his brain whirred and faltered, getting used to how wrong it was to be near Dirk. The need, the urgency to even spend a second with the teen overcame what he began to know, how he began to function.

The two awkwardly shuffled to a more desolate part of the park, where the birds chirped louder and nature flowed more freely. They sat more than a few inches apart on a wooden bench, both rubbing their hands nervously and itching to get the conversation over with, hoping and wishing things were just normal again.

"So, what did you want to--" Jake was interrupted. Nothing out of the ordinary these days, but he'll allow it.

"I'm sorry." There was no pain and force in his voice; Dirk felt it was necessary and he was fine with realizing what he had done. "I've been a huge, veiny, throbbing dick to you for reasons that aren't your fault, because I needed someone to blame for us being victims of stupid teenage drama, and I blamed you." There was the odd crack in his voice when he spoke, and Jake wondered if he was on the verge of crying, causing him to scoot nearer.

"It hurt, yes, that you pushed yourself away from me like that, but I understand what you did." Jake shyly placed a gentle hand on Dirk's shoulder, his everything focused on the blond. "If some stupid, sporty guy started a bunch of shit for me and got me into a lot of trouble just for us being friends... Yeah, I would do exactly what you did."

There was a pause. Not a thinking pause, nor an awkward pause. An odd, serene pause. The leaves rustled and the wind played with Dirk's hair as his eyebrows raised in concern, in worry, in a loving, "don't talk about yourself like that" way. Jake couldn't help but lightly squint, eyeing Dirk's glasses. The mystery that lurked behind them, why no one like Aranea had considered removing them to taunt him, why he doesn't let people see what's behind. The shades made him seem less human; the emotion is all in the eyes, right? No one ever saw his true emotions, not even Jake. Jake had learned to read the rest of his face. His eyebrows were visible, not so much, so even less emotion was readable, making more emotion fakeable. Jake could only read his mouth, the lines that showed how wide his smile was, the crinkle of his nose at something disgusting, the gentle lip bite when he was nervous. He could read his body, how his fingers never stopped moving when he was uncomfortable or unsure, the way his steps became uneven when he was caught up in a conversation, the way his shoulders deflated when he grew sad and how they hardened when he faked carelessness. So many things that Jake knew, but all seemed like nothing without a peek of his eyes, what they wanted to say. Imagine being this lost in thought over someone's eyes.

"You're not stupid, and it's not your fault. We weren't causing any trouble by hanging out; it was Aranea, and her desperate attempt to get a closer whiff of a fucking fishbowl between a rich girl's legs. She took it too far, I took it too far, everything was too extreme." Dirk sighed, melting into Jake's body, head against his shoulder. "I want everything to be normal again. Dirk-Jake normal, no Aranea, just us being chill. I need you and your sweet booty shorts, I need you and Jade and Mrs. E all in my life." Their eyes glittered and sparkled as they leaned in towards each other.

Then their lips touched.