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"Trust shouldn't be given unconditionally, but it should be given a chance to be earned."
[Dipper says it like he is quoting someone else's words, which he is. They were perhaps the wisest thing to be written in that dusty journal after it was all said and done.]
[Ozpin would have a long, long way to go to re-earn the trust he broke with their family, but that isn't the case with Oscar. To put the two together would be to deny their identities and Dipper wasn't about to do that, especially not now. Oscar had answered all of his questions, and met him earnestly, and Dipper thinks that has more merit than anything.]
I'm just as complicit in this, you know. I let you keep your secrets, even knowing how potentially terrible they were. However, when the time came, you were honest.
I won't charge you for the things he's done. I won't push you two together like you're the same. Ozpin has a lot to answer for, and it'll be his decision what he does from there. That's not on you. So...
I'm making the choice to trust you.
[Dipper says it like he is quoting someone else's words, which he is. They were perhaps the wisest thing to be written in that dusty journal after it was all said and done.]
[Ozpin would have a long, long way to go to re-earn the trust he broke with their family, but that isn't the case with Oscar. To put the two together would be to deny their identities and Dipper wasn't about to do that, especially not now. Oscar had answered all of his questions, and met him earnestly, and Dipper thinks that has more merit than anything.]
I'm just as complicit in this, you know. I let you keep your secrets, even knowing how potentially terrible they were. However, when the time came, you were honest.
I won't charge you for the things he's done. I won't push you two together like you're the same. Ozpin has a lot to answer for, and it'll be his decision what he does from there. That's not on you. So...
I'm making the choice to trust you.
But--
[It was more than he deserved.
On a fundamental level, Oscar still believed himself to be partly responsible for Ozpin's emotional recovery or lack thereof. Like with Ironwood, he knew that Oz had exceedingly few allies who knew his truth. Whether it was fear of abandonment or fear of loss over and over that drove Oz's decisions, Oscar didn't know.
All he knew for certain was that Oz had committed every lie, every misdeed in an effort to spare himself further pain and make the weight of eternity more bearable.]
Thanks, Dipper. I...
I actually didn't hide as much as you think.
[He cast the other boy a chagrinned look.]
Stan actually had clues to most of it.
[The fact that one grunkle was 'Stan' and the other 'Mr. Ford' spoke volumes of the differences between Oscar's relationships with them.]
Since I left the farm, there hasn't been too many people who treat me as myself, even here. I've become... Too old for people my age, in a way. But I'm still me. And Stan... Kept asking me questions about myself.
Not to many people have done that.
[He chuckled-- a wry, bitter sound that broke the tension. ]
I'm surprised he didn't figure any of it out. Or, at least ask you about the things that sounded weird to him.
The two of you definitely could have figured all this out.
[It was more than he deserved.
On a fundamental level, Oscar still believed himself to be partly responsible for Ozpin's emotional recovery or lack thereof. Like with Ironwood, he knew that Oz had exceedingly few allies who knew his truth. Whether it was fear of abandonment or fear of loss over and over that drove Oz's decisions, Oscar didn't know.
All he knew for certain was that Oz had committed every lie, every misdeed in an effort to spare himself further pain and make the weight of eternity more bearable.]
Thanks, Dipper. I...
I actually didn't hide as much as you think.
[He cast the other boy a chagrinned look.]
Stan actually had clues to most of it.
[The fact that one grunkle was 'Stan' and the other 'Mr. Ford' spoke volumes of the differences between Oscar's relationships with them.]
Since I left the farm, there hasn't been too many people who treat me as myself, even here. I've become... Too old for people my age, in a way. But I'm still me. And Stan... Kept asking me questions about myself.
Not to many people have done that.
[He chuckled-- a wry, bitter sound that broke the tension. ]
I'm surprised he didn't figure any of it out. Or, at least ask you about the things that sounded weird to him.
The two of you definitely could have figured all this out.
[It was Oscar’s protest that made Dipper more and more sure about his decision. Oscar wasn’t taking his trust lightly, and that’s what was important. He thinks from here, they can move forward, if Oscar wants.]
[As Stan comes into the conversation, Dipper look surprised, then he deadpans, huffs in frustration and shakes his head.]
No, that’s Grunkle Stan for you. He’ll listen but he won’t go around meddling with other people’s business. He isn’t one to go spilling other people’s secrets. I’m not surprised he didn’t come to me about any of it.
[It’s not even a question of whether they were close or not. They certainly were now, much more than they were back home. It’s just that Stan and Dipper differ very much in the regard of solving mysteries. Stan would rather leave well enough along, Dipper would not.]
I think I could have figured out a lot of it on my own. Honestly, I had a decent idea from the stuff both you and Ozpin have dropped, but ...in the end it was your story to tell. I wanted to respect that.
[A pause and he points at the feed.]
That’s a big deal coming from me, so I hope you appreciate it.
[As Stan comes into the conversation, Dipper look surprised, then he deadpans, huffs in frustration and shakes his head.]
No, that’s Grunkle Stan for you. He’ll listen but he won’t go around meddling with other people’s business. He isn’t one to go spilling other people’s secrets. I’m not surprised he didn’t come to me about any of it.
[It’s not even a question of whether they were close or not. They certainly were now, much more than they were back home. It’s just that Stan and Dipper differ very much in the regard of solving mysteries. Stan would rather leave well enough along, Dipper would not.]
I think I could have figured out a lot of it on my own. Honestly, I had a decent idea from the stuff both you and Ozpin have dropped, but ...in the end it was your story to tell. I wanted to respect that.
[A pause and he points at the feed.]
That’s a big deal coming from me, so I hope you appreciate it.
[...Seeing how it was taking that opportunity away from Oz that set the circumstances for the Wizard abandoning them along the snowy mountain pass with nothing but a relic that attracted the beasts that tormented their society and a mountain of questions, Oscar did appreciate it. Likely more than Dipper even realized.]
Thanks. I...
I don't know what I can say to make any of this better, Dipper.
[Oscar began haltingly, his own emotional wounds stinging from revisiting them in an effort to help his friend.]
It probably won't mean much to you right now, but Oz has gotten a lot better. He has... thousands of years of bad habits to work on.
But, that's the case with Immortals. I just hope I don't get that bad.
Thanks. I...
I don't know what I can say to make any of this better, Dipper.
[Oscar began haltingly, his own emotional wounds stinging from revisiting them in an effort to help his friend.]
It probably won't mean much to you right now, but Oz has gotten a lot better. He has... thousands of years of bad habits to work on.
But, that's the case with Immortals. I just hope I don't get that bad.
"What? You talking to them or me lightly poisoning them?"
Varian definitely doesn't want to get on the bad side of the Pines household. Well, except Stan, but that's a whole other thing. Still, it feels good to laugh a little, it eases some of the weight of their conversation. It gives him hope that things can be okay, normal, despite Oscar knowing the past that dogged him. His smile softens.
"I'm pretty sure that should be my line to you."
Varian definitely doesn't want to get on the bad side of the Pines household. Well, except Stan, but that's a whole other thing. Still, it feels good to laugh a little, it eases some of the weight of their conversation. It gives him hope that things can be okay, normal, despite Oscar knowing the past that dogged him. His smile softens.
"I'm pretty sure that should be my line to you."
[What bothers him most is that I just hope I don't get that bad comment. Like Oscar's already resigned to his fate. It bothers him, but causing a stink over that right now isn't going to get them anywhere.]
[It does put into perspective something Dipper did not anticipate being something he would have to think about when dating someone. If Oscar does end up Immortal, what might that mean for him? He decides maybe now isn't the time to spiral into that scenario. That's not what this conversation is about. They've been dating for a month, so thinking about eternity is just not a good idea.]
What's done is done. What we can do now is move forward.
[He takes a deep breath, and looks up at him. His expression is a little uncertain but hopeful.]
If ...you'll still have me, that is. I'm not- ...I'll admit, the Immortal stuff is pretty bonkers but, I'm not planning to go anywhere. Not if you don't want me to.
[It does put into perspective something Dipper did not anticipate being something he would have to think about when dating someone. If Oscar does end up Immortal, what might that mean for him? He decides maybe now isn't the time to spiral into that scenario. That's not what this conversation is about. They've been dating for a month, so thinking about eternity is just not a good idea.]
What's done is done. What we can do now is move forward.
[He takes a deep breath, and looks up at him. His expression is a little uncertain but hopeful.]
If ...you'll still have me, that is. I'm not- ...I'll admit, the Immortal stuff is pretty bonkers but, I'm not planning to go anywhere. Not if you don't want me to.
[The closest Dipper might come to his answer would be in asking Qrow-- and Oscar knew that Qrow had needed weeks of training, trials, and finally trauma to accept Oscar has Himself instead of the next coming of Oz. Had the Long Memory remained in his possession, he would have held fast to it. Instead--
All Oscar could do was shyly flash Dipper a glimpse of his fingernails, still painted a glossy dark blue.]
...I'm wearing your color, aren't I?
[He did not wish to give up, but he also did not want to appear self serving either. The situation was far more delicate than anything he had anticipated at this point, and a part of him still believed that he didn't deserve Dipper.
If Dipper would still take him, Oscar would not refuse.]
All Oscar could do was shyly flash Dipper a glimpse of his fingernails, still painted a glossy dark blue.]
...I'm wearing your color, aren't I?
[He did not wish to give up, but he also did not want to appear self serving either. The situation was far more delicate than anything he had anticipated at this point, and a part of him still believed that he didn't deserve Dipper.
If Dipper would still take him, Oscar would not refuse.]
[It would have been easy for Oscar to run, but that he didn't speaks volumes of why Dipper wants to give him a chance.]
[Anyway, any coherent thought screeches to a halt when Oscar points out the color of his fingernails. So, he knows that colors are important on Remnant. It's hard not to put that together from just looking at them, let alone observing auras and also just having spent a lot of time around people from Remnant.]
[The significance of someone wearing another person's color hadn't occurred to him, though. It also didn't occur to him that the people of Remnant might assign colors to others that did not come from their world. There's a lot here that catches Dipper off guard.]
[But in a good way. His face burns bright red.]
I- You-
[Anyway, any coherent thought screeches to a halt when Oscar points out the color of his fingernails. So, he knows that colors are important on Remnant. It's hard not to put that together from just looking at them, let alone observing auras and also just having spent a lot of time around people from Remnant.]
[The significance of someone wearing another person's color hadn't occurred to him, though. It also didn't occur to him that the people of Remnant might assign colors to others that did not come from their world. There's a lot here that catches Dipper off guard.]
[But in a good way. His face burns bright red.]
I- You-
[Wait a second. Is that really his color? Is that a dark blue? Huh, he does wear a lot of blue, doesn't he? He never noticed before. That's fascinating. Does that mean Ford has a color? and Stan? Mabel's is probably eye-searing pink, or rainbow. Can rainbow be a whole color??? What are the rules for the color system here??]
[He needs to do research.]
[He needs to do research.]
[WAIT NO HE'S GETTING OFF TOPIC. THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE TO ADDRESS HERE.]
Your nails have been that color for a long time!
Your nails have been that color for a long time!
[The changes that he saw pass over Dipper's face in the matter of a heartbeat was nothing short of impressive-- and Oscar, feeling like he was the subject of research in that instant, couldn't hide his embarrassed flush. He awkwardly chuckled and tugged at his overgrown hair... ]
I've been sitting on these feelings for a long time.
I've been sitting on these feelings for a long time.
[God, Oscar is going to kill him right here and now. Oscar liked him for that long? That's absurd! He's lucky people like him in the general sense, he does not know what to do with the idea that Oscar liked him this much for this long and it was right there all along.]
[He is impossibly red, now. Looking away all embarrassed and fidgety. Oscar is privy to these moments of Dipper's where he goes from calm and collected to an absolute sputtering mess in zero-to-sixty.]
So- [He clears his throat.] I-Is. Is that like a thing? Wearing another person's color?
[He is impossibly red, now. Looking away all embarrassed and fidgety. Oscar is privy to these moments of Dipper's where he goes from calm and collected to an absolute sputtering mess in zero-to-sixty.]
So- [He clears his throat.] I-Is. Is that like a thing? Wearing another person's color?
I-it can be.
[Oscar stuttered with a bashful grin, well aware that whatever he said at this point would just become the subject of analysis and rambling obsession as Dipper stared at the ceiling in the middle of the night.]
Usually wearing someone else's color shows you've decided to stand beside someone or a cause. Wearing your country's colors can show your pride in your homeland. Wearing your friend or teammate's colors can show that you're fond of them.
... It can mean a lot of things.
[Oscar stuttered with a bashful grin, well aware that whatever he said at this point would just become the subject of analysis and rambling obsession as Dipper stared at the ceiling in the middle of the night.]
Usually wearing someone else's color shows you've decided to stand beside someone or a cause. Wearing your country's colors can show your pride in your homeland. Wearing your friend or teammate's colors can show that you're fond of them.
... It can mean a lot of things.
[It's good that Oscar has come to know Dipper so well, he is absolutely right. He is ...absently reaching over for his journal. To take notes.]
A loaded metaphor, fascinating.
[He looks thoughtful for a second.]
The colors- Actually. I've noticed that whatever color a person from Remnant favors usually matches their Aura. Is that it?
[The eyepatch really was useful for snooping on stuff he otherwise wouldn't know.]
A loaded metaphor, fascinating.
[He looks thoughtful for a second.]
The colors- Actually. I've noticed that whatever color a person from Remnant favors usually matches their Aura. Is that it?
[The eyepatch really was useful for snooping on stuff he otherwise wouldn't know.]
Edited 2021-05-23 02:50 (UTC)
It can be, but not always.
[He grinned, glad for the lighter and simpler conversation topic. It was easy for him to think of his friends and the people he had come to think of as family, even in light of the unfortunate news.]
Qrow's Aura is red, but he hardly wears any of it. Another teammate who never made it here, Ren wears mostly green-- but his aura is pink!
[He grinned, glad for the lighter and simpler conversation topic. It was easy for him to think of his friends and the people he had come to think of as family, even in light of the unfortunate news.]
Qrow's Aura is red, but he hardly wears any of it. Another teammate who never made it here, Ren wears mostly green-- but his aura is pink!
[Yep, the journal is open and he is scribbling all this down. He's thinking he'll maybe make a separate journal for Remnant, honestly. He has so much info it's starting to overshadow the deerington stuff.]
Cool. So then ...your color.
[He looks up, squints thoughtfully. He ponders the info Oscar just gave him verses what he's picked up from his aura. He says it's not strictly Aura = Color but he has a good feeling about this guess.]
It's orange, right?
Cool. So then ...your color.
[He looks up, squints thoughtfully. He ponders the info Oscar just gave him verses what he's picked up from his aura. He says it's not strictly Aura = Color but he has a good feeling about this guess.]
It's orange, right?
Well-- I...
[There was no denying that it was a favorite color of his. He loved the look of the trees in the forests and mountains surrounding his family's farm in the autumn. The golden yellows, oranges, and reds were as vibrant as any sunset. Sometimes the star shaped leaves of the sweet gum trees would end up pressed between the pages of a book before the season was over. The warmth made him think of fires, both in the fireplace in the dead of winter or at a campsite under the starry summer sky.
Oscar ran a hand through his disheveled hair and cast Dipper an embarrassed look.]
I never really needed to know how to control my Aura before encountering Oz. Sure, I could fight off small Grimm, but I didn't need to know more than that. A sturdy shovel and good aim was all you really needed.
...Since I started training with everyone, I found that it's green.
Like Oz.
[There was no denying that it was a favorite color of his. He loved the look of the trees in the forests and mountains surrounding his family's farm in the autumn. The golden yellows, oranges, and reds were as vibrant as any sunset. Sometimes the star shaped leaves of the sweet gum trees would end up pressed between the pages of a book before the season was over. The warmth made him think of fires, both in the fireplace in the dead of winter or at a campsite under the starry summer sky.
Oscar ran a hand through his disheveled hair and cast Dipper an embarrassed look.]
I never really needed to know how to control my Aura before encountering Oz. Sure, I could fight off small Grimm, but I didn't need to know more than that. A sturdy shovel and good aim was all you really needed.
...Since I started training with everyone, I found that it's green.
Like Oz.
[Dipper frowns a little, tapping his pen thoughtfully on his journal.]
Your Aura looks green normally, yeah, but it's not like entirely green. I actually thought that was really weird the first time I saw it.
[He taps absently at the eyepatch he's wearing. He can't see stuff through video feeds, it all has to be in person, but he's seen Oscar a number of times in person in various states which is why he came to this specific guess.]
And I figured out why it seemed strange when you came to visit me after I revived, after the portal mess. Maybe you remember, I kind of spooked the heck out of you by asking if you were okay.
It's because your Aura didn't have Ozpin's green on it.
Your Aura looks green normally, yeah, but it's not like entirely green. I actually thought that was really weird the first time I saw it.
[He taps absently at the eyepatch he's wearing. He can't see stuff through video feeds, it all has to be in person, but he's seen Oscar a number of times in person in various states which is why he came to this specific guess.]
And I figured out why it seemed strange when you came to visit me after I revived, after the portal mess. Maybe you remember, I kind of spooked the heck out of you by asking if you were okay.
It's because your Aura didn't have Ozpin's green on it.
[If brains did the equivalent of a record scratch, Oscar's did so in that moment.
No one in Remnant had ever questioned this little fact of his life. He was the Next Ozpin, of course his Aura was green. Oscar himself didn't think to question it either, for what he had gained by choosing to heed Oz's directions far surpassed anything he would have kept by remaining on the farm. A chance to see the world and figure out the person he was supposed to be was not a luxury given to rural farm boys living well outside the nearest city. Then, once affairs started to tumble into place, they never stopped.
Until Deerington.
As chaotic as life in Deerington was, it still was not as chaotic and dangerous as life in Remnant. They had time to think and learn that was not afforded to them otherwise--
But, as small as this detail was-- Oscar couldn't help but laugh.]
Orange? Really? Like,really really?
[He beamed.]
That's so cool! Orange and blue are great together!
No one in Remnant had ever questioned this little fact of his life. He was the Next Ozpin, of course his Aura was green. Oscar himself didn't think to question it either, for what he had gained by choosing to heed Oz's directions far surpassed anything he would have kept by remaining on the farm. A chance to see the world and figure out the person he was supposed to be was not a luxury given to rural farm boys living well outside the nearest city. Then, once affairs started to tumble into place, they never stopped.
Until Deerington.
As chaotic as life in Deerington was, it still was not as chaotic and dangerous as life in Remnant. They had time to think and learn that was not afforded to them otherwise--
But, as small as this detail was-- Oscar couldn't help but laugh.]
Orange? Really? Like,really really?
[He beamed.]
That's so cool! Orange and blue are great together!
[Oh, so he really didn't know. It makes sense, when Oscar explains it. That the way Aura's seem to work on Remnant, it's something you have to train or unlock and that Oscar never had a reason to do it himself until after Ozpin butted his way in. So, yeah, why wouldn't he know what his own Aura looked like?]
[It made sense but it also made him kind of sad. And- that he was the one to tell him what it really looked like, he's glad. Especially with the way Oscar is smiling at him.]
[He smiles back, something soft and genuine. If he'd known, he would have told him ages ago.]
Yeah, dude. If you want, I can try and replicate it, I think I remember it pretty well. We looted the art store last month so Mabel has a ton of paints. We'll work on it for you.
[A pause and he blushes bright red all over again. He definitely agreed about their colors going with each other, since he wore blue and orange all the time. Now he feels a little embarrassed! Was this color!destiny? Or something?]
I-I think so, too.
[It made sense but it also made him kind of sad. And- that he was the one to tell him what it really looked like, he's glad. Especially with the way Oscar is smiling at him.]
[He smiles back, something soft and genuine. If he'd known, he would have told him ages ago.]
Yeah, dude. If you want, I can try and replicate it, I think I remember it pretty well. We looted the art store last month so Mabel has a ton of paints. We'll work on it for you.
[A pause and he blushes bright red all over again. He definitely agreed about their colors going with each other, since he wore blue and orange all the time. Now he feels a little embarrassed! Was this color!destiny? Or something?]
I-I think so, too.
Edited 2021-05-23 04:34 (UTC)
That'd be super cool if you can!
[For an instant he seemed to be no more than exactly how he looked-- a goofy fifteen year old kid caught up in matters that were too big for him. As dire as their situations looked, both at home and in Deerington, it was always the little things that made the most difference.]
I-I mean, if it's no trouble! My people have given your people enough trouble lately, and I don't wanna add to it.
But...
[He sobered, deeply flustered and almost shy in his manner.]
I'm glad you think our colors are cool together. Really glad.
[For an instant he seemed to be no more than exactly how he looked-- a goofy fifteen year old kid caught up in matters that were too big for him. As dire as their situations looked, both at home and in Deerington, it was always the little things that made the most difference.]
I-I mean, if it's no trouble! My people have given your people enough trouble lately, and I don't wanna add to it.
But...
[He sobered, deeply flustered and almost shy in his manner.]
I'm glad you think our colors are cool together. Really glad.
"You lightly poisoning them. Their family... is pretty protective. I don't think you'll be able to get through without someone knowing!"
Things between them could go on as normal, Oscar hoped. Knowing about Varian's past only helped Oscar understand the other teen more-- and, knowing what lurked behind that smile helped him know what to look for, too.
"Guess we're both pretty good at that, huh?"
Things between them could go on as normal, Oscar hoped. Knowing about Varian's past only helped Oscar understand the other teen more-- and, knowing what lurked behind that smile helped him know what to look for, too.
"Guess we're both pretty good at that, huh?"
"You'd be surprised how stealthy I can be! But fine, fine, I'll refrain from the active poisoning. Just for you, mind."
Varian would be loath to admit it, but it does feel good to get it off his chest, to have Oscar know the truth. He doesn't like keeping his past from the people he considers his family. He wants them to know about his life- even the broken, shadow parts of it. He guesses one day he'll learn to share it without the fear he'll be turned away for it.
"...Yeah, I guess we are. Go us."
Varian would be loath to admit it, but it does feel good to get it off his chest, to have Oscar know the truth. He doesn't like keeping his past from the people he considers his family. He wants them to know about his life- even the broken, shadow parts of it. He guesses one day he'll learn to share it without the fear he'll be turned away for it.
"...Yeah, I guess we are. Go us."
"It's not just the fact that some days I'm tired. Most days, I'm not. I want to keep going. But I want to keep going like this."
The Doctor sighs, he's counterintuitive with wanting to rest and to keep going. This just boils down to his own mental health on those days.
"Can I show you something?" Ten offers his hand to Oscar.
The Doctor sighs, he's counterintuitive with wanting to rest and to keep going. This just boils down to his own mental health on those days.
"Can I show you something?" Ten offers his hand to Oscar.
[Ah, there it is. Seeing Oscar smile like that brought a certain warmth to his chest. He wished he could laugh like that more often.]
[He decides then, that he'll do his best to try and make that so.]
It's no trouble, dude. I wouldn't have offered, otherwise.
[Oscar gets boyfriend privileges!! That is the way it is. Mabel will probably ecstatic to help him with this.]
[After a moment of basking in that, something else comes to mind and Dipper debates bringing it back up lest it might kill the mood. He debates internally for a beat, expression shifting to something uncertain before he finally just decides to ask.]
Hey, um. So ...about your egg.
[He decides then, that he'll do his best to try and make that so.]
It's no trouble, dude. I wouldn't have offered, otherwise.
[Oscar gets boyfriend privileges!! That is the way it is. Mabel will probably ecstatic to help him with this.]
[After a moment of basking in that, something else comes to mind and Dipper debates bringing it back up lest it might kill the mood. He debates internally for a beat, expression shifting to something uncertain before he finally just decides to ask.]
Hey, um. So ...about your egg.
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