Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/836360.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Homestuck
  Relationship:
      John_Egbert/Jake_English, Jake_English/Dirk_Strider, John_Egbert/Rose
      Lalonde
  Character:
      John_Egbert, Jake_English, Dirk_Strider, Rose_Lalonde, Jade_Harley,
      Vriska_Serket
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-06-09 Chapters: 1/? Words: 500
****** The Trouble with Love ******
by Cora_knight_of_breath
Summary
     Dirk is dating Jake.
     John is dating Rose.
     Jake likes John, but doesn't think John is willing explore a
     relationship with the same gender. Much less, leave his relationship
     with Rose.
     So, Jake continues dating Dirk. He does like Dirk, but they are
     slowly losing their spark. Besides, he is afraid of being alone.
     But then John breaks up with Rose, and Jake thinks he might be able
     to woo John and maybe end his relationship with Dirk. But John is
     actually his best friend and is always talking about how Jade likes
     him and Vriska likes him...
     So is there any hope for this relationship?
John was one of Jake's best friends. The friendship with the blue eyed boy was
precious to Jake. He would have never traded it for anything...
Unless it could be more.
Jake loved John. He felt it every time he was with the young prankster. He felt
it when they spoke or laughed or just watched movies.
But John was with Rose, and Jake was with Dirk. Besides that, John was
straight. Jake had figured as much, at least. John was always awkward when
conversations of same-sex marriages came up in classes. He supported them, he
told Jake once, but he was still pretty uncomfortable with the subject.
Jake constantly asked himself why he kept dating Dirk if he liked John. There
was no good in leading on the blonde boy. He knew that. Even so, he was scared.
Whenever he was alone, he could feel the island returning to him. He could feel
himself stuck there, all alone, faced with so many foes. None of the monsters
ever saw him as an ally. They simply saw him as food.
And so, Jake needed company always. He could not be alone. If he was alone, the
island would return. That was why he spent so much time with Dirk and John.
Really, the company was not free, of course.
Dirk was his boyfriend, so he spent time with Jake so long as the events were
called dates. Jake simply wanted to call it "hanging out" and "chilling" like
they did before the two were dating. He missed those days. They were so much
closer and talked so much more at that time.
As for John? Typically he came by just for the hell of it. Sometimes, however,
he needed help with homework. Or sometimes he needed advice on Rose. Or how to
deal with Dave, who had started to randomly ignore the poor boy.
But Jake would do anything for John. If it meant they got to stay together,
even just as friends, he would go to the ends of the earth. It meant everything
to him.
John had no idea, though.
He didn't realize how desperately the adventurer craved attention and love.
He just knew that Jake was always there for him and always ready.
Jake never asked John to listen to his own problems. He never asked for help.
He never asked John to listen to how bad he felt as he lost interest in his
relationship with Dirk. He never asked John for ideas on how to stop his
depression. He never asked John how to make the voices and the island go away.
He never asked John for good substitutes to self harm.
He never asked John, "Hey...what would you do if you loved someone, but the two
of you were dating other people? And that person you loved, you loved him with
all your heart, but he likely would never look at you in that way just because
you're a guy?"
He never asked...
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