☞ like nobody's won and we're safe at the end.

[stomped]

who jack + isaac
what now with 70% more fourth-walling
rating pg-13
warnings video game trauma.

[ It's a new thing every day, Isaac finds as he walks past the television. Gaming systems have come along way (at least what he's seen), but ultimately, it's all the same. He glances around the apartment briefly, a slight prickle of paranoia riding the rise of his spine. These definitely weren't there before, but then again--the television didn't plug in, the goddamn house ran off of embarrassment, and well. Just well. Leaning down, Isaac grabs the controller and sees the pair of cases that are laid out next to it on the low coffee table.

Haha. No.

You can't be. This is not serious. This isn't even real life right now.

Isaac picks up the top one and hums, popping in the disk. Oh hey. There's the remote (where the fuck were you when we needed you the most, asshole?) Slumping down on the couch with the controller in both hands, he passes through the introduction without much of a qualm aside from the fact that he ends up tilting his head a bit. Oh hey, Jack--Great things. Definitely great things. Except then the plane's going down and Isaac is cocked forward in his seat, clearly concerned that they just went down in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The game is pretty interesting (not every day you get to play as someone you know).

"Now, would you kindly find a crowbar or something?" the game says.

There are those words. ]

( BIOSHOCK | DEAD SPACE | THAT NIGHT )

Comments

[unkindly]

Yeah. A little... hard to get used to, but helpful.

[You have no idea how weird it is to die and then come back.

Over.

And over.

And then Isaac's up to Steinman, and he laughs, and Jack turns his head to look at him.]

...what's so funny?

[Also.]

Try electrocuting the water. And hack the health machine otherwise he'll use it to heal.

[stomped]

'Cause you're not ugly.

[ Isaac nods a bit at the advice, though, and it's clear that he takes it.

Hacking machines is probably one of the many familiar things in this game to him. ]

[unkindly]

[Jack raises his eyebrows, a little confounded by the compliment.]

...thanks.

[Isaac's doing a good job, though. It's weird that he has to think that way, that Isaac is the one doing it, not him.]

Good work, by the way.

[stomped]

Huh? Thanks.

[ Isaac settles in for a while now, legs drawn up on the couch and focusing on the game, taking Jack's hints here and there, exploring, listening to small audiographs and such.

And then he is put up to a choice.

Atlas murmurs in his ear from the right. Tenenbaum from the left.

Harvest them. Save them.

They're small girls and yeah they give Isaac the heebies, but hey. The choice is pretty obvious isn't it? Still. He pauses. Kind of waits for Jack's reaction... just to see out of curiosity. ]

[unkindly]

[Jack has gone very still, very quiet. Slowly, he looks over at Isaac, watching him. Isaac may be watching for his reaction, but Jack's reaction is to watch for Isaac's reaction.

Yes, to Jack, the choice is fairly obvious. And it would make him very upset if Isaac chose differently.]

[stomped]

[ Isaac's just going to lean in a bit theatrically. ]

So, uh.

[ A pause. ]

Is there... a right answer to this?

[unkindly]

[For a moment, Jack is very concerned. Then he just... slowly brings his arm up behind Isaac and smacks him upside the head.]

Don't be a dick.

[stomped]

[ FUCK--HEY!!!

He was just--

Okay no. That was pretty dickish. So he'll ease back down a bit. So he's feeling a little playful. Probably because there's oftentimes no other time for this. So there.

He saves the little sister.

And she's kind of still creepy looking.

Tiny children are creepy.

Isaac purses his lips. But hey, there's ADAM, so that's a good thing. Shut up, Atlas, he did a good thing. ]

[unkindly]

[It was, but Jack's smiling now because okay this... isn't so bad. It's weird but it's... kind of fun?

And yeah. Shut up Atlas.

Shut the fuck up.

Anyway. Moving on to Arcadia, huh?]

...oh you'll like the Houdinis.

[stomped]

[ Isaac moves through Arcadia with caution. It's almost a nice change, but a somewhat deadly one too. He doesn't like the amount of cover there is surrounding him. Still, he makes it through the level alright, and through another until he hits up Fort Frolic and is sent on some extravagant mission to make a handful of corpses and take pictures.

This doesn't sit well with him, but would it really with anyone?

Still, there's something to be gleaned out of all of it--ammo, cash, a pretty nice new weapon, the crossbow. It's worth it... for the most part.

Until, you know, Sander Cohen sends out the goddamn Splicers and Isaac curses under his breath. ]

What in the ever-loving fuck--

[unkindly]

Yeah, he... was really crazy.

[Like really fucking crazy. But Jack put up with it, and it's kind of fun to see Isaac have to put up with it now.]

You got it.

[He's being encouraging!]

[stomped]

[ Sure. That's encouraging enough. As Sander Cohen reveals himself, obviously sated enough that Isaac no longer has to fend off the strange Splicers dancing to Waltz of the Flowers, he notes that...

There is a very small element of choice here. On the one hand, Sander Cohen is available to attack (as are most things in this game)... on the other, as he walks himself over to the glass case that has opened up... Cohen isn't doing a thing. ]

Should I be doing something here?

[ Like killing him? ]

[unkindly]

[Jack shrugs.]

I guess it's up to you. I just left at this point, I figured he was happy enough with his "art," but I guess you can kill him if you want.

I really don't care.

[He considers this.]

Might be interesting to see what happens though. And I was curious about what was in the box.

[stomped]

Then I'll do it--

[ BAM consider him dead. You know, after he houdinis like a fucker around the room and throws fireballs and shit--

But.

Look at that. The guy's dead. Annnnnd we've got a key to that box you were curious about... some money and a few other little things. ]

Huh... could have been better, I think.

[unkindly]

[Yeah, for his special chest or whatever it really wasn't that interesting.]

Huh. Good to know, I guess.

[stomped]

[ So Isaac is moving on. The next levels are interesting, various puzzle-esque floors, new plasmids... things unravel regarding Rapture--and at some points become more convoluted and difficult to understand. There is a room here, one with pictures of various people--familiar people he's heard from, listened to...

If the audiograph from Suchong wasn't enough (Break that sweet puppy's neck, would you kindly? / No--no no no), Jack within the confines of the game comes face to face with Andrew Ryan and Isaac is a bit startled as he listens because there it is. Those words.

Sit--would you kindly?

Stand--would you kindly?

Run--stop--

And all he wants to do is tell him to stop, or better, shoot him in the face. But still, all of this is enlightening, brings light to everything that would have otherwise left Jack still fumbling in the dark. For a while during this moment, watching as Jack moves without his direction, Isaac listens. Over and over. Would you kindly--would you kindly--would you kindly?

"A man chooses. A slave obeys--obey!"

And Isaac is left with that. Frowning deeply, weathery eyes searching the screen for something beyond this. Those words. Goddamn those fucking words.




We're putting the controller down. We're done for now. ]

[unkindly]

[...it's even harder the second time.

Because this time he knows it's coming.

He's leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, face in his hands as he watches through his fingers.

That room.

That room which was a mystery when he entered it but... he knows what it means now. And those diaries.

He flinches when his young self breaks the dog's neck, and when Isaac brings them into Ryan's office he starts to breathe unevenly, struggling not to hyperventilate as Ryan says it over and over and over and over and Jack twitches, flinching, and he buries his face in his hands, as if it will block it out.

It doesn't.

But then it's over. But he still won't look up.]

[stomped]

[ Isaac looks over slowly and observes the posture, sees the shaking slightly, the way that he struggles and breathes as if he's caught in a vice and hell he--

Nudges Jack up a bit from his position.

It's not conducive to hugging.

Because Jack's getting a hug right now, arms sliding around him tightly and hands pressed to his back. It's okay.

It's done.

It's done, Jack. ]

[unkindly]

[And suddenly Isaac is hugging him. For a moment Jack just sits there but then he hugs Isaac back and buries his face into his shoulder and his breath comes unevenly and shallow as he struggles not to cry.

His whole life.

His whole life was a lie.

And it all came crashing down in that one moment, and right now it feels like it's crashing down all over again.

But Isaac is here, Isaac is real, Isaac isn't a lie, and Jack holds him tightly because if Isaac turned out to be a lie too, he's not sure he could handle anything right now.]

[stomped]

[ His hand shifts, moves up to just cradle the back of Jack's head. Keep him steady, that's what he'll do. It's his warmth pressing through him and his grip unwavering. It's okay, he bleeds into it, everything's okay. You're here, you're not there, no one will make you do a thing here. Everything's your own choice.

Quietly, very quietly, lips against his ear, he tries. ]

You're a man, Jack.

[ He breathes out. ]

You are a man.

[ It's a hand on his wrist, fingers closing over one of the tattoos on his wrist, covering the chains. ]

[unkindly]

[And then he does start crying, silent tears streaming down his cheeks onto Isaac's shoulder. He shakes a little with quiet sobs, never letting go of Isaac, he needs his steadiness he needs his warmth, he needs him whispering into his ear.]

[stomped]

[ Letting go doesn't cross his mind. He pulls Jack a bit closer, fingers rubbing gentle circles at the base of his neck while he lets Jack cling and hold as much as he wants. The hand on his wrist moves up, rests over Jack's heart, hears the anxious beating of Jack's heart. It's the thrum of memories and of seeing them flicker in your head over and over, a movie that doesn't stop, burned into your brain.

The tears that wet his should fray his heart a bit and he continues. ]

I've got you, okay? You need anything...?

[unkindly]

[The first time he never had enough time to react, never had enough time to process everything he had learned. He had been angry, and that anger drove him through the rest of Rapture, drove him to finally confront Fontaine/Atlas and kill him.

This time he doesn't have the distractions of people trying to kill him or him trying to kill other people. This time he has Isaac though.

He can't answer Isaac, he's incapable of forming words around the tears, but they're slowing, and gradually he starts to regain control, breathing more deeply, slowly, but still not letting go.]

[stomped]

[ This.

He'll give him this.

The breath that passes between them is warm and unsteady and Isaac keeps him tightly held to his chest. He's been poked and prodded, would you kindly'd enough. Pressed to push on, move forward, when the going got tough, well. Jack got going.

It's something he can identify with. Go further, go further, they say. Only you, just you. Tools along the way, injuries, pitfalls, monsters and men one and the same.

He encourages him softly. ]

There you go.

You're a man, Jack. You'll always be a man. Your own.

[unkindly]

[And the breath slows until it's steady once more, until Jack is no longer crying. He's a little embarrassed of it now, but it's in the background, shadow to everything else he's feeling.

He breathes.

Finally, he's able to get the words out, though he only as a couple for the moment, muffled into Isaac's shoulder but still audible.]

...thank you.