orifice | ☞ despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage

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☞ despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage

who jack + isaac
what isaac being a nerd and making a stupid rube goldberg machine
rating idk pg maybe.
warnings too much nerd u can't handle it also idk why these lyrics

[ Isaac is bored.

He is bored a fuck.

He looks at the door, the window, plays with Cassiopeia for a bit by dangling a piece of floss in front of her paws--he even cleans a little bit and throws some shirts in the washing machine.

Staring flatly at the wall, laying on his stomach, he is unsure of what to do really.

He could watch television. At the thought, his lips quirk. The remote is far and the couch is comfortable and he doesn't want to just push a button to turn on a boring source of entertainment. Isaac looks to the door and Cassiopeia herself moves over to paw at it slightly, her long tail swishing back at fourth as she meows loudly. ]

I don't know when, don't ask me.

[ Jack's been gone for about an hour at this point. Maybe Isaac would have to find him (that'd be an adventure.) But for all he knows, Jack is just being picky or found something interesting. He'll come back with a story to tell... or write about, really.

It doesn't hit him until he looks over at the remote again, remembers that they have some dominos in the hall closet (he doesn't know why).

Turns out that... dominos escalate to full blow machines and thin nylon rope and an iron and a frying pan and a couple of toy trucks he scrounged up from the basement and even one of the rubber ducks from the bathroom to make an elaborate machine that spans the entire living room and some parts of the kitchen. Cassiopeia gets caught in the mess twice, curious and young, so Isaac hefts her up under his arm and she finds her way to his shoulders, a surrogate seat to her usual one on Jack as he works. She meows and he mutters. ]

Maybe that should go there...

[ Until finally he's got it in the device is set to go off as soon as the door opens... ]

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[It would be nice if there was an adventure, but really all that happened was the store was really busy and Jack had... some trouble keeping himself together.

Crowds are difficult.

But he took his time, especially on the way home, and bought himself an extra couple boxes of twinkies for making it through.

So by the time he gets home with the shopping bags, he's tired, mentally exhausted, and ready to collapse on the couch.

He's certainly not expecting to open the door to...

...whatever this is.

He stands in the doorway and stares.]

[ Isaac is about ready to doze off while gently stroking the cat, head propped up on the arm of the couch. The tell tale click of the keys in the lock and the door opening makes him sit up. The cat crawls off of his lap and onto the other cushion on the couch and hey--

Well there it goes.

It takes a good... five or six minutes for the machine to find completion at the television remote. The rope is strung starting in the living room and it's a series of textbook physical reactions utilizing gravity, momentum, and other beautiful things that Isaac can't live without when it comes to science. He watches from the couch with a face not unlike a five-year-old, a bright grin until finally the small rubber duck from the bathroom bounces off of the power button on the remote and turns the television on to something boring.

Just as Isaac predicted.

It's some goddamn television drama about Bo and Hope and whatever. He's not interested.

But the machine was cool. Wasn't it cool? It was cool.

He looks at Jack, still smiling. ]

Welcome... home?

[Jack blinks, watching the whole event unfold, reaction after reaction, fascinated as it all comes down to... turning on the TV.

He looks at Isaac, his eyebrows raised.

Well that was.

Interesting.

He steps in the house further, hanging up his jacket by the door and shutting it behind him. He looks around at everything a little bit more closely.

Jack didn't even realize they had half this stuff.]

Some of it was in the basement or the hall closet. Don't know what the rope was for, but it's found a good use and the rubber duck got the best part.

[ He leans over to where it's bounced onto the ground near the couch, far from the remote. Plucking it up, he gives it a gentle squeeze, to which Cassie reaches out with outstretched paws. Mine!

Holding up from her, he chuckles. ]

I... got bored. A bit.

[Jack raises his eyebrows. A bit? This looks like it took...

...probably the entire time he was gone. He sighs. He was gone a really long time, wasn't he.

Jack makes his way through the contraption and picks up the cat, depositing her on his shoulders, where she meows happily and makes herself comfortable.

He looks at Isaac, putting his hand on Isaac's shoulder.

Sorry for taking so long, he wants to say, he hope his face and gesture communicates.]

[ Isaac looks at Jack's hand upon his shoulder and smiles lightly. It's good to have him home again. He was getting fairly antsy alone, but it was preferable to going outside and worrying about going mental in front of an entire populace.

They'd just ship him off again. To some crazy house where he'd stay and--

He catches his breathing. No. He's been calm for a while since yesterday. He can keep it up if he just focuses on other things... ]

Didn't have too much trouble did you?

[Jack sighs heavily, shrugging. He takes out his notebook and... hesitates.

Finally he writes.]

help me unpack the groceries

[And after a moment's thought]

please

Sure.

[ He gets up slowly from the couch, but not without a pause. Eventually he leans in and kisses him softly on the mouth. A very quiet greeting before he picks up one of the bags to help him unpack. ]

[Jack accepts the kiss, returning it, and goes to pick up the other bag, setting it down on the counter in the kitchen and starting the process of putting everything away.

Isaac may notice there's three boxes of twinkies. There's usually only one.]

[ It's hard not to notice really. You pull out one box, nothing's amiss. Pull out two, and you start to wonder. Pull out three and well... it's not even a question. He glances at Jack and stops a bit.

He tosses a glance at the snack cakes before looking at Jack with a slightly concerned brow, furrowed lightly. ]

Hey...

[Jack looks over and... oh. He found the snack cakes. Jack looks away, keeps unloading groceries, albeit now with a kind of guilty look on his face.]

[ There's a soft chuckle. ]

Jack.

[ He puts them away--it's not really a big deal, you know. ]

Just don't eat them all at once.

[He pauses, then leans over and grabs the whiteboard from the refrigerator, scribbling on it before turning it around to show to Isaac.]

let's just say it's a good thing you didn't come with me

[ He frowns slightly, stopping what he's doing. ]

Wishing I had, now.

[Jack shakes his head emphatically and wipes the board.]

it wasn't bad

[He stops, shakes his head a little, wipes it, tries again.]

okay it was pretty bad but only because there were a lot of people there

Lots of people--not my favorite either.

[ Still he moves over, fingers lingering on the bag as he reaches out and squeezes Jack's upper arm. ]

Glad you made it home safe.

I'm fine

[He hesitates.]

well I will be

I know you will be.

[ That's just how Jack is. He looks at him, and it's quiet, the ever there "But if you need me" because Isaac doesn't mind and he doesn't think he ever will.

He goes back to rifling through the bag, putting things away where they belong. Mindless tasks help. They help a lot. ]

[Jack watches Isaac for a moment.

He seems all right, for now, but Jack was out for a while and he's a little concerned for Isaac too. So he reaches out and taps his shoulder gently to get his attention again. He taps his head and points at Isaac.

But are you okay?]

[ Isaac startles at the tap. He shouldn't. He really shouldn't. He knows it's Jack. But it's enough to make him fumble a bit with what's in his hands (bread, thankfully, not eggs) and it falls in the packaging and hits the floor suddenly. ]

I'm fine--

[ He offers a smile, quiet, before picking up the bread and putting it in the fridge. ]

I'm good.

[Isaac you're a terrible liar. Jack hesitates, but he puts away the last few groceries and then turns to Isaac again, taking his hand.

Hey.]

[ Hey.

He doesn't look up, just shrugs a bit. Just needs a little more time, he thinks. Just a bit more time... time to not thing, to just do. ]

[Jack tugs Isaac's hand gently.

Hey. Look at me.]

[ It's a few moments before Isaac looks up, eyes a little troubled.

He squeezes his hand slightly.

I'll be okay I'll be okay I'll be okay I'll be oka-- ]

[Jack closes the distance between them and kisses Isaac gently, his free hand coming up to the side of Isaac's head, running through his hair.

You'll be okay. We'll both be okay.]

[ The kiss is soft, and he sighs a bit into the gentling touch, letting his hands come around to just rest against Jack's spine.

He touches his forehead with his own, closes his eyes.

We're going to be alright. Just fine. ]

It's okay.

[Jack strokes the side of Isaac's face lightly. He leaves a soft kiss on Isaac's nose before mouthing the one phrase Isaac should have learned to lip read by now.

I love you.

It doesn't fix anything, Jack knows, but it certainly helps a great deal.]

[ I love you.

He knows it all to well, and it makes him smile just a bit, nodding. He takes a bit of a breath. This will be just fine. It's a day at a time sort of thing.

Slowly, he turns his head, presses a kiss to the hand that's brushed the side of his face.

I'll be fine. ]

[He nods, a shadow of a smile at the corners of his lips. He tugs on Isaac's hand a little.

Come on, there's a weird nerd contraption they have to put away, that'll keep them occupied.]

[ It's beautiful.

He made it just for you.

And he'll feel the tug and walk over with him to where the machine starts with a small smile.

Yeah. Picking up. That'll work. ]

[Jack lets go of Isaac's hand to start untying some string, a little uncertain of where to start so he starts at the beginning.

This is actually really incredible how it's all put together. He keeps stopping to admire how one action led into another.]

[ Isaac takes Jack's hand gently.

Start over here.

He pulls at a string which leads to another. See? That's where it really starts. ]

When you think about it, it could be your first lesson.

[ He laughs a little and will leave Jack to that part, working on a bit of the next. ]

[Jack looks over to where Isaac's leading him and follows, placing his hand where Isaac puts it.

Oh.

Huh.

He leans in to look.]

[ He smiles a bit. ]

It took a while to put together, but it was worth it. I miss building things.

Now...

[ He glances at him. ]

Ever hear about Newton?

[Jack wonders why Isaac doesn't just... build things here. Do they not have the right materials?

Next project: get Isaac stuff to build things with.

He considers Isaac's question as he takes down some string. Jack looks back at him and shrugs. Vaguely. Something about an apple, right?]

[ Isaac unties a small rubber ball and bounces it a bit in his hand. ]

Third law--for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Example.

[ He puts a bit of force on the ball when he tosses it to the ground, letting it hit the floor before it bounces up of its own accord back into his hand. ]

Easy, right? Applies to most things--can be handy in a pinch.

[Jack watches and nods. Yeah, pretty easy. Makes sense, too. Explains recoil on guns.

He starts winding the rope around his arm in a loop.]

[ Isaac detaches another bit of rope, this time, stooping to untie it from a toy truck, picking at the knot carefully.

Setting it on the ground, he nudges it away, watching it roll a fair distance before coming to a stop. Cassie watches it, long tail swishing back and forth, eyes following it until it halts it's travel when it hits the wall. ]

First law--Object in motion stays in motion until it's stopped by another force. Same goes for objects at rest.

[Jack watches and listens carefully, memorizing them, first and third.

Cassie's starting to get a little too interested in the truck, so he walks over and bends down to pick her up but she's too quick for him and jumps right onto his shoulders. That works too. He straightens and turns back to Isaac as the cat settles. Jack holds up two fingers. Second law?]

Oh...

[ He looks at the truck and hums, moving over to pick it up and heft it in his hands. ]

The motion of an object depends on mass--weight--and the force put behind it.

[ Instead of pushing it hard this time, he pushes it lightly, which only lets it go a short distance. ]

[That makes sense. Jack nods, pulling down some more string, which Cassie bats at. He smiles a little, flicking a piece of the string in her face, and she makes a sound and flinches backward in a way that makes Jack grin a little more.

He pulls the string away from her, to her disappointment, and looks back to Isaac. Sorry, momentary distraction. Do continue.]

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☞ despite all my rage i am still just a rat in a cage

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