the trees were mistaken

good tier: villain listening to 80s music as they fuck shit up

Cooper wakes up to a world that is upside down. Literally.

“Oh, Dale. Good of you to finally join me.” Windom smiled, sitting in front of a chess board a few feet away. “In case you’re wondering why everything is suddenly topsy turvy, I will proceed to enlighten you about some of the details of your present situation. You are currently suspended by your ankles in the middle of my humble forest abode, which is approximately 15 miles from any sort of civilization in every direction. You may also notice the restraints around your wrists. Duct tape really does solve everything!”

“Windom.” He’s not really able to say much of anything else. Yes, its Windom. Also this place smells absolutely vile. Wood rot, filth, and Windom’s tobacco smoke burn his nostrils. He feels like he’s going to be sick. Should he vomit, it won’t be pretty like this. 

“What do you want from me?” He doesn’t look particularly intimidating upside down but he gives him as stern a look as he can manage. 

He glances down at the chessboard that’s perched between them. He still can’t think of a good move. Windom won this match just a few turns ago. This is his least favorite part of the game, waiting.

“…I don’t think of myself as a martyr, Windom.”

“I agree to some extent...but that’s why we’re here. To put out the fires.”

He takes a sip of his wine. He really didn’t have much of a taste at all for the stuff before these dinners became the highlight of his week. Now he fins himself enjoying the taste much more. 

He glances down at the chessboard that’s perched between them. He still can’t think of a good move. Windom won this match just a few turns ago. This is his least favorite part of the game, waiting. 

goodhotblackcoffee:

The soft hum of the microwave over the hushed din of the television really sets a tone for his shadow’s touch. Cooper’s brown eyes find their way to the point of contact, getting lost in the ambient sounds of modern civilization. His twin feels soft, amazingly so for a man born from a place fire and distilled hate. Even flowers push through concrete, he reminds himself, so perhaps this softness wasn’t so strange after all. He hopes that his own gentle nature survived, and that the fragments lodged in his chest would form whole sooner than later.

Dale curls his fingers, enjoying the sensation of the other’s skin against his. He then softly nods, and says, “You’re welcome. Thank you for being so willing to have me.”

“Where else would you go?” He cradles his twin’s hand between his own and just enjoys the atmosphere for a moment. 

“Isn’t it nice? I haven’t been able to turn it off since I got back. Just a little noise…it’s very nice.”

The popcorn starts popping and that snaps Dale out of his mood. He shoots Jericho a big grin. 

“What do you think babe? I think I age pretty well.”

The blond had been simply watching the two touch and hold each other as if it were nothing. It wasn’t strange that Dale was cooing at himself twenty five years older. It wasn’t strange that they looked about two seconds from being wrapped up in one another. It wasn’t strange that he was allowed to view this, and then asked what he thought about how his lover aged.

“Think so too, sweetpea.” Jericho puts his thoughts behind him for now. Obviously the two needed this, and the two needed to feel like they were okay with one another and themselves, “But I think n’stead of popcorn M’gonna get you two somethin’ better t’eat. You can save that for later.” He then gets up, oblivious to the fact that him being naked might be a problem and goes to fetch his clothes he was wearing previously. Coopers did well with coffee in their hands, and it was a good idea to get them the best coffee around. He remembers how Dale lit up when they sat down in that diner down the road, so it was best to start there.

“Thank you, Jer.”

Dale is sure to kiss him on the cheek before he gets far from the bed, of course. Then he settles back down next to Cooper, beaming. He picks up his hand again, squeezing it enthusiastically. 

“Isn’t he just wonderful?” 

He watches Jer gets dressed and sighs. “Someday the world will catch up to your vision of a bare and free future.”

Dale winks at him and puts a bag of popcorn in the microwave. Then he sits himself down right next to his twin.  “We haven’t been doing much of anything.” He sighs and takes his hand, peering down at the familiar pattern of veins and unfamiliar wrinkles. “It’s been really boring, laying low.”

“…thank you for for coming over.” 

The soft hum of the microwave over the hushed din of the television really sets a tone for his shadow’s touch. Cooper’s brown eyes find their way to the point of contact, getting lost in the ambient sounds of modern civilization. His twin feels soft, amazingly so for a man born from a place fire and distilled hate. Even flowers push through concrete, he reminds himself, so perhaps this softness wasn’t so strange after all. He hopes that his own gentle nature survived, and that the fragments lodged in his chest would form whole sooner than later.

“Isn’t it nice? I haven’t been able to turn it off since I got back. Just a little noise...it’s very nice.”

The popcorn starts popping and that snaps Dale out of his mood. He shoots Jericho a big grin. 

jerichowalker:

The giant squints only slightly at Dale’s older double as the two of them walk in. It’s not as if he’s just splayed out on the bed waiting for them. No, he is actually quite considerate and has folded himself up a little to shield ‘virgin’ eyes from his groin. His bottom, on the other hand, is another matter.

“Make yerself at home.” Jericho offers in a drawl. He knows that what they have here isn’t much, and with a little picking up after Dale it’s at least better than they found it. Jericho makes it a habit to find all the little bits of forgotten wrappers, papers and matches left behind when Dale gets excited about something which was not too long before they headed out to collect his double for the ‘sleepover’.

“We got some cold drinks in th’fridge.”

It’s a really nice butt and Dale can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to see it. He grins at his twin. Isn’t he the best? 

“Are you hungry? We have popcorn…chips…Valentines candy…we can order out?”

This really was beginning to feel like some weird form of a sleep over, and as Cooper closes the door behind him the feeling of nostalgia washes over slightly. 

“Thank you,” he says, “Thank you both. I think I do feel a little hungry, actually.” Doing a quick surveying of the room, Dale notices that there’s only one bed. It makes sense, but that also means that he would have to sit next to the naked giant that Albert’s voice keeps reminding him about the sex that apparently he and his shadow have. He knows that (most likely) nothing will come of him sitting next to the man on the bed but at the same time he is a little hungry.

So, he sits, finding himself a little more comfortable but also a little shaky from the thoughts running through his head. He glances over at Jericho, but as they meet gazes he looks back to his double with a bit of a nervous smile.

goodhotblackcoffee:

“He’s very lovely.” Dale murmurs, enjoying the feeling of peace instead of paranoia. He feels whole here, holding onto his shadows. There would be no sewing them back onto the heels of his feet, since they seemed much happier flying around free. 

The blond in question, however, can be seen leaning out of the motel room doorway looking a little puzzled and a lot of naked. It causes Cooper to reel back slightly, still holding onto the doppelganger in his arms.

“Uh…” How had he undressed so quickly? Why was he undressed in the first place?

“He’s wonderful! He’s a great cook too. I wish we had a kitchen here.”

Dale laughs and tugs Cooper’s sleeve towards the direction of the door. “He’s a free spirit. It doesn’t bother you, does it?” 

There is the slightest of warnings in his twin’s voice. It better not be a problem. Or they’ll have a real problem. 

There’s not much to say about the motel room. If decades of hell haven’t eroded the memory from the real Dale Cooper’s mind he’ll faintly recognize that it hasn’t really changed much since he was here last. The doppelganger and the river man keep the place tidy at least. Lots of takeout containers in the waste basket.

The giant squints only slightly at Dale’s older double as the two of them walk in. It’s not as if he’s just splayed out on the bed waiting for them. No, he is actually quite considerate and has folded himself up a little to shield ‘virgin’ eyes from his groin. His bottom, on the other hand, is another matter.

“Make yerself at home.” Jericho offers in a drawl. He knows that what they have here isn’t much, and with a little picking up after Dale it’s at least better than they found it. Jericho makes it a habit to find all the little bits of forgotten wrappers, papers and matches left behind when Dale gets excited about something which was not too long before they headed out to collect his double for the ‘sleepover’.

“…I don’t know all the time. But Jer, does.” He smiles. “Isn’t he lovely?”

This is nice. Not feeling like he wants to crawl inside of his twin. Or being worried that he’s going to steal his Jericho.

“I wouldn’t have lasted out here without him.”

“He’s very lovely.” Dale murmurs, enjoying the feeling of peace instead of paranoia. He feels whole here, holding onto his shadows. There would be no sewing them back onto the heels of his feet, since they seemed much happier flying around free. 

The blond in question, however, can be seen leaning out of the motel room doorway looking a little puzzled and a lot of naked. It causes Cooper to reel back slightly, still holding onto the doppelganger in his arms.

Dale laughs and tugs Cooper’s sleeve towards the direction of the door. “He’s a free spirit. It doesn’t bother you, does it?” 

There is the slightest of warnings in his twin’s voice. It better not be a problem. Or they’ll have a real problem. 

Dale’s face twists with emotion, anger, grief. For a split second he looks like he’s about to bite but he squeezes his eyes shut and leans his head on his twin’s shoulder. He’s tired. 

“He liked who we pretended to be.”

Cooper is tired too, and he feels the fatigue radiating from his double as he brings him into an embrace. He wonders why at first he was so afraid to see his double again when he was the closest thing he would get to a complete understanding. Perhaps it was just the basic human nature? Well, either way, his Lodge warped sense of reality made it easier to hold and comfort himself. The little shadows needed it.

This is nice. Not feeling like he wants to crawl inside of his twin. Or being worried that he’s going to steal his Jericho.