i know it's over

located at a park downtown. this is an open starter for @shrikestart

the weight on dolly's shoulders was no longer so heavy, no longer so extreme, so intense, difficult to live with. so much time had passed since the last attack had happened, and while dolly and her loved ones - along with all of the other affected shrike residents - were still dealing with the effects of all previous attacks, dolly felt like she could finally breathe again. the fresh fall air was particularly nice to breathe as dolly walked through the park, a woven wood basket in hand, contents protected by a yellow gingham tea towel. while summer was at the top of dolly's lists of favourite season, fall had always been an easy second.

jovie's mind was all over the place , yet at the same time she was in her own world entirely ; it was just one of those days , a day filled with introspection and contemplation . now that the hot weather was gone for the most part , jovie felt as though she could finally think , her brain no longer melted by the summer sun . naturally , as most shrike residents would have experienced over the past couple of years , her thoughts quickly transpired into those of the attacks ; with so much brutality in mind , of course her outward expression caught dolly's attention and caused worry . unlike others in town , jovie wasn't sure that she could ever feel confident that the attacks had come to an end , and she wasn't yet ready to let her guard down , not when she had so much to protect in shrike ...

A small, tired smile made its way onto Diego's face for a moment, "That's good to hear." Alright was probably the best anyone could hope for anyone else in Shrike Heights these days with all that hung over all the residents of the small town. Naturally that wasn't a thought he wanted to dwell on any more than he had to, so he didn't and continued carrying on the conversation. "I think could stand to spend a little more time at my place. Not that I spend an excessive amount of time here. Just been busier lately." He clarified. And it was the truth, the way he phrased it made it sound less self-imposed than it really was though. "But I get it." Some people seemed to shut in on themselves and go out less following an attack, so it was generally a step in the right direction when they fell back into their usual routines and that's what he assumed the other meant. It was a little funny that Diego of all people had taken an opposite approach and was found outside his place more than he had been previously.

" i understand , " desi nodded his head at diego's clarification ; while he didn't know exactly what the other man filled his busy days with , desi didn't need the specifics to be able to understand him . shrike heights had once been a sleepy town , but now it seemed that it was instead sleepless . desi didn't think that he could name a single person that he was close to in this town that wasn't exhausted , their schedules more intense than ever , even if the only thing penned into their days was to make it through to the next one . desi found it so interesting , the more that he thought about diego and the way he was handling the aftermath of what desi knew at the very least from an outsider's perspective was a terrible trauma ; it got desi thinking about the different ways that different people handled the events - whether or not it made them more or less likely to hide away , inside , safe - and the complete truth was that it had desi worrying more than ever . if diego was spending more time outside of his home now - not that desi really knew the details of his current arrangement - how was desi meant to keep him safe ? along with all of the other people he cared for who took a similar approach , of course . while it was a great worry , and a great weight , desi didn't speak the concern out loud .

Danny didn't say it, but he appreciated the mindset Akito expressed. There was a certain openness and patience in it; they didn't need inspiration immediately or try to force their muse to move in a certain direction. While he acted aloof and unbothered, Danny panicked when faced with something he couldn't control. It made for an anxious existence, and he found himself (passively) envious of people like Akito who allowed life to take its course.

"That's good," Danny commented lamely, keeping his opinions to himself. He didn't like thinking about how he self-sabotaged or how different his life could be if he was just... not himself. So he brushed it aside and pushed forward, ignoring any sentiment he felt in favor of the more impersonal, unaffected side of things. "So any of these fit your... vision or whatever?" He asked, coming off more dismissive than intended as he gestured to the pile. "Are you tryna give her the full board, or are you keeping it to the deck?"

if akito hadn't allowed life to take its course , to put it simply , there would be no more akito in this life . it was still something that akito struggled with , as he was sure everyone else did , also , but it was something that he had actively worked on throughout his life because he had no other choice . akito had to be there for momoko , and to work through anxieties and fear of a lack of control made him a better version of akito for the little noguchi sibling . akito had been envious once , too - hell , he still was at times - but danny's thoughts of akito ( not that akito would ever know them ) was proof that his hard work had paid off at least a small amount .

" i think so , i think so , " akito nodded their head as they continued to go through the pile of decks danny had presented them . " i'm thinking a full board , just in case , you know ? i don't expect her to use it a whole lot , but like , it'd be cool for her to have the option , " akito had multiple boards , more than enough to share with his sister , but still , he thought it might be special for momoko to have her very own . " i suppose i don't need to worry about anything other than the deck right now , though . i've got time to both paint something and come back later for the rest of the pieces , you know ? " he thought out loud .

TJ nodded, understanding Junior's comments about their former classmates. TJ hadn't ever really been invested in the social groups at school; he'd been too focused on his training to do much else. But because of his athletic pursuits, and especially because he was good at them, he often found himself in the more popular group of students. There were some genuine friends of his in the group, of course, but it was also occupied by some serious meatheads and douchebags. They weren't the type of people TJ sought out in his free time. Junior was.

"Yeah, most of them sucked," he agreed, speaking quietly as if revealing a secret. "If you ever wanna get the asshole-free version, though, I'm sure Mom would love an extra set of hands. I can help enough, but I get too antsy for her and she kicks me out." He laughed in self-deprecation.

At Junior's explanation, TJ's smile widened as he nodded vigorously. "That's exactly it. I'm totally with you. It doesn't have to be perfect for it to be worth it." He reasoned, his words sounding far wiser and contemplative than they really were. As evidenced by his cluelessness regarding Junior's joke, TJ wasn't known for his wisdom. Junior clarified that the only one that'd be joining them was his own car, and he laughed, shaking his head. "I can definitely sixth wheel it," he grinned, agreeing to follow Junior to his car. "Lead the way. I don't wanna keep her waiting."

junior was arguably hyper invested in the social groups back at school , but it had come from a place of survival . when he first arrived in the country , speaking not a lick of english , shocked by the differences in their cultures , struggling to catch up with how his life was moving so swiftly and intensely , he had been met with even more trouble from his peers than he could have ever expected . the bullying had been bad , and even when it had slowed down after he became less of a novelty , learning english slowly , and retreating to his introversion to avoid reminding the others of how much they enjoyed taunting him , junior had been faced with additional traumas in life that left him more paranoid and afraid than ever . even when the douchebags that roamed the high school corridors became as close to as non-issue as possible , junior still worked to avoid them as much as possible .

he had always appreciated that tj was different , a genuinely good person , in junior's opinion , and he appreciated there at the cinema how tj validated junior's feelings for those in his mother's class - even while junior hadn't shared the most information and reasoning for it . " i appreciate it , " he laughed softly , not laughing at tj's self depreciation in a way that implied he agreed , but more just laughing at the humorous side of tj having made such a comment - it was all in good fun , in good spirits . junior wasn't sure that he would take up tj's offer , being a person with so much trauma endured because of his own parents , now having a complicated relationship with anyone's parents in a context in which they were obviously parents , but perhaps it would be something that he'd pursue in the future and find to greatly benefit from . either way , junior simply appreciated having tj in his life to suggest such possibilities ; perhaps junior had been wrong to put so much distance between them when his juvenile heart had been broken over tj voicing his crush on another .

tj wasn't known for his wisdom , indeed , and in a weird way that made junior feel better about being misunderstood . typically when junior was misunderstood , it would cause the man to feel great shame - stemming from the aforementioned trouble he had upon moving to the country - but with tj , junior didn't overthink it to that extent . " perfect , " he laughed along with tj's laughter , finding it to be contagious . " films are always better when watched with others , too , even though i enjoy them alone as well , " perhaps it was just that junior enjoyed the comfort of certain company when doing anything , not only watching a film . " tell me , are you someone who's going to shush me if i try to speak during it ? or are you a movie-talker ? " he questioned . it wasn't that junior would chat throughout the whole film - junior wasn't an overly chatty person in general , as tj would already know - but he wanted to be sure that they were on the same wavelength , and that junior wouldn't find himself in any trouble throughout the event .

Once Copper had owned up to the flirting, he was glad to see Junior's reaction; Junior was seriously outdoing himself again and again when it came to how adorable he was being. It was nice seeing him flustered like this - flustered for a good reason. But despite what Junior said, Copper did feel like he brought the mood down with his comment, at least for a moment. He moved around the counter even though he figured it probably wasn't allowed, but right now Copper didn't care because what Junior was saying felt important and, well, it made him feel nice. "Just because they're not the worse kind of people doesn't mean they don't suck, you know?" Copper replied, leaning against the counter, so close to Junior that they were almost touching. "I just did what I thought was right." But Copper didn't think that made him a good person, it just made him not an asshole. Junior's words seemed so heartfelt and meaningful, and Copper reached out, grabbing his hand and giving it a little squeeze. "I had no idea it meant that much to you," Copper said softly. He didn't even know what else to say in response because what Junior said meant a lot to him. So Copper just smiled, still holding Junior's hand, giving it another gentle squeeze.

As he listened to Junior, Copper thought he understood where Junior was coming from. "It's not always easy letting people really see you," he said. "It's...kind of scary actually. Like I know it might see like it's easy for me, but...there are a lot of things I don't show other people, not even my family or friends." Copper wasn't going to elaborate on that, not right now at least, maybe not ever. But he did understand how Junior felt. "It's okay," Copper assured the man, chuckling softly. "I think you're doing just fine." For a moment, Copper considered how to proceed, and then he told Junior, "Well now we both know that the other is flirting, so maybe that makes it easier. Maybe we can just talk, no agenda or intentions. I mean, obviously we have intentions, even if that intention is just to talk to each other and reconnect. I just mean maybe we can just do whatever feels right and not overthink it, you know?" Shaking his head, Copper laughed shortly, saying, "I'm probably not making any sense."

Honestly Copper didn't know what he would do if Junior told him he had a long time to go in his shift. He felt such momentum in this interaction, and he wanted to keep it going, though if Copper had to wait, he would. Luckily Junior was almost done, and he smiled brightly at the other man. "Great!" he exclaimed happily. "I'm going to go out and call the pizza place to order the pizza while you finish up. What do you like on your pizza?" He had a couple of quarters jingling around in his pocket for the nearest payphone. "I'll be right back!" Copper hurried out of the store, knowing there was a payphone close, and after ordering from a pizza shop near the mall, he headed back into the comic store. Once he saw Junior there, Copper smiled again, but his heart was racing, just like Junior's was (unbeknownst to him of course). He didn't know what was going to happen, but Copper was excited to spend time with an old friend, especially one who apparently gave him butterflies. It had been awhile since Copper had felt that.

the bullies did suck , even while not being the worst kind of people - copper was right to say so - but still , they truly weren't the worst of the people that junior had dealt with in his upbringing . as strange as it might have sounded , sometimes junior couldn't even allow himself to be properly upset over the treatment he got from those bullies because he knew that he had been met with far crueller , far sicker treatment for others . junior wasn't about to unpack all that there was to still unpack about his earlier years there in the comic book store with copper around to witness , but what junior was doing was finally taking a moment to recognise what copper said as true . it wasn't nice that he had been bullied , but it was nice to have validation from one of the only people who had actively stood up for him back then .

" yeah , you're right , " he agreed quietly with a nod of his head . " you'd be surprised at how little people would do even that , " he suggested , " or surprised at how many people think the ' right ' thing to do is nothing , or something that's only completely harmful ... " it was a depressing thought , one that junior didn't linger on for too long . all he wanted to do was reiterate that copper was a good person , and that he should see himself as such considering how admirable his behaviour was for junior at a time where almost no one would have done the same for him . " when you've been met with so much of the opposite kind of behaviour , of course a kind person would really mean so much to me , " junior told him , happy to let copper think that the only kind of opposite behaviour that he had dealt with was the bullying , and not the more sinister traumas from earlier in his life .

" i believe that , " junior told him . even while it indeed might have appeared like copper was a more open , more functioning person than junior himself , junior knew the complexity of human beings well enough to not doubt for a second that copper too had secrets he kept well hidden . " it is scary , " he agreed with a chuckle , though things immediately felt a little easier with such explicit honesty shared between them - something that carried on to the next part of their exchange . " you're making perfect sense , " he laughed along with copper , shaking his head and finding the other man to be completely endearing . " i'd like that , i'd really like that , " he nodded his head . junior wasn't any more experienced with being straight forward than he was with flirting , but it sounded far easier to break down the walls and just trust each other with vulnerability without any games being played at the forefront . " thank you , " he added , once again finding himself appreciating copper more than he could ever know - though this time junior was able to actually begin to voice it .

" honestly ? i'm not picky ; there's nothing i don't eat on a pizza - it's completely your choice , " he assured the other man , being honest in a way that also helped him avoid making a decision - something he wasn't always great at doing , but particularly not now with so much other stuff on his mind . " thank you , " his voice followed copper out of the store , as did his gaze for a moment longer than it perhaps should have . his heart and mind continued to race once copper was gone , and it was incredibly fortunate that the work junior had to do to close out his shift was hardly any that required much thought or energy from him ; he couldn't believe how vastly different the day was from how he had expected it to go , and for what felt like the first time in his life , the surprising differences were so good . before he knew it , and before the reality could even sink in , junior was done with his work and copper was back in his line of sight , making the excitement in his chest and the smile on his face grow to be enormous . " i'm all done here , " he announced .

"it could be, yeah. get you to have as many competitions with me today as possible and see who's the big winner at the end of the day. like weaverlympics," he told her with a grin, referencing a game they had all come up with as kids during the summer. Also as a way for their grandparents to keep them all in one place in the backyard without getting bored. "what does age have to do with it? if anything younger people would be better at it because their systems are still young, yanno? isn't that how science works?" zeke didn't actually know much about science aside from random facts he had picked up but it sounded right as he reached for a literal handful of bacon, about to stuff it into his mouth until his grandmother gave him a look and he put the pieces down on his plate to start with one piece. "okay mark the tally, i already had one."

" i'm always onto something ; i'm a genius , didn't you know ? " jovie was far from an actual genius , but she was someone who was typically filled with good ideas - whether or not they were of any practical use , and whether or not they were ever shared aloud with others . " you're lucky you told me not to answer that , " she teased lovingly , smiling . she listened to zeke's descriptions of the plans he had in mind for the day , and admittedly - though not completely surprisingly , as it wasn't like the pair of siblings didn't get along or something - they sounded pretty good . " your body is a real temple , huh ? " she teased him again , but it was still in the affectionate way that a sister would tease her sibling . " you won't hear me saying this twice , but it sounds like a pretty good day to me , " in other words , jovie was completely in .

" the weaverlympics , " jovie spoke through her laughter , nodding her head , remembering back to those days of their youth . " honestly though , i'm totally in , " even more than she already had been . jovie loved a good time , and while she didn't care for competitiveness in some parts of her life , friendly competition like the weaverlympics were something that she took extremely seriously - as long as they were having fun at the same time , of course . " oh no , that's not how science works , nope , not at all , " she straightened up in her chair as she shook her head . " it's like how you don't let kids drive cars , 'cause their brains and their bodies aren't grown enough to handle it , you know ? " she countered . " you're not gonna win , " she egged him on as she mentally marked the tally as instructed . she reached out for some bacon of her own , risking shoving two pieces into her mouth as their grandmother had her back turned , in a much quieter and subtler way than zeke had initially tried .

Yes, Copper knew Bo, knew him very well, and it was obvious to him that there was something going on. "I know a lot has been happening," Copper replied, trying to be patient because he could tell that this was difficult for Bo to talk about. "But I mean did something happen to you? Like...why haven't you been swimming?" He didn't want to push, at least not too hard, but Copper couldn't understand how or why Bo was avoiding something he loved so much. He grabbed Bo's hand when he brought it up to chew on his nail, knowing how his friend had worked to break the habit; that wasn't a good sign. After giving Bo's hand a brief squeeze, Copper let go, listening as Bo elaborated a little bit. Although Bo was being pretty vague, Copper was able to put at least some of it together. "Were you attacked?" Copper asked, his voice shaking because fuck, that would be horrible. "Are you okay?" he asked, urgency in his voice, though then Copper shook his head, feeling a little stupid. "Of course you are, at least physically. Otherwise we wouldn't be talking right now," he muttered, more to himself than Bo. For a moment, Copper just looked at Bo, willing him to speak, but then he realized he was being pushy and shook his head again. "Shit, I'm sorry," Copper apologized, and he meant it. "I shouldn't be trying to force you to talk. You don't have to tell me, just...you're one of my best friends, and I'm always gonna be here for you, okay?" Copper had put enough of it together anyway.

Telling Bo about Deacon was even more difficult than Copper had expected, though he felt a bit of a weight lifted when he did. And it was like suddenly Copper wanted to tell Bo everything, as if doing so could help expunge some of his pain; maybe it really could. "I think just knowing that you know how I feel is kind of enough," Copper stated, "though obviously I wish that you didn't." He wanted to ask if Bo had lost someone he loved too, but that was a deeply personal question, plus this wasn't really the time or place. "My new therapist told me think about it in the sense that I'm a fighter, but really I just got lucky," Copper said. "Lucky that someone saw him leaving the house, lucky that I managed to hold on until the ambulance got there, until I got to the hospital. If I say I survived because I'm a fighter, it's like saying Deacon wasn't, and I just can't...I can't do that." His voice was shaking now, so Copper welcomed the hug, resting his face against Bo's shoulder as he hugged him back. Laughing - albeit humorlessly - Copper apologized, "I'm sorry, man. I didn't come here to be all depressing. I just wanted to see my friend." As they pulled away, Copper looked around, grateful it was slow in the shop today apparently. Even so, he asked, "Is your shift almost over? Do you want to go somewhere more...uh, private?"

after what had happened to him in the summer of '87 , bo knew what it was like to give in to the hermit like tendencies . he wasn't completely shut in - obviously not , as he still worked there at showtime as copper had found him - but particularly in comparison to the old bo who used to have plans almost every night of the week , he was spending an awful lot of time at home . the promise of seeing more of copper was likely a good thing for the both of them ; staying safe was so important , so it wasn't like bo was about to suggest excessive trips to the mall or late night strolls through the woods , but simply getting out a little more to spend time with an old friend was good .

he chuckled at the way copper admitted to not remembering the exact location of the turner cabin , nodding his head because he should have been expecting it . " don't worry , when i come to visit you i'll let you know ; especially up there i find it easy to get all turned around , anyway , so i don't expect you to remember just where it is , " and like copper had thought , bo thought that it made even more sense considering the turner cabin wasn't always a venue with an open invitation to friends . " of course , i'd love to , " considering bo's distance from copper after his attack , he wouldn't have blamed copper for being unsure as to whether or not bo would actually accept an invitation up there , if he had known that he thought as much . to say that bo was relieved to have copper track him down to reconnect was a complete understatement , particularly when the aforementioned distance had never been intentional .

" well the pools in the mall , now , you know ? " technically outside of it , but regardless , connected to it , with the rest of the ammenities inside of it . " so it's hard ... " it would have been genuinely hard for bo to take the time to swim with the aquatic centre being in the mall regardless of whether or not he had been attacked , he thought , so it wasn't completely dishonest to skip parts of his explanation as to why he hadn't been swimming . copper knew him too well , though . his voice was caught in his throat as copper asked him explicitly whether or not he had been attacked ; he cared for copper so deeply , he didn't want to lie to his friend , but no matter who he spoke to - even ian - it was so hard for bo to speak of . the first thing he could do in response was simply look up ; to meet his eye was still hard , but it was a telling look , almost as if he was saying ' yes ' with only his eyes . he allowed copper to stumble through questioning him , not because he wanted his friend to struggle , but only because he couldn't find a way to stop him any sooner . " don't worry , " he finally spoke , " you're not forcing me to do anything , to say anything , it's fine , and i appreciate you , " bo had never been the most articulate or verbally expressive person , but he was trying .

it was gut wrenching and heartbreaking to hear of copper's experience , but god did he resonate with what his friend was saying . he nodded along to copper's words , feeling tears flood his eyes , but he tried with all of his might to keep his composure . " i think i was just lucky , too , " he noted , not wanting to take away from copper's experience that he was sharing , only wanting to let his friend know that he really , honestly did understand the complexity of the trauma - as much as somebody else could . " it also doesn't feel right to say that i'm a fighter ; i couldn't fight , man , i couldn't ... and some of the strongest people - " bo struggled with his thoughts , abandoning them mid sentence rather than telling copper of how pathetically afraid he had been , and rather than telling him of how many strong people they had lost here in shrike heights .

" hey - no , don't , don't even worry about it , " bo quickly shook his head , snapping out of the thick of the terrible thoughts enough to be a little more present and aware . he cleared his throat , as if to reset himself to continue on with their interactions . " i'm still glad to see you , even if things aren't so ... aren't so easy any more , " he smiled weakly . " yeah , yeah , i mean , honestly i could take off now if you'd like , " he offered . since he had been appointed the position of store manager , bo was able to be more flexible than ever at showtime , something that was greatly encouraged by the fact that he had almost lost his life in the store , and something that he had already been comfortable doing before the promotion anyway , due to how many years he had given the video store . " it'll only be taking off a couple minutes early anyway , and i've done all i need , " he further reassured copper .

Noah's heart did little flips in his chest when Jupiter said he could count on him. "You're welcome, anything for you. I'll make sure my dentures don't fly off," he joked with a little laugh. He'd worked hard for the past few years of his life to become someone that could say he was dependable, but hearing it from Jupiter was different. There was a little sense of pride and happiness in Noah that came with knowing Jupiter saw that kind of future with them, even if it was just idle fancy.

When Jupiter said he liked making Noah's heart melt, Noah bit his lower lip and smiled. He wasn't someone who blushed easily, or felt shy usually, but Jupiter was quite good at gently pushing past the ice walls Noah had built around his heart over time and melting them away time and again to reveal the tender parts of it that wanted to be perceived, and loved. Noah would have been scared any other time, but Jupiter didn't trigger that flight response. Quite the opposite, in fact, Noah felt comfortable and craved the presence of this sweet man who showed him that the stars could shine just for them if they knew where to look. Noah would never forget the constellations they created on Jupiter's ceiling together for as long as he lived.

He settled into Jupiter's side comfortably, fingers lacing together as his heart beat a little faster. He couldn't deny that despite the peace and calm, there was excitement, too. Part of Noah wondered if they would've been this close had they not experienced the trauma they had together. But Noah was sure that it had only expedited their closeness. The killers tried to take something away from them, but that was foiled by how strong the bond became between the two. Noah took pride in that, and the killers could eat his shorts. His smile grew when Jupiter said he just wanted to discover something.

"With a mind like yours, I know you'll discover things no one ever has. You'll catch something someone missed, or notice something no one ever has. You just wait and see, I'm phoning it in now," Noah said. He laughed quietly when Jupiter lamented Bernstein being the only name he could give any of his discoveries, and he shook his head. "You could be known professionally as just Jupiter. Kind of like Prince, or Madonna. Or if you have a middle name, you could combine the two. Or go by an alias," he suggested with that big smile of his. "Something special that there won't be any confusion about whether it was you or your parents. Everyone will know it was you who solved a big mystery, or first made contact with aliens, or found the secret control panel inside the pyramids that reveal they're ancient space ships, or shifted your telescope just so to find a whole new planet out there," he said, fully confident that one day, Jupiter would find an actual real discovery of some kind. He didn't count the fact that Jupiter had been the only person to crack the code to really get to his heart.

admittedly , noah's promise of ' anything for you ' hit different , striking a chord in jupiter's heart in the very best way , and doing so for a reason that jupiter couldn't quite make sense of initially . despite the lack of explanation at first , he quickly found himself able to figure that the feelings earned from such words were only so intense because he knew noah was genuine in his intent . noah meant what he said ; noah always did . “ if i wasn’t already excited to see myself as an old man , to see where my life ends up , i certainly am now , ” jupiter told his companion , words filled with affection . he knew that anything could happen to throw his life off course before he reached an age where his teeth and hair were missing , particularly with the presence of the killers in their town , but no matter what would end up transpiring , jupiter found great happiness in allowing himself to imagine the future . 

jupiter loved making noah blush , he truly did , almost as much as he loved making noah’s heart melt ; the comfort shared between them was mutual , and it played a big part in the ease that jupiter felt speaking up or acting out in order to evoke such a charming and endearing response from the other man . the comfort felt was also displayed in jupiter’s physical affection ; to reach out and lay an arm around his shoulder , or to take his hand , or to sit so close that their thighs touched , it all came so naturally and happened so comfortably for jupiter with noah . he had always been an affectionate person , but with noah the comfort made it a no brainer to share his affection with the other , and noah’s endearing personality made the affection something that jupiter not only enjoyed and did without thought , but something that jupiter desired , too . he felt the peace and the comfort as noah did , and at the same time , he also felt the excitement and the pride - though he made no effort in analysing exactly why he might have felt those feelings in the presence of noah and noah exclusively . 

“ you flatter me , you absolutely flatter me , ” jupiter shook his head , the grin on his face as large as life . “ thank you , ” he was sure to add ; while jupiter had received positive attention before , he wasn’t the most familiar or experienced with it , and even if he had been , he was still a polite enough person to have wanted to thank noah for his sweetness no matter what . “ it really is a dream of mine , it would be incredible to see it come true one day , ” he felt a little silly for feeling so vulnerable to be sharing his aspirations with noah , but with noah he felt that he could really open up about those sorts of things . his laughter filled the quiet night air around them as noah suggested he go by one simple name , much like prince or madonna . “ as much as i love the fact that you think i’m special enough to join them in their one name club , i’m afraid the names jupiter and january - ” his middle name “ - are already spoken for up there in space , ” he countered . “ an alias isn’t a bad idea , though , ” he settled , before then settling into silence for a moment as he thought about all of the possibilities - not only for his name , but for the things waiting out there for him to discover . “ making contact with aliens would really be something , huh ? ” he proposed .