don't go down the rabbit hole (an alice in wonderland rp) (O/O closed, stalkers allowed)

"Aww, thanks! Sorry if I made you uncomfortable there, I really did just guess." Alec said as they sat down. They opened up their laptop and began to shoot out emails that likely wouldn't be answered. It was mindless, just the same "money! support! please!" they were always talking about. They wondered if Jasper would be interested in one of the pamphlets.

Alec and a group of close friends and like-minded acquaintances had been working on gaining funding to start up a new center for homeless youth in their area. The group had their eye on an abandoned apartment complex in their area that they could easily renovate. Qualifications weren't a problem, Alec was probably one of the few who wasn't entirely qualified and since they were planning on going into college next year that would likely change, it was just about funding. So far they hadn't raised a huge amount for their cause, and all the organizations they could get the support they needed from would take forever to get back to.

So, requesting grants and sponsorships it was, and Alec was the group's glorified secretary. And man, was it boring. They weren't complaining but they were always more of a campaigner, they wanted to go out and march into the world and shout until people payed attention, but it had mostly been running around putting up flyers and handing out pamphlets and sending the dullest emails on the face of the earth. Harper had told them they didn't want to seem "overenthusiastic" or "overbearing", which Alec understood, but sometimes they just desperately wanted to add a little flair.

They considered signing off with an emoji, just a little smiley face next to their name, but alas. Unprofessional. So they sat and stared at the blank screen, clicking yet another button to yet another potential money tree.

Jasper went back to his math problem, finally finishing it and getting his mind off of everything. This was why he loved math. Math couldn’t hurt him, and it wasn’t confusing. It also didn’t nearly give him a heart attack, like how this very perceptive kid guessed his name exactly. And just like that, Jasper was distracted again. At least he only had one problem left on his homework at this point.

Alec seemed a bit stuck on whatever he was doing, so Jasper wondered what it was. He was a curious person by nature, and sometimes a bit nosy. His being nosy was actually a bit ironic since he told people as little as possible at himself. Over the years, Jasper had gotten very adept at talking without actually saying much.

“Are you doing homework too?” he asked, glancing up at Alec. Thankfully, his blush had faded now and his skin was back to its usual pale pallor. “Essay writing can be killer.” He laughed slightly, a smile at the edges of his lips.

They jumped a little, having gotten absorbed in the monotonous, unthinking work. "Nah, I'm not in school right now. It's actually some business stuff, a group of friends and I are working together to open up a new homeless shelter for homeless kids. We found this old abandoned apartment complex we wanted to renovate and- uh, sorry, you're probably not interested in any of this stuff are you?" they blushed, all the way to their ears and neck, sure this stranger wouldn't be interested. Alec just had a habit of dumping information onto people, and sometimes they forgot that most people didn't care about this kind of stuff.

“No, no, keep going,” responded Jasper, adjusting his glasses. He set his pencil down, leaning his chin in his palm. He actually was somewhat interested, since Alec seemed to actually be passionate about this. It was really sweet, and it made Jasper smile a bit. Not to mention it took his mind off of all of his problems.

"Well, uh… well, initially we were just focusing on a place to stay for the night, but Doc-Harper, I mean, but we all call her Doc, had suggested that it could provide long-term living arrangements and well, when we found this old apartment complex it was basically a prophecy put into motion." Alec gleefully rambled all about rehabilitation and safety measures and group therapy, how they'd be making a difference in these kids' lives and preparing them to be able to function in the real world. "I used to be homeless for a while, I'd been going through some stuff and… but I met Doc and she let me stay with her for a while and things worked out pretty well. I've got my own place now, even, and I was the one to propose the whole shelter idea even if I technically work for her, we're more business partners than anything." and then they started rambling about how they met their friends, how they started the whole organization, and their online platform. Alec assumed Jasper would be bored after all this, however, and decided to end their little speech there.

"And that's, uh, that's it. We've been looking for new volunteers for some time now, but not a whole lot of people care about this stuff enough to stick around for long and help with all the boring technical stuff. It's been a month but I guess I'm just feeling a bit discouraged nobody really cares enough about these things." they frowned.

“I think that you have a really big heart,” Jasper blurted, blushing before he could think of something else to say. “And I’m sure that people will come around eventually. Someone has to want to help these kids, right? There are kind people in the world like you, and the fact that you’re still trying shows that you really care.” Jasper tended to ramble when he was nervous or unsure, just like he was doing now. “Anyway, I think what you’re doing is really great, and I’m sure that other people will see that too.”

"That's sweet of you to say." they grinned, showing off their glitter-supernova-blue-colored braces. "But what about you? What are you like, if you don't mind me asking?" they said.

"What am I like?" Jasper asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. "Like, what's my passion?" He bit his lip, thoughts racing. What was his passion? He was just trying to get through school and avoid being dragged into something that he knew he couldn't escape forever. His time was running out, just like the stupid pocket watch that his father had given him as an heirloom. It sat in the corner of his closet, neglected, ticking away Jasper's time as a normal kid.

"Eh, if that's the easiest question to answer. Your favorite color would be fine too. Or perhaps your number?" they asked. Smooth as hell, Alec. Pat on the back to you. You get a cookie. If this doesn't backfire. They took a long sip of their coffee, disgustingly lukewarm from neglect, making the most direct, flirtatious eye contact they could.

What? Jasper was a cutie, and they were allowed nice things.

Jasper blushed again, his face turning the same shade of red it had before. "Oh," he muttered, a bit embarrassed he hadn't caught on sooner. "Well, my favorite color is yellow, and if you get out your phone we could exchange numbers." Wow, he was awkward. Then again, it had always been this way. He was awkward in middle school, when he was fresh from the rabbit hole itself and a kid named Finn had asked to the school dance, and he was awkward now. Some things would never change, he supposed.

"Sounds like a plan." they said, unlocking their phone and handing it to Jasper expectantly.

(Sorry I can't write more, I am criminally uninspired today. Do you have a general idea of when they'll be getting into Wonderland shenanigans?)

(i totally get that hahah,, also there's no set time. i figured they'd like get to know each other a bit, and alec might get a bit suspicious of jasper. i'd say probably a couple of days to week in the rp, however long that takes us to write. did that help at all? i find i'm a bit ambigious sometimes lol)

Jasper did the same, handing his to Alec. He typed his number in and put "Jasper :)" for his name. The technology here had been a lot for him to get the hang of at first, but luckily Uncle Horace, as Jasper called him, had shown the boy how to use phones and laptops. Jasper was still slightly leery of technology though, for reasons he could not fathom. He still used it, of course, and tried to be "normal" about it, but he avoided it when possible.

Alec put in their number, making their contact 'Alec', simple, to the point, and the least likely to fluster Jasper to hell. Swapping back, they secretly put two hearts next to Jasper's name. Not like he'd have to know. "I'll text you my address later, be there at 8:30 pm sharp. Casual wear is fine, but don't look sloppy." they winked, gathered up their things, and left. Holy shit, I have a date, Alec thought as they walked down the sidewalk back to their house.

Jasper just watched, eyes wide, as Alec left. This wasn't the only time he'd been asked on a date, but Alec was certainly the most confident person to ask him out. He had to sit there for a solid ten minutes and sip his now-cold coffee before he could focus enough on his math problem to finish it. After he finally managed that, he slipped his phone into his pocket and went home. Horace would certainly be interested to hear about this, and thrilled. He'd been pushing Jasper to put himself out there and have fun instead of study, but Jasper couldn't blame him. Horace was used to being at the center of important events and parties in Wonderland, and it was obvious that he missed it. Everything else, not so much.

When he got home, he threw his stuff onto his floor, as usual. He may be a practical and anxious person, but his room always seemed to look like a bomb hit it. Surprisingly enough, Horace was the clean one of the two of them. Jasper found Horace in the kitchen, making tea. He rolled his eyes. The guy was practically addicted to tea, and it was one of the reasons that Jasper vastly preferred coffee.

"So, Horace," he began timidly, "I have a date." He blushed as he said this, not quite as bright red as earlier, but still quite noticeably. Horace turned around, beaming, and actually clapped. Jasper raised an eyebrow. "It's not that surprising."

"You've finally done it, my boy!" Horace cheered. Jasper rolled his eyes. Horace had a habit of calling Jasper "my boy", which annoyed him but also made him miss his real parents.

"Okay, okay, we get it," Jasper sighed. "I'm not exactly outgoing. Anyway."

"What's the lucky person's name?" Horace asked.

"Alec," Jasper responded. At this, Horace went pale. Jasper frowned, knowing that reaction couldn't mean anything good. "It might not be that."

"Mhmm," muttered Horace. "The time has come."

"No, the time hasn't come!" Jasper retorted, getting annoyed. "Not everyone whose name sounds like hers is part of the damn fairy tale!" Horace simply raised an eyebrow at the outburst. Jasper sighed.

(bump)

(Sorry! I'm here now!)

Alec bounced around their apartment for about an hour, knowing Lucille would berate them for it later. Eh, who cares if they broke the couch with their excitability, they'd buy another one.

They took a shower and pulled on some clothes they wouldn't mind getting ruined, ratty paint stained sweatpants and one of Lulu's shirts that completely engulfed their 5'10" frame. Lucille had no idea why Alec wanted one of her shirts, but they answered with "feels nice. Reminds me of you." and the woman became so flustered that she didn't question further. Typical Lulu, Alec thought, terrible at handling affection from anyone. Or at least, direct affection, she was very touchy-feely which was nice because she gave the best hugs, in Alec's opinion.

Oh, right, Jasper. He existed. Alec sent a quick text to their address and waited, sitting on the roof of their car because why not? And so the waiting began.

(it's totally fine! like I mentioned earlier, I'm just impatient lol)

Jasper practically jumped as his phone went off with an alert. Horace watched disapprovingly as Jasper took the phone out of his back pocket and glanced at the text message with a slight smile. So it was going to be like that then, Jasper supposed. Horace had gone from encouraging to upset with him. Well, that wasn't Jasper's problem. Alec probably wasn't Alice. Jasper had met others with names that were close enough to be possibilities, but none quite this close. Still, it was probably a coincidence.

At least, that was what he told himself as he replied to the text. He adjusted his glasses and messed with his hair in an attempt to get it to look a bit better, though he knew it was stupid. Alec couldn't actually see him right now, though he needed to change first. His outfit right now was not cute or charming at all, and Jasper wanted to look somewhat decent.

"I'm going to go change, and then I'm heading out," Jasper informed Horace. "I know that you're just trying to protect me, but it could be a coincidence."

"That's possible," conceded Horace. Jasper turned and began to walk out of the room, but before he walked into the hall, Horace spoke again. "I just want you to be careful."

"I know."

Alec went back inside, deciding to pack a bag with a few extra supplies, just in case. Standard stuff like a fake ID, spray paint, masks, a knife, and snacks in case the movie theater ended up being overpriced, etcetera.

Don't be late <3 <3 they texted, grabbing their car keys and going back to perch on the car's roof because again, why not?

Alec did not do well with anticipation. They didn't blame Jasper for being affected by time, but still. Boredom. The enemy. And anxiety. What if they scared Jasper off? They scared a lot of people off.

Jasper quickly changed, admiring his reflection in the mirror. These jeans were a lot better than the pair he had been wearing earlier, and the sweatshirt layered over a collared shirt was one of his favorite combos, not to mention comfortable. He slid on his white sneakers and then checked the time. He would have to hurry if he didn't want to be late!

Jasper said a quick goodbye to Horace and got his wallet and house keys before going to the garage. He texted Alec omw, before putting his phone in his pocket and getting on his bicycle. Thankfully, he didn't live far from Alec. He actually didn't have a license, which he found a bit embarrassing, but what was the point when he would have to go to Wonderland at any point anyway? Besides, driving a car scared him.

He showed up at what he hoped was the right time, smiling and waving at Alec.

"Jasper! Hey!" Alec waved, losing balance and falling onto the driveway, getting back up surprisingly unharmed and running over to him. They embraced him in a tight hug, then let go and stood back, arms still held out wide and excited.

Jasper blushed at the physical contact but hugged Alec back briefly before they stepped back. "So, what's the plan?" he asked, still a bit anxious. He smiled at Alec bashfully, running his hand through his messy hair. Maybe he should have done something with it?

"Movie. Met a nice girl on Bumble who I'd bought movie tickets for, but she ghosted me." Alec explained, seemingly nonchalant about the romantic betrayal. "Then I was thinking we could go vandalize some shit. How does that sound?"

"Vandalize?" Jasper repeated, his eyes wide. He was innocent, more because he tended not to get too attached to people than anything else, but he was also an incredibly anxious person, so that didn't help. "I don't know about that part, but the movie sounds fun." He bit his lip.

"Oh, they're assholes anyways. It'll be fun!" Alec said, but then reminded themself that they didn't want to scare him away, so they said "unless it'd really bother you, we don't have to do it! Um, movie is fine!" they cringed internally, how could they be acting so stupid in front of someone they actually really liked? Oh right, they always acted stupid, they were a idiot who didn't know how to properly interact with anyone.

"I, I mean if you don't think that we'll get caught or anything…" Jasper replied, adjusting his glasses. He hoped he didn't look like a twitchy weirdo right now, because that was the last thing that he needed. He gave Alec a small smile. "If you're sure it'll be fun, then I guess I'm in." He put his hands in his pockets, rocking on his heels.

"No, no! Movie is fine, we can just hang out at my place afterwards!" they said, quickly moving to open up the minivan's door to shotgun and then hopping into the drivers seat. The interior of the car was almost spotless, and had a heavy scent of something spicy and warm you couldn't quite put your finger on. "Let's, let's just go."

Jasper hopped into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him. "Okay," he agreed, glancing over at Alec. His face was annoyingly warm, which showed in the form of a blush on his cheeks. It wasn't as bad as his full scale blush, but interesting nonetheless. "So, what's the movie about?"

(Sorry I didn't respond for a while!)

"Just some superhero movie, but it's gotten enough good reviews that it feels worth watching." they said, starting the car's engine and pulling out of the driveway. "Do you wanna get something to eat first? We've got time."

(And sorry my reply was so short, I'm just not really in the writing zone right now, no idea why.)

Before Jasper could answer that, his stomach let out a growl. “Yeah, that’d be nice,” he said with a slight laugh. Hopefully he’d loosen up a bit if he spent more time with Alec. Probably, though attractive people made Jasper nervous, so that didn’t help him.

(it’s okay)