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Gavin is quite possibly the biggest coward in the history of coward-y-ness. (Cowardliness? Cowardness? Coward-y-liness? Christ, that doesn’t even matter. He’s just a coward, okay?)
But really. He’s a stupid little pleb who’s too scared to ask out the person he likes even though he knows what the answer is going to be… Okay, well, he doesn’t actually know, but he’s nearly 100% positive that he’s going to get a yes in return.
Even so, he’s scared and nervous and doubtful and every single bloody time he thinks about it, his stomach does fifty billion flips, not even front flips, and he feels the distinct urge to throw up.
It’s getting to be a problem. A dumb, stupid, annoying, cowardly problem.
And the worst part, the very worst part, is that every day that he doesn’t do it is another day without his little Michael.
If he had done it three weeks ago when he first told himself he would, he probably would be making out with Michael at a movie theater right now instead of sitting alone on his bed thinking about making out with Michael at a movie theater.
(Which, by the way, is a super nice thing to think about.)
It would be so easy to do, too. All he has to do is say ‘Hey, Michael, want to go out with me?’ and boom, bam, it’s done. It’s over. They’re together. Maybe. Probably. Hopefully. But really, the point is, it’s that easy!
It’s just… Gavin literally cannot say the words. Whenever he tries, nothing comes out. Or a strangled weird noise comes out. Or some other sentence entirely.
Whichever it is, Michael just gives him a weird look and goes back to what he’s doing at the time, and it just kills Gavin. How the hell he is supposed to date Michael if he physically can’t even form the right words?!
Frustrated and sort of hopeless, he finally just gives up for the night, climbing under the comforter and going to sleep. Maybe tomorrow will be the day… Probably not, but he can dream, right?
—-
Of course, that next day isn’t the day. Neither is the day after that or the day after that, or any day that week. He gets multiple chances to ask, times where they’re alone or as alone as they’re gonna get, times where it would be easy, so very easy, to just say the words and get it over with.
But we’ve gone over that all before. He gets cold feet every time.
Another two weeks go by, two whole weeks, before an epiphany very suddenly comes to Gavin via dream. It takes about two seconds for him to fly out of bed, grab a notebook, and start writing.
100 Reasons Why Michael Should Date Me
A List by Gavin David Free
1. I really like him
2. I’m his boy
3. He’s my boy
4. I can sort of cook
5. I have good date ideas
6. He can beat up people who try to hit on me
7. I give good hugs
8. I’m a good kisser
9. I like sex
10. He likes sex
11. We can have sex
12. It wouldn’t be a long distance relationship
13. I can make him laugh
14. I can make him happy
15. People ship us
16. We have a cool ship name
17. Mavin
18. And Caleb said Creepgar
19. And Ragehappy
20. Michael died staring into my eyes!
21. Hot Foot X
22. I give him my heart
23. I’ve seen him at his worst and still love him
24. His worst isn’t even that bad, anyway
25. He’s always there for me
26. I’m always there for him
27. I introduced him to Minecraft
28. I have a British accent
29. I know he likes it
30. My nose won’t get in the way if we kiss
31. I promise
32. I smell good most of the time
33. We would make a pretty cute couple
34. I like to cuddle
35. He doesn’t have to worry about me being better at him at video games
36. Because I’m not
37. He knows where my tickle spots are
38. I know how he likes his coffee
39. Geoff approves
40. He can touch my awesome button
41. We make some pretty top surgeons
42. Team Nice Dynamite!
43. I can pay for dates if he wants
44. I like his freckles
45. We have matching necklaces
46. I could list a billion reasons why I like him
47. That’s a lot of reasons
48. I’m not the kind of person who would cheat, just putting that out there
49. He likes when I play with his hair
50. His family likes me
51. My family likes him
52. I’m flexible-ish
53. I worked on really cool famous movies
54. We can just go on vacations to Britain whenever we want
55. I have a huge collection of movies
56. I like long walks on the beach
57. that’s a romantic thing to add right
58. I built his house in Achievement City
59. With love
60. I don’t mind his swearing
61. I think his tattoos are really, really hot
62. I’m taking the time to make this list
63. it’s taking awhile
64. Sometimes I sabotage our team but we end up winning lots of times anyway
65. I gets sad when I’m not with my Michael
66. I always get his favorite PopTarts
67. We’re already pretty much gay together
68. I’m taller than him! (except maybe he doesn’t like that)
69. We like lots of the same stuff
70. I just laughed because 69
71. So obviously I have a good sense of humor
72. I shower regularly
73. People have written songs about us together
74. There are whole blogs dedicated to us being together
75. Tease it
76. I like to go for swimmy bevs
77. I like knobs
78. I like his knob face
79. I think I’d make a good boyfriend
80. I think he would definitely make a good boyfriend
81. I apparently look good in suits
82. Geoff said I’m a people pleaser
83. Which I’m pretty sure carries into the bedroom
84. I can take his teasing
85. He likes to play with my hair when it’s long
86. Everyone says we’re always flirting
87. I think he feels the same about me
88. I’m affectionate
89. I might have some fantasies that would be pretty top to try out
90. There are lots of fun words that I use
91. My room is in the super cool guest house at Geoff’s place
92. Which has more privacy than an apartment
93. If you know what I mean
94. I wouldn’t be against fooling around in the office if he was into that
95. I don’t have an STD’s so he doesn’t have to worry about that
96. I’m not a blanket hog
97. My aftershave smells nice
98. He’s my boy
99. I’m his boy
100. I love him
Satisfied, he rests the notebook on top of his dresser to keep from forgetting it in the morning and crawls back into bed so he can go to sleep.
—-
Unfortunately, it takes Gavin two or three more days to actually do anything with the list, again because he apparently lacks any sort of balls whatsoever. He flips through it at his desk occasionally, when he’s alone and has the time, but stopped that pretty quick after Ray ended up reading half of it over his shoulder right after lunch.
That’s embarrassing.
Eventually, however, that Friday, Ray convinces him to actually do the thing and ask Michael out. Gavin decides to leave the notebook on Michael’s desk when he leaves to grab a Coke from the kitchen, opens it to the first page of the list and sets it right over his keyboard so there’s no way it’ll be missed.
And then he sits down, stares at his computer, and bounces his knee nervously while he waits.
Michael comes back after a slightly longer than anticipated amount of time, long enough for Gavin to think about hiding the notebook before he returns, but eventually he walks in through the door with a steaming mug in his hand. Gavin greets him with a grin to keep appearances before going back to pretending like he’s actually doing something.
He watches, from the corner of his eye and with baited breath, as Michael sits down at his desk, gets himself all situated, takes a long sip of coffee, and finally, finally notices the list sitting there.
He watches as Michael picks up the notebook, gets this really fucking confused look on his face, and seems to start reading, watches as his expression changes, hardens and the softens, and then softens some more.
He watches as Michael lets out an amused sounding huff, shakes his head, and flips to the last page, something unreadable flitting across his features.
And then he stops watching, stomach twisting into a messy tangle of knots. This is when nerves start to set in again, and Gavin hates it.
After a long, long time, but probably really only a couple of seconds, Gavin glances nervously to the side, to Michael again. He wants to see his reaction when he finishes reading, worried and scared and hoping very much that he’s right and that it’ll all work out, so he glances over again and, this time, he sees Michael looking back, smile much lighter and much happier than Gavin has ever seen before.
Just moments after he smiles nervously in return, they’re suddenly kissing, Gavin’s squawk of surprise muffled by Michael’s lips. He’s bent at an awkward angle, having been tugged forward by the collar of his shirt in order to be kissed, but that doesn’t matter, not really, because they’re kissing and hell yeah, his list worked!
Of course, as soon as he starts to kiss back, Michael pulls away, smile transforming into a wicked, smug grin, “So I hear you like my knob.”
Gavin immediately goes a bright, bright red color, straightening up a bit so he can properly hide his face in his hands and try desperately to ignore Michael’s teasing laughter, “I didn’t have an eraser, okay?!”