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John's not sure who started liking the other first. But, they're all fifteen when Dave stops fake flirting for about two months, and then starts up again tentatively. Except, it seems a lot more real this time. Still, John's not going to make the first move. What's he going to say? 'Dave, I like you, can we start dating and never do anything more than cuddling and holding hands?'
He talk to Rose about it. She doesn't seem at all surprised when he comes out to her, or when he says that he has a crush on Dave. She tells him all about the ways people have made relationships work with one or both parties being asexual. She also starts asking very specific questions about where his comfort zone is, and start talking about squashes and zucchinis and he's not sure when the conversation changed from asexuality to produce.
So, he goes to Jade. But, she laughs excitedly and tells him that she thinks he and Dave would make a cute couple, and she'd thought that there might be something between them for a while. So, John makes his excuses and the conversation ends.
It's not like he doesn't appreciate that they're trying to help. It's just, he's certain that it's not going to work. He doesn't want to pull Dave into a relationship where he won't be happy. He cares about him too much for that. He knows Dave would never try to pressure him—but that makes it worse. He'd want things, and he'd feel guilty about wanting them when he knows John didn't want them. And, John would feel guilty about making Dave feel guilty, and then the whole thing would just collapse and John's not sure he could salvage his friendship with Dave after something like that. Better to just talk everything out and turn Dave down before anything happens.
Yeah. That's definitely a thing he should do. Easier said than done, though. He's not exactly sure how to go about it. Turning someone down is hard enough, but turning someone down before they've even asked you out? John has no idea what he's going to do.
Everything goes on as it has been for a few weeks. Rose keeps trying to give him advice. She also offers her services as a relationship counselor one he and Dave start dating. John politely declines. Jade continues to be enthusiastic. John starts to feel a little weird about it, so he eventually confesses that he's not sure he and Dave would work out. Jade calls him an idiot. Dave's not acting any differently when they talk, and John's hoping this means that Rose and Jade haven't been telling him that John likes him. Then again, that would probably solve his problems. Dave would start to talk about the possibility of dating, and John would be able to turn him down.
John wakes up one morning with a feeling of determination. He has exactly one month until school starts again, and he's not going to waste it waffling around this thing with Dave. He's going to be straightforward and then everything can go back to normal. Of course, it would be the one day when Dave isn't on pesterchum. He thinks about complaining to Rose or Jade about it, but he's pretty sure they wouldn't be too sympathetic. He wonders if it's too cliché to play melancholic piano music.
He settles on playing the newest Problem Sleuth game with only half-concentration as he trie to eat a bowl of cereal. At some point he hears Dad call up the stairs that he's going out to the grocery store, and John yells something back that was supposed to sound like “okay” but ended up too slurred to be considered a word. He button mashes, not really enjoying the game. Not sure what else to do. If Dave were online they'd be chatting right now, but John still hasn't heard the ding from his computer that would signify someone talking to him.
There's a knock at his door, and his Dad's still not back, so John puts down the controller and runs down the stairs to answer it. When he opens it, he only has enough time to think 'Oh, so that's why Dave hasn't been online today' before Dave's shoving a bouquet in his face and saying “John, would you please go on a date with me?”
And. John. Freezes. This is one hundred times more amazing than anything he'd dared to imagine. But he has a plan to stick to. He quickly works himself up to turning Dave down gently. “Yes, of course!” Oops.
Dave sighs, visible relieved. “Yeah?”
John takes a minute to try to pull up his doubts, but he can't quite manage. Dave looks so hopeful, and what harm is one date? He had planned on talking to Dave about everything today anyway, so wasn't this the best solution? “Yeah, I mean it.”
“I mean, because I sort of showed up here all of a sudden and put you on the spot. I probably should have called first. Let you psych up for this. Sent someone ahead of me to warn you or something. I could have gone all Victorian, sent my man with my calling card to let you know I was waiting to be received. The would've been classier. You could have just turned him away, 'sorry, I'm not interested in receiving suitors today.' Not that, you know, I'm a suitor. This is a date proposal, not a marriage proposal.”
“Dave, it's cool. I'd love to go on a date.”
“Alright. Let's pretend I didn't call it a proposal, though.”
“Deal.”
Dave grabs John's hand and pulls him outside, where an unfamiliar car's sitting in the driveway. “We already called your dad and told him I was coming to visit you. He said it'd be okay if you got home before 10."
"Where are we headed?"
"Bro's gonna drive us to the mall. I figured we'd stick to the classics.”
John doesn't know too much about Dave's older brother, except that he's sort of weird. Dave looks up to him, though, so he's probably okay. Except. “Dave, why's your brother smiling like that? It's really creepy,” John hisses as they settle into the backseat.
Dave frowns. “I made him promise he wouldn't say anything embarrassing. So, of course, he's trying to embarrass me anyway.”
Bro smiles all the way to the mall.
They wander around aimlessly for close to an hour, trying on ridiculous hats and debating which new games are actually worth buying. It's really nice, and by the time they settle down in the food court with pizza, John's wishing he could do this with Dave more often. John chews on his straw nervously. It's probably the best time talk to Dave seriously.
“This is the best date I've ever been on.”
Dave's face flushes as he smiles. “Of course it is. I'm like the date master.”
“Yes you are. I feel thoroughly dated. I'm not sure dating long-term will work, though. I can't give you what you'll want. I really like you. Like, I like like you. And I love hanging out with you, but there are a lot of things I just don't feel comfortable with.”
Dave cocks an eyebrow. “That's okay, Egbert, you know I only want you for your money.”
John laughs, even as he says “I'm serious, Dave!”
Dave leans forward and places his hand on top of John's. “Okay, seriously. I really like you, John. I want to be your boyfriend. I want to go on dates and hold your hand and wear stupid matching couples outfits. I want to call you really obnoxious pet names in public and curl up on the couch with you to watch cheesy chick flicks. And if that's all we ever end up doing I would be completely happy because the only part that matters is that I'd be doing all that with you.”
Things get a little embarrassing after that. John starts to tear up but he's not crying, and some people are sort of looking their way discreetly so John grabs Dave's hand and they make a quick exit. John's panicking because now he looks Really Dumb and he wouldn't blame Dave if he changed his mind about this whole boyfriends thing now that he's seen John being a dumb baby and he might have been babbling some of this because Dave's laughing so hard that he's having trouble walking without stumbling.
“God, you're such a dumbass. Will you be my boyfriend?”
John sniffs and rubs his eyes with the heels of his palms. “Yes, you loser. But you're obligated to buy me ice cream now because you made me cry.”
They're walking side by side with their ice cream cones towards the mall entrance because it's getting late, and John has a feeling that this is the part where kissing is supposed to happen. But Dave's just swinging their linked hands back and forth, looking perfectly content. Kissing, John thinks. I guess kissing sounds okay. He leans towards Dave a bit hesitantly, leans back, leans in again and kisses him on the cheek. And then cracks up because there's a sticky brown spot from some ice cream John must have had on his lips.
Dave feels his cheek with his free hand and realizes what's happened, then retaliates, kissing his ice cream first so the mint green spot on John's cheek is as big as possible. They both end up covered in ice cream and breathless from laughter.
John's not sure who started liking the other first. But they're fifteen and covered in ice cream when he's pretty sure that this boyfriend thing is going to work.