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It had been a terribly hot August day. The sun had started to set, just beginning to dip below the city skyline, and Dave and John had been hanging out. Only now these two were settling down for the night. They were tired, sweaty, and slightly hungry from an awesome day of walking around the hostile city architecture that offered no shade and playing shitty video games. (Mostly Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.) After eating an amazing meal that consisted of microwaved hot dogs and ramen, the two decided to watch National Treasure. Dave begrudgingly indulged John in one of his favorite shitty movies that he couldn’t quite figure out the appeal to yet. But he would spare his opinions for the time being.
It had been a long day, and Dave’s interest was quickly weaning as he struggled to find himself invested in the plot. Even if this was a movie he was interested in, it would’ve struggled to keep his attention. His body slightly ached, shoulders and cheeks burnt from the unrelenting sun. Instead of focusing on the movie, he found his attention drifting, focusing on the other things in the room, focusing on John.
John, despite his previous interests in these movies, also found himself struggling to keep his attention. Now the two had hung out many times before, and John considered Dave one of his very best friends. This had been the case for many years now. But the other day he had a conversation with his friend Rose, who in all her infinite gothic wisdom, had pointed out to John that he might have a crush on Dave.
Despite everything that the two had been through together, John wasn’t quite sure how to broach the topic. At first, he had assumed that his feelings for Dave were just ones that were platonic just like the ones he had for other male friends in the past, and that Rose had merely misunderstood his feelings, but it wasn’t the same. He knew that deep down. And so he found himself struggling with the realization. A deep inner turmoil churned in his stomach as he stared at the TV screen in front of him. He glanced over to Dave, taking in his expression, studying the features. That was something he found himself doing often. Reading facial expressions didn’t always come easy to him. And he had one thought. It was still so hot. The sun going down had offered no relief for the two of them, especially in the small apartment. He wanted a drink. “hey dude?”
The other boy glanced over at John, turning his head to make eye contact. Dave had relaxed back, sprawled out across the old couch, arms over the back. His movements were languid, unconcerned as he met John’s curious gaze. “whats up?”
The younger boy shifted slightly, turning his body to face the other slightly. His eyes staring into the other’s features. The way he pursed his lips, the contour of his brow. He wanted to stare at Dave’s face for hours. He was like a really annoying piece of art. He awkwardly sat up, subconsciously having slumped to a rather uncomfortable position throughout the movie. “i’m… gonna go grab a drink, do you want one?”
John awkwardly climbed out of his seat, subconsciously having shifted to a rather uncomfortable slouch throughout the movie. Dave let out a snicker at his struggle, leaning back. “that was smooth egbert. You got all the grace of a wet seal” he chuckled, raising an eyebrow just above the edge of his sunglasses. “can you grab me a dr pepper?”
John flushed slightly at Dave’s teasing, a little embarrassed at the comparison. (Even if he kinda agreed.) “yeah bro hold on.”
As John walked to the kitchen, Dave watched him go, not paying attention to the movie. Part of him felt like the other was acting differently, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on it. He considered himself an observant person, in tune with people's emotions. But this time he struggled. Had John always been this awkward? He knew the other was always an oddball, but it felt a bit more tense than usual. As he watched John move through the home, there was almost an effeminate manner to his movements that Dave found weirdly captivating, as if with each step the way his hips swayed was done intentionally.
Lost in thought, Dave was suddenly shocked back into reality by the feeling of a cold can against the back of his neck. A noise comparable to a mix of a yelp and a gasp escaped from his lips. The cold can of the drink felt nice against his sunburn, and he wondered if John had brought aloe Vera like he normally did when he visited. Dave quickly hunched forward, turning to look at the other who towered over the other. “jesus bro you tryin' to fuckin give me an aneurysm? brain freeze?”
The black-haired boy let out a soft laugh, the sound was almost addictive to Dave. Holding out the canned drink to the other boy, John watched attentively. “what were you thinking about? you seemed kind of out of it dude.” He replied, a softness to his tone not usually there as he hopped over the back of the couch, dropping down into his previous spot. Dave watched intently and quietly, taking note of his movements, the way his voice was almost a murmur. John cracked open a can taking a sip as he looked over at Dave.
There was a silence between the two for a moment, the movie illuminating their features. “nah im straight chillin'” he uttered in response, cracking open his drink as his eyes met with John’s. Though his words betrayed his thoughts, his mind was indeed elsewhere. “this movie just really got me thinking. like how fucked up is it that movies like this exist and people have been forced to watch them for years. years dude.”
“this movie has a 76% on rotten tomatoes i will have you know. probably a better score than any of the stupid movies you like to watch.” John crossed his arms, rolling his eyes as he laughed softly. He playfully nudged the other with his elbow.
“oh cmon dude I bet all the reviews are a bunch of nerdy 13 year olds absolutely creaming over those boring ass abs.” Dave nudged the other back, a smirk on his face. “I bet even you wrote a review on there” he leaned forward. “Just absolutely fanboying about your boy crush on nicolas cage”
Dave made a kissy face, his hands cupped together around the can as he continued his teasing. “oooh nicolas cage I want to kiss your ugly white man lips”
Noticing just how close the other had gotten, faces just inches apart, John pushed Dave’s face away from his own, crossing his arms. “I have much better taste in boys than that guy!” he huffed.
Dave smirked, shaking his head. He pulled away, taking a sip of his pop before leaning forward, and setting it on the table. “oh really john ‘I’m not a homo’ egbert?”
He adjusted his sunglasses slightly in the dark room, wondering if it would be worth it to give up on the last remaining threads of the cool guy demeanor he still found himself clinging to, just to be able to properly see... “i always knew you were gay” he started “only queermos and old white men like National Treasure”
John sighed, rolling his eyes playfully. “oh come on. you act like you can talk. you have got to have the worst taste in men, strider! bisexual and still couldn’t spot an attractive man if his fat hog slapped you right in your stupid face.”
Dave’s jaw dropped in feigned shock, a smirk quickly spreading across his lips as he leaned forward, setting his drink down before his hands reached out to tackle the other. “no way” he laughed. “ive only ever been attracted to the most hottest and coolest people alive and shit”
John’s face flushed as the other lunged at him, fighting back. He quickly thought, trying to figure out a witty reply, a counterattack. Searching through his sylladex he huffed in frustration, as he had nothing useful captchalogued at that moment to exact revenge. Where is your dad’s endless supply of shaving cream when you need it? “Oh please you totally had a crush on Karkat at one point! That guy is like the least sexiest dude alive.”
As revenge, Dave thwacked John with one of the cushions. Though it wasn’t hard enough to really do any real damage. “maybe I lied. Maybe I like it when someone is horribly unsexy. you ever think of that? maybe I just have like equally fuckin terrible taste as you and you wouldn’t ever even know.”
John giggled under the assault of the cushion, reaching up as he tried to grab at the other. He was trying to grab Dave’s sunglasses. His weakness. He tried to abjure. “This is unfair! You aren’t even giving me a chance to fight back! This is an unfair Strife!”
That only encouraged the other to continue his ruthless assault “i never said I was going to play fair” he teased, a laugh in his voice. “playing fair is like elementary school shit dude” Another thwack. “You’re gonna get your ass kicked the grown way”
John wheezed with laughter, face turning red. He threw his hands up, shielding his face with a weary cry “Fine! I give up! I give up!” The boy choked out between waves of laughter, finding relief as Dave pulled away finally.
“oh lame egbert. you didn’t even fight back. how am i supposed to say I won if you didn’t fight” Dave teased, tossing the cushion back into its original spot behind him, a silent extension of the olive branch towards the other.
His eyes flickered to John’s face, glasses slightly askew, face flushed with laughter. The bottom of his shirt pushed up just enough to reveal the bottom of his stomach, the slightly hairy skin making him feel dizzy. It made Dave flush, eyes widening slightly as he stared down at the other. He hadn’t been this close to John, not in a long time, and suddenly he was very aware of the warm living room as the fan audibly chugged along as white noise against the stupid movie. The air feeling was suddenly much more humid, and sweat beaded down his forehead.
The younger one laughed softly, trying to regain his breath. Pushing himself up onto his arms, John was breathing slightly hard as he stared up at Dave. “You act like I have the worst taste in everything!” He whined. His voice slightly shaky as he tried to steady himself.
There was a moment of silence as John regained his composure, his eyes looking up at Dave. Why did he look so red? He wasn’t the one getting whacked with a cushion! He shifted back to his original position, eyes glancing over at the other.
Dave shook his head laughing, brushing his hair out of his face, and leaned back as he faced John. He had no interest in the movie anymore. “john i say this with the most respect for you and your opinions. you do. christ even karkat has better taste and you know all he watches is those stupid romcoms”
Dave grabbed his pop, taking another sip of it. It had started to get warm already. Gross. He turned his attention back to John, trying to ignore the way his face flushed every time he looked at that stupid nerd. Those were feelings he’d probably unpack alone later after John left. “like at least you like ghostbusters because at least that’s a good movie. autism be damned this guy can pick one good movie.” He continued to ramble, mostly trying to distract himself.
John laughed softly, his eyes lingering on Dave slightly too long as he watched him drink his pop. His eyes drifted slightly and he found himself admiring the way the muscles of his arms curved and dipped, the light freckling against his shoulders and slight sunburn. The way his baggy wife beater hung from his shoulders. How could Dave say John had a bad taste in men? This man was attractive as all hell. “Hehehe… yeah… I have always liked that movie since I was a kid…”
Mimicking Dave’s movements, John reached out and grabbed his own can, the condensation collecting at the bottom of the drink and dripping down his arm. He took a sip, watching the other over the top of his can. Sweat beaded down his forehead and he wiped it running his fingers through his sweaty, slightly sticky bangs. Why was it so hot? He wished Dave’s place had ac like his own. His thoughts though were cut short by the other’s voice. “i can imagine it already. baby egbert going fuckin nuts over slimer. just begging his dad to buy him every terrible ebay figure he could get his little grubby baby fingers on.”
John giggled at the other’s words, slightly embarrassed at the idea of Dave imagining him doing that. Though it was true, he did have quite an obsession when he was young. He eyed the box of tissues on the side table, man he wanted to wipe his forehead, and his hands weren’t cutting it, they just wiped more sweat onto him. He leaned forward as his chest brushed against the other’s legs, having to awkwardly reach over the other as he grabbed at the tissues. After a moment he succeeded, relaxing back into his spot as he wiped his skin dry.
Dave nearly about lost his damn mind feeling John’s body brushing against his own as a spark of electricity ran up through his body at the touch. He shifted slightly, crossing his arms. It was a subconsciously defensive move even if Dave hadn’t quite realized it. he began to ramble again. “seriously though dude what do you see in this guy?” He started, gesturing to the TV. “whats appealing to you about nic cage? Im not even asking this ironically or nothin im genuinely just curious at this point.”
There was a moment of silence between them, the hum of the TV and the chugging of the fan fighting for its life to cool them, filling the room as John watched the movie. Their legs were tangled together into a subtle moment of affection that Dave refused to pull away from. He found himself almost yearning for more, even if he would never admit that audibly. John glanced back over at Dave, taking a sip of his pop. “I don’t know, I guess he’s just like… funny.. and cool..” he shrugged, not having put much thought into his choice in movies despite the teasing he’d endured for years. “He’s no strider though.”
Dave smirked at the other’s response. Major confidence boost right there. “hell yeah he ain’t no strider. fuck dude can you imagine con air if i was there instead of nic cage? shit would be the #1 movie of the year for the next 50 years. girls would absolutely swoon over my hot strider bod. bustin through doors and gates and shit just to get their hands against my hot sexy abs” he rambled, hands running down his body just to emphasize his point.
John blushed and laughed as he listened to Dave go off on another one of his rambles, fighting for his life to not stare at Dave’s ‘hot strider bod’ and ‘hot sexy abs.’ Though he didn’t quite believe that the other had abs he spoke of. “Oh, I should’ve never said that! It went straight to your head!”
The other took a sip of his pop, nudging John lightly. “so you don’t think im sexy?” Dave said in an insincerely sad tone, pulling down his sunglasses, batting his eyelashes, and pouting slightly.
Dave’s words nearly gave John a heart attack. His eyes widened as the other batted his eyelashes. Seeing his eyes was always a treat, but the sight of his wide red eyes, his long eyelashes, and the stupid fucking pout on his face was the cherry on top. He was a sight for sore eyes, and it kind of made John upset in a way he didn’t quite understand. He flushed, looking away awkwardly. “What?! N-no I didn’t say that!” He stammered out, suddenly finding his words much harder to say. “I just- uh- aaaah” he covered his eyes in embarrassment.
That reaction wasn’t what Dave had expected. He was flustered?! John was the one who said he was cooler than Nic Cage. Though to be fair, who wouldn’t think Dave Strider was cooler than Nic Cage? He couldn’t help but tease the other as nudged John with his leg again, a stupid grin spreading across his face. “oooh I see” he hummed as he slipped his sunglasses back in place. “you do think im sexy”
John flushed brighter, pulling his legs closer to his chest, breaking the contact between them. “I- ok well I didn’t exactly-“ John stuttered in response, eyes growing wider from behind his hands as he saw Dave’s stupid smirk. “Umm- but like in a no-homo way”
Suddenly the room felt so much warmer, John’s face burning hot with embarrassment. The fan suddenly felt not strong enough. ‘Where is the ac when you need it?!’ John thought. He wasn’t even that embarrassed about what he implied, more so the fact that he reacted this way. His thoughts were quickly cut short though.
Dave reached out, placing a hand on John’s shoulder, the warmth of his body nearly radiating off him like a radiator. He cringed slightly at the feeling of the other’s skin being sticky with sweat. sensory nightmare right there. Awkwardly he pulled his hand back, choosing to rest it on the other’s clothed shoulder instead. “dude are you ok? you look like youreabout to have a fuckin aneurysm or some shit. lookin like you just saw a chick naked for the first time”
Saying that it was like something clicked in his head. Was he the naked chick?! Dave’s face quickly blushed a deep red, cheeks burning hot at the idea. He didn’t think it seemed very plausible. He didn’t think John even actually liked guys like that.
John was completely flustered at that point, his face burning uncomfortably warm. And the other’s hand on his shoulder burned hot against his sweaty skin. The hand was like fire against his shoulder. But he didn’t want it to move. “Wh- oh yeah I’m okay! Nothing wrong.”
He smiled… or well smirked nervously, eyebrows cocked into a rather stupid and cheesy expression. He stared at Dave expectantly as if he was impatiently waiting for him to say something. To say anything.
There was a moment of silence again, Dave staring at John. His brows furrowed, sweat glistening slightly in the light from the TV. His face was a mix of concern and surprise. He was stiff with the thought that John actually liked him like that. There was an air of awkwardness between them, they were both viscerally aware of the boundary they had crossed accidentally. The stupid expression on John’s face only made Dave’s brow furrow farther, seemingly frustrated by the answer. He didn’t know how to be cool about this, this was uncharted territory to him. “Hehehe sorry to worry you, Dave! I swear I’m okay!”
John spoke again, the silence unbearable at that moment to him. The way Dave watched him, and judged his movements made him avert his own gaze nervously. It flickered over to the movie that had continued on incessantly, almost frustratingly loud in that moment. Dave finally spoke, a hint of uncertainty in his voice that wasn’t normally there. “are you sure bro? you’re acting like I crucified your dad or some shit. staring at me like you ain’t ever seen a cool ass dude wearing sunglasses before. Like a fuckin deer in headlights. like you’re a baby and I just took your candy-“
His rambling was cut short by John starting over him. “Dude it’s okay! I just uh- I was a little surprised you said that.”
His mind was screaming at him. His inner monologue along the lines of ‘John you pussy! Tell him the truth! Tell him you think he’s 100x sexier than any man in the shitty movies he liked and that you wanted to kiss his stupid face!! The dude looks like he’s about to pop a blood vessel he’s so concerned! If not now then when???’ As his mind raced he reached out awkwardly, grabbing for his pop to take a drink of the quickly warming drink. He could always play it off as a joke? A prank? He was a pretty great prankster.
Dave finally seemed to snap out of whatever was concerning him so intensely, his brows quickly rising. “as long as you’re sure dude. don’t want you passin out on my couch or some shit. Like fuck am I supposed to do If you faint?”
John watched as Dave turned to behind the couch, reaching out to the standing fan behind them and fucking with the controls like it was going to work any better, any harder, if he pressed the same two buttons that had already been pressed.
Suddenly the space between them felt like an insurmountable distance that was impossible to breach, and any remaining confidence he had in trying to confess was quickly dwindling. He shifted slightly, frustrated by his lack of confidence in that moment. Why couldn’t Dave put his hand back on his shoulder? His hands would be close enough to rest on Dave’s waist, fingers pressed into the soft skin. Like a hug? but better... The idea made John feel almost dizzy. Maybe he was going to faint like Dave worried. soon the warm air of the fan was being blown directly onto him, Dave having moved it solely to blow onto John. “Thanks dude, that feels good.”
John shifted, sitting criss-cross applesauce now as he faced the fan, hands in his lap as his eyes closed, feeling the warm air against his face. There was still an awkward tension between the two of them that neither quite wanted to address.
Dave was struggling with his emotions at that moment, as he watched John sitting there, his hair slightly blowing out of his face as the fan hummed. There had to be a straight explanation for why John reacted like that. John definitely got really embarrassed. Right? Dave wasn’t imagining that? He tried to keep a straight face, grateful for the sunglasses somewhat hiding his expression. Dave didn’t want to push it. He figured just trying to get John to answer honestly was only going to make things worse, more awkward. He would be subtle with it. Or… he’d try…. He wasn’t exactly the king of subtle.
Pushing his hair away from his forehead again, Dave turned to face the TV, settling next to John. He looked stiff like he was holding his breath, like any muscle movement would scare away the other. He pressed his own thigh against John’s, a subtle hint of affection he wasn’t even sure the other would pick up on. John didn’t seem to be the most observant person anyway. “Uh…”
Dave cleared his throat as he struggled to find his words. The tension was thick now. He felt like he could’ve cut it with that old shitty katana he used to own. Though it probably would’ve snapped mid-swing. “…is the fan helping?”
John’s eyes finally opened, looking over at Dave. He nodded softly, an awkward smile on his face. “Yeah, dude. Thanks!”
He looked away, focusing on the TV again. His foot bounced nervously against the scratchy fabric of the carpet. Setting the can down on the ground, John changed the way he sat, facing the TV similarly to Dave, mimicking his movements subconsciously. Their thighs pressed together fully now, the sticky heat of their skin touching kind of made Dave want to puke. But he didn’t pull away. His hand dropped to his lap, hand resting on his thigh. Coincidentally, his hand was just far right enough that his pinky finger rested on John’s thigh. Nice Dave! Real subtle.
As the silence filled the air, both of them feigned interest in the movie in front of them for a painful 30 minutes. The tension felt even thicker. Time ticked by increasingly slowly, each minute feeling agonizingly long. John was terribly aware of Dave’s finger against his thigh, the contact making his throat feel dry. Swallowing hard, he tried to casually put his own hand on his own thigh, his hand just centimeters away from Dave’s. It would be so easy to just… grab it… to feel their fingers intertwined together... Dave’s soft scarred hands against his own calloused palms. His hands inched closer and closer, fingers just barely touching before he lost his confidence to go any further.
Dave’s eyes watched John’s hand move closer from under the sunglasses. That was more than enough confirmation in Dave’s head. Yeah, John totally had the hots for him. No dude with 0 romantic feelings for him would actively be trying to hold his hand like a horny teenage boy at the movies on a date with a girl he barely knew. He blushed slightly at the idea anyway, if John really did like him, he had done a hella good job hiding it. Or was Dave just more oblivious than he thought?
He considered his options for a moment. Did he even like John like that? Guess he’s unpacking these feelings mid-hangout and not afterward like he planned. He definitely got all flustered every time the other smiled that big stupid cheesy smile. And as much as he hated the movies John liked, he had sat through many hours of his infodumping just because he liked his stupid voice. (Not without making some hilarious jokes of course.) His eyes flickered to John’s hand again and the way they were just barely touching. The idea of holding hands made him feel nervous. He may be a sexy ladies' man, but he couldn’t help it! Well, there’s only one way to find out if he felt the same way.
Gently Dave inched his hand closer as well, sweat beading down his forehead as he stared at the movie with an intensity he hadn’t before. ‘Be cool Dave, be cool. You got this. Be confident. Be nonchalant.’ His mind yelled at him. Dave’s fingers gently brushed over John’s, resting just on top of them. His heart pounded harder than he liked, feeling it in his throat. ‘Okay dude, you totally like him. Nobody gets this flustered platonically holding their best friend’s hand.’
The silence between them continued, though Dave could only hear his heart beating deafeningly loud in his chest, loud over the TV, over the fan, and he wondered if John could hear it too. He guessed that if his assumption John liked him back was true, that he would be too preoccupied to notice how nervous Dave was.
And he was right, thank god he was. John was definitely too preoccupied to notice. How could anyone focus on anything like this?! His hand twitched slightly as Dave’s hand rested on his, resisting the urge to intertwine their fingers. He needed to know it was on purpose. His brow furrowed slightly, pursing his lips. Did Dave like him back? Or was this purely a platonic thing? He never really had many close male friends like Dave. Most of them were girls. He’d held hands with girls platonically before, maybe this was the same?
His eyes slowly flickered over to Dave’s face, hoping that his face would be any indication of how he was feeling. Quickly he found himself disappointed. Dave had the same resting expression he always did. At least he thought so? It was hard to tell in the dimly lit room. He quickly focused on the movie again, gently turning his hand, fingers softly intertwining, palms pressing together. It was like he Imagined..it was better.
Dave’s unreasonably soft hand pressed against his own, gently squeezing it. It was bigger than he expected. And John couldn’t help but find himself staring, admiring the tiny scars that littered the pale skin of his hand and arm under the glow of the TV. he knew the stories behind them, years of knowing each other, the permanent reminders of their story etched into his skin. It would’ve been almost poetic if John had cared about that. But he really didn’t. All he cared about was being cool about it.
He didn’t know if he should say something. Would Dave say anything if he didn’t? It was hard to tell. He looked over at Dave fully now, eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. His heart raced as Dave met his gaze, his eyebrow cocked in a questioning way. Like John was crazy for thinking anything of it. Was he crazy? It made John’s ears flush scarlet red in embarrassment.
He felt uncomfortably warm, his heart racing not doing any favors to cool him down. John opened his mouth momentarily before closing, struggling to figure out what would be the best way to phrase it without sounding like a dork or totally desperate. Finally, he stammered out. “do you like me? um- or… oh jeez- uh- like like me?”
Smooth John. You definitely didn’t sound dorky and totally desperate and like a middle schooler. Pure charisma right there. His brain was screaming at him. To add icing to the cake, he topped it off with one of his stupid smirks he thought made him look cool. (FYI: he didn’t look cool)
Dave’s heart raced at the other’s question, yet his brows furrowed slightly, a slight grimace on his face. John was making a stupid ass face again. How was he supposed to be cool while saying yes to someone so goddamn dorky?! The dude was not making it easy. But that face made his heart rate quicken in his chest and it kind of annoyed him. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. “…i like like you….” He started, pausing momentarily before continuing. “but dude… you make it hard to with that stupid ass smirk. lookin like your first day on this planet. like an alien or something. welcome to earth brother do you come in peace. shit dude is that a ufo? how-“
Dave was cut short by John breaking out in laughter turned into embarrassed, quiet giggles. It was only then he realized he was rambling, and that he was just making fun of John’s face. How charming. He couldn’t even believe John was laughing. “don’t make fun of my face! you know I'm autistic!”
John huffed, though his face was red and his stupid smirk was replaced by a real smile. “…do you really like me?”
There was a softness to his voice that wasn’t normally there, a genuineness in his words like he wanted to believe Dave wholeheartedly. Dave hesitated for a moment, feeling slightly embarrassed to openly admit an emotion like this, so openly, out on his sleeve. He pulled his hand away, crossing his arms over his chest. “dude I said yeah why would I lie about that”
He hesitated for a moment before shrugging slightly, looking away. “im not that kinda guy. im a good old fashioned loverboy, dawg. straight outta those shitty romcoms. you know what im talkin about. you can ask terezi dude. shed back me up.”
At that point he was just talking out of his ass, avoiding the silence. The silence felt like torture, thick and heavy with tension, the air felt even muggier now with the confession, the words hot and heavy on his tongue. he felt an unfamiliar sense of anxiety pooling in his stomach. He’d had anxiety before, like when he’d look at his brother’s puppets.., but this time it felt different. John leaned in, a smile on his face. “loverboy? jeez, that might be the gayest shit you’ve ever said.”
John found himself staring at Dave again, admiring the way his hair framed his face: and stuck to it from the sweat, the way he held himself, the way his lip quirked when he smiled. His gaze lingered, eyes studying the other’s face like he’d never see him again after tonight and he was trying to memorize every detail. He wasn’t quite sure what to do now. He had asked, Dave had shared his feelings, so what now? Go back to watching the movie?
Dave smirked as he noticed John staring, adjusting his sunglasses slightly. “do you not believe me? you want me to prove it or something? fuck you want me to do? write a soliloquy about how much I wanna mack on your dorky ass face?”
John scooted closer, averting his gaze and staring at the ground in front of him. Almost agonizingly slow, he rested his head against the other’s shoulder, pressing their sides together. His heart raced as he did, not even caring at that moment that he would be even hotter now. “Hehehe please actually do that, dude! You might knock my pants right off with your beautiful words.”
The silence between them returned, neither quite sure what to say. This wasn’t like any of the stupid romcoms Karkat had shown Dave when they were on the meteor. It was so much more awkward. Painfully so. Dave’s arm rested on the back of the couch behind John, wondering if it would be cringe to put it around the other’s shoulders. Well, this entire confession had been kind of cringe anyway, what’s one more thing? He slipped it around John’s shoulder, pulling him ever so slightly closer. The feeling of their bodies pressed together sent shocks through his body, a mix of pleasant feelings, and cringing from the sensory nightmare of their sweaty bodies being pressed together. His face was still warm with embarrassment. “bro you didn’t even tell me if you like liked me back. just got me admitting shit. you better not be punking me…”
John listened to the other ramble, lifting his head as he looked at Dave. His face was twisted into an expression of worry. His hand tentatively rested on the other’s thigh, waiting for Dave to stop. “yes I like like you back Dave. I think you are madly attractive.”
There was a confidence in his voice that wasn’t there before, and he decided fuck it we ball. His hand moved again, this time moving to wrap around the other’s waist. ‘You got this John you got this. don’t fumble this now.’ He hesitated a moment before resting his hand against the other’s waist, shifting so that he was facing the other more now. Sweat beaded from his forehead, heart racing in his chest.
Dave stared at John, feeling slightly nauseous as the other’s hand rested against his waist. Why did he have to get nauseous?! He was trying so hard to be cool in that moment. ‘Okay. Okay fuck. What do they do in the movies? Hold hands? First kiss? Ask eachother to be boyfriend and girlfriend? Okay well, they already did the hand-holding.’ Dave snapped back into reality, blinking hard as he stared at John’s face. He was making that stupid face again. Fuck it. As coolly as he could, he leaned over hoping John would get the hint.
John watched as Dave leaned in, his face dropping and eyebrows furrowing slightly as Dave gave him that look. It made him cringe. Is this what the ick was? At the same time, he found it kind of endearing, a silly trait. He didn’t care enough to stop it, in fact, quite the opposite.
Leaning in, John pressed their lips together into a soft kiss. It felt like time had come to a stop. John suddenly felt very aware of everything happening. The way his heart pounded in his chest, the humming of the fan, the feeling of the other’s stubble against his cheek, the way his stomach churned as he waited for Dave to return the kiss And when he did, it felt great. His hand tightened against the other’s waist as Dave’s hand moved to cup his cheek, the soft pads of his fingers brushing John’s sweaty hair out of his face. It was a moment of bliss.
After a moment the two pulled away, Dave’s hand dropping to his lap as he flushed. “jesus dude this is a major zest fest isn’t it? keep fuckin grabbing my waist like that and boioioing” He laughed awkwardly, the joke not landing like he wanted. “…that was supposed to be the sound of my boner.”
John laughed, a loud and hearty laugh that filled the space. He leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss into the other’s sweaty cheek. It felt like the right thing to do in that moment. He subtly licked his lips as he pulled away, tasting the salty sweat. Freak. “oh jeez… zest fest? you make it sound like a bad thing dude!”
Dave smirked, leaning in to press another kiss to John’s lips. This one was a bit more intense. He could feel the other’s hand against his waist tighten, and fuck that was kinda hot. He didn’t even care how much he hated the sensory input. He said that shit as a joke, but now he worried it wouldn’t be if they kept this up. After a moment he pulled away, breathing heavily and leaning back against the couch again. “major zestiness going on in here. its fuckin palpable john.”
John relaxed back against the couch as well as his hands fell into his lap. Suddenly he missed the warmth of the other’s body against his own, even if it was a million degrees in the room. “you’re hilarious, Strider!”
He crossed his arms, looking over at the other with a smile on his face. He didn’t know what to say. Even if the tension was gone, he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. “Do you still think I have bad taste in men?”
Dave looked over at the other, yawning as he stretched upwards. The sleepiness he always felt after being in the sun all day was finally setting in. As his arms dropped, he wrapped his arm back around John’s shoulder like before. He leaned in, adjusting his sunglasses. “obviously not if you got the hots for me. superb fuckin taste right there. you made the right choice getting a piece of dave strider. limited stock right here baby.”
John leaned into the touch, eyes fluttering shut as he rested his head against Dave’s. He could tell Dave was getting tired and he was all too content to sit there and finish one of his favorite movies with one of his favorite people. Even if Dave did fall asleep. The movie wasn’t really for him anyway. “Wait. What did you mean by you liked horribly unsexy people-“