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June had prepared herself for this very moment for the past few hours. What moment, you may ask? Well, she was currently pulling up to her best friend's house. Her best friend, Dave Strider, specifically. She was here to study for a mutual test, but she was really here to tell him the truth, and by god was she terrified.
June had known Dave for what felt like forever. Childhood friends, one would suggest. Friends for as long as she can remember. She did not doubt in her mind that they would be best friends forever, as childish as a wish like that sounds. But… She could never tell what the guy was thinking sometimes, despite how close they were. His stoic expression, those cool-kid shades that kept his eyes from view, his stone cold nature; even though she knew he wasn’t really stone cold.
This made telling him things nerve-wracking sometimes. Even though she knew that no matter what she told him, he wasn’t going to change all that much. However, that didn’t make this escapade any less scary, especially with what she was going to tell him.
June’s mumbled thoughts were cut short as her dad’s car pulled up to the Strider household. June had been here a million times, so many times she could probably walk here if they didn’t live in neighborhoods apart. They joked about it all the time.
June waved her dad goodbye as she climbed out of the car. Usually, she’d text Dave that she was here, and he’d tell her to walk straight in. That was different today, considering his brother was home and about the house. Which June always thought was weird, considering that she only sees the guy like… 1 percent of the other 99.
So she stood at the front door and gave it a polite knock. She could hear Dave’s voice from beyond the door, calling to the house, “I got it,” before the door swung open.
And there he stood, that overwhelmingly tall and cool kid. Shades falling off the bridge of his nose, deep hazel eyes peering down at her. He gave her a small grin, stepping aside to let her in.
“Yo, John.” Right, the thing she was going to tell him.
It's not as if she wasn’t expecting him to call her that; it's just that every time it happens, it stings a little. She’s already buried that name 6 feet under, replacing it with a fresh new one. She’d picked it carefully with the help of her older sister, Jane. June’s family was the first to know, and it went as you’d expect. Her dad told her how proud of her he was, and her sister jumped at the opportunity to help June with everything, “girl.” It couldn’t have gone any better, really, despite them both insisting on baking in celebration. That wasn’t really what she was going for, but she couldn’t really stop them.
June kicked her shoes off as Dave closed the door behind her. He didn’t say anything as he glided right back over to the couch, watching June as she put her shoes next to the rack.
June felt like she couldn’t contain the anxiety boiling deep in her chest. Her outfit wasn’t exactly “masculine,” but going from guy clothes to a slightly feminine outfit made her worried that Dave was already thinking of ways to dig at her for it. Not that he was being intentionally bigoted, but that was what their friendship was based on. Endless harmless digs.
But Dave didn’t say anything as June sat down next to him on the couch, criss-cross on the sunken cushion. She watched him relax into his spot, propping one leg on top of the other as he brought his laptop way too close to his face.
June laughed, “You’re gonna need real glasses if you keep doing that.”
Dave, presumably rolling his eyes behind his shades, scoffed, “You just want me to join the four-eyes club.”
“Do sunglasses not count?”
She watched Dave’s face genuinely scrunch in thought, “No, they don’t. Do they?”
June just laughed, reaching down to zip open her backpack. She hadn’t really decided when she was going to lay the news out to Dave. Maybe when they finished studying? Or maybe when they stopped to eat something? Pulling a textbook from the depths of her bag, she swallowed the anxious feeling stuck in her throat.
“What pages are we on?” She heard Dave ask next to her.
“Umm…,” She took a second to flip through the textbook's pages, “456-500,” June confirmed, hearing Dave groan.
“Jesus Christ…” He muttered, leaning his head back against the couch.
June watched Dave focus on the screen in front of him, fingers grazing across the keys. She didn’t reply, carefully turning the pages of her book.
The one thing she forgot to mention was the fact that she also had a massive, dorky, lameo crush on Dave Strider. The lamest, stupidest, textbook crush one could ever imagine. It sucked because, despite Dave's stoicism, he was just a really nice guy. June supposed that was where most of the anxiety came from. Just scared that maybe he wouldn’t like her anymore, not that she knew if he liked her in the first place.
Her stomach growling knocked her out of her thoughts, turning to hear a little laugh from Dave. Her face flushed in embarrassment, “Sorry…” June mumbled, having to restart the page she was looking over.
“I can order a pizza or something later?” Dave suggested, face not moving from the computer screen in front of him.
“Will that be okay with your Bro?” June asked, watching Dave frown.
“He’s not the one paying anyway...” Dave scoffed.
June nodded slowly, “Makes sense. Half pep half cheese?”
“Duh, but lock in first.”
June laughed, “Right, right…”
She’d just have to wait til pizza.
—
June honestly thought about telling him about halfway through their study session. They were taking a small break, jotting down some notes as Dave sipped some water. This was probably the first successful study session they’d had in a while, considering neither of them suddenly got distracted talking about other things. Both June and Dave had stayed on the straight and narrow of studying.
June had opened her mouth to start talking when she heard footsteps on the stairs next to them. It was Dave’s other brother, Dirk. June was very familiar with him, specifically, considering Dirk and her older sister Jane are close friends.
Dave and June both piped up to say hello to him, June noticing the hoarseness that came from the back of Dirk’s throat. It wasn’t a long hello, just Dave saying “sup” and earning a sickly sounding “hey” back. As Dirk exited into the kitchen, June turned to Dave, just a tad concerned.
“How come Dirk sounds like he needs a cough drop?” She asked in a low whisper, Dave laughing at her comment.
“Nah, he’s been sick.” Dave shrugged, “The other morning, he totally passed out at work. Turns out he had a fever, and the dumbass thought he was gonna survive the day anyway. Bro had to pick him up, and he was kinda pissed, but meh.”
June nodded at the explanation, tapping the end of her pencil against the paper of her notebook. In her peripheral vision, she saw Dirk carrying a bottle of water back upstairs. Poor guy.
“Man, that sounds like it sucked.” June mumbled back to Dave as Dirk was clear from downstairs, “Make sure you don’t get sick too, man…” June shakes Dave with one hand, hearing him laugh.
“Aye aye, bro.” As Dave leaned back into the couch.
Now June could take this brief pause to start their serious conversation, but it's not time yet. Instead, she decided to test the waters with an innocent and oblivious question.
“Hey, Dave...” She started, getting his attention.
“What’s up?” He looks over.
“So, this is gonna be a weird question, but like…” June starts, putting down her pencil, “Would I look stupid with my hair grown out?”
Dave laughed, “What, are you trying to look like the guy from that one stupid movie you’re always yammering about?”
“Dude,” June looked offended, “I don’t appreciate this Nick Cage slander.” Crossing her arms as Dave snickered unapologetically next to her.
“If everyone saw that movie,” June started, slumping into the couch, “Everyone would wanna look like Nick Cage.”
“Everyone would have to rename themselves to Nick Cage, and Earth would be an action movie-topia.” Dave joked, taking his computer from his lap to his couch.
“Yeah, and humans would be called cagelings, and we'd have really emotional reuniting scenes whenever you see a friend you hadn’t seen for a long time… Oh yeah, and everyone would have killer long hair.” June laughed as Dave shook his head.
“I guess then it’d be fine.” Dave stretched, adjusting his shades.
“Wanna knock out the rest of this chapter?”
“Yeah, then I’ll order us some grub.”
—
She hadn’t realized it, but June was starving by the time the pizza came. She and Dave both, piling their (paper) plates with several slices of pizza. Dave saved at least 4 slices for both his brothers, currently home. Two for Dirk, obviously because he was sick, and two for his Bro, as a “peace offering,” Dave explained. June found that really weird, considering Dave was the one who paid for the pizza. She didn’t question it, already aware of their strained relationship.
Dave left the pizza box on the counter as they made their way back towards the couch. June scrolled through movies while Dave scooted upstairs to bring Dirk a plate of pizza. June always thought it was sweet how much they tried to take care of one another, despite not seeming like it.
“Yo,” Dave hopped off the stairs, taking his spot next to June. He glanced at the TV, taking his plate of pizza in his lap. He squinted at the TV, seemingly judging June’s pick. A generic action film, one neither of them had seen before.
“Karkat’s gonna get mad if we watch a new movie without him.” Dave jokes, laughing through his bite of pizza.
“No, he isn’t,” June rolled her eyes, “He’s seen this one before. I made him watch it with me.”
Dave’s brows furrowed, “So you guys watched a new movie without ME?” He huffed offendedly, “I see how it is…”
“Blehhh…” June stuck her tongue out, earning a little laugh from Dave. She leaned back into the couch as the movie started playing, more focused on eating and paying attention to the film than playing around with Dave. He seemed to do the same thing, entirely focused on the entertainment in front of him.
They finished their dinner halfway through, plates piled on top of each other on the coffee table. June sat criss-cross on the couch, leaned forward, totally focused on the movie. Dave was sinking into the couch, leg propped up on the other, one hand snug in his pocket, and the other leaned up against the back cushion of the couch. At this moment, June had completely forgotten about what she was going to tell Dave. Too caught up in just hanging out to figure out when she was going to tell him.
She nervously glanced over at him, watching him watch the movie. His brows were slightly furrowed, deeply focused on the picture on the TV. From the side profile, she could see all his features perfectly. The TV light illuminated his face as she connected each freckle that littered his cheeks. June could feel her face turn pink as she turned away.
“Hey, Dave…” June swallowed, leaning back. She felt Dave’s arm behind her.
He glanced over, “What’s up?”
“I need to tell you something, like, kinda important.”
Dave leaned forward to turn down the volume of the TV, “Yeah, man. What is it?” He looked nervous behind the sunglasses.
“Er…” June couldn’t get the words to come out. They sat there in silence for what felt like forever. Her hands were getting clammy with anxiety, and she could feel Dave’s stare burn into her.
“I think I’m…” June bit her lip, “I think I’m a girl?”
“Huh?” Dave looked confused, “Did this movie awaken something inside you or something?” He laughed, turning to the movie, “I dunno what about this movie screams ‘girl power’ but I’m not feelin’ it. Y'know, you could always ask–”
June cut him off, “No, I’m like. I’m serious.”
Her face felt like it was on fire, and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. June was biting the inside of her cheek so hard she was a little scared she’d break skin. She couldn’t hear the TV anymore, and she wasn’t sure if it was because Dave turned the volume all the way down or if it was her raging anxiety coursing through her veins.
“You’re serious? About being a girl?” Dave clarified, earning a meek nod from June.
Dave leaned back into the couch, “Huh.” He wondered aloud, “Like Karkat but opposite…”
June looked over wearily, “Yeah…” She heard her voice crack.
“Hmm…” Dave continued to ponder aloud, “So like– do I call you girl instead of bro? Like, when I see you next time, do I go like ‘yo girl what’s good’ or can I still call you bro? Or like– what about dude. Is dude gender neutral? Do I still call you John?” Dave rambled, making June laugh. She suddenly felt a little silly for being nervous.
“You can still call me bro, and dude.” June laughed, hearing Dave hum in acknowledgement.
“What about your name? Did you change it? Aw man, have I been a total douche and calling you by your deadname the whole time?” Dave turned to look at June, suddenly very concerned, “Okay– even though I’m not trans, you can call me something like, fucking stupid for every time I’ve called you the wrong name. Like uh, like shitface or David or something shitty like that.” He proposes, only earning another fit of laughs from June.
“Even though I don’t really care about that, I’ll take up the offer to call you something silly anyway.” June smirked, “And I did change my name, matter of fact.”
Dave frowned, “Man– Girl, whatever.”
June smiled, “It’s June to you, sir Strider.”
“June…” Dave repeated it to himself, “That’s good. Suits you, I think.”
June’s face flushed pink, “You think so?”
“Yeah, totally suits your vibe, y’know?”
“Yeah…” June mumbled, obviously embarrassed.
Dave turns back to the television screen. The sun had started to set, and the evening was slowly creeping upon them. Thank god for the weekend, or June would’ve had to go home already.
“Well, I’m like…” Dave tried to be super serious for a moment, “I’m glad you were able to tell me and stuff…” He paused, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Dave selfishly asked, avoiding making eye contact.
“Oh, well, um…” June frowned, feeling silly for ever doubting her best friend, “I just was scared, I guess.”
Dave glanced his eyes over, “How come?”
“I guess I just…” June felt herself getting anxious again, being so honest, “I was just scared maybe… That maybe you wouldn’t wanna be friends anymore. Which is like stupid now that I think about it, like, being scared is stupid because we’re best friends.”
Dave didn’t say anything for a moment, instead reaching his arm around June’s shoulders. He pulled her into a half-hug, closing the gap between them on the couch. She was surprised for a moment, then leaned into Dave’s awkward hug. It was nice, the comfort, even though Dave wasn’t really all that good at it.
“I still love you even if you’re not a dude, dude.” Dave muttered, eyes focused on the movie with no sound. The phrase made June’s heart want to jump straight out of her throat, body flaring with heat.
“Thanks,” June muttered in response, feeling Dave shuffle a bit in his seat.
“Is that why you asked me about your hair?” Dave asks, seemingly aware of June’s little schemes.
“Erm…” She laughs nervously, “Yeah… Just to like, ugh, this sounds so fucked up considering that I was just paranoid, I was just like testing the waters? To see how you’d respond if I like– If I wanted to do something ‘girly’, I guess.”
Dave laughed, seemingly not offended, “Did I pass?”
June scoffed, “Well, even though you digged on one of my favorite movies of all time, yeah. I guess you passed.”
“Whew,” Dave faked relief, “Thank god.”
June giggled, “I should FaceTime Karkat.”
“Huh, why? To make him jealous that we’re hanging out ‘cause his micro-managing brother wouldn’t let him come?” Dave laughed.
“No, to tell him I told you the thing.” Dave shot up in his seat immediately upon hearing this.
“Are you telling me you told Karkat before me? Dude.” Dave feigned offense, watching June giggle as she pulled up Karkat’s contact.
“Karkat is trans, too, Dave.” June pressed the FaceTime button.
“Okay, yeah, I get that, but man… I can’t believe you told Kar before me…” Dave crossed his arms, watching Karkat pick up.
The boy was hunched over his desk, textbooks spewed across the wood. He looked tired and disgruntled as always, pencil in hand as he propped up his phone.
“What do you two want.” He grumbled, raising an eyebrow.
“Hi, Karkat!” June smiled, face right up against the camera screen.
“Hi J-” He stopped, “Hey. What is it.”
June’s smile got a little bigger, “I told Dave.”
“Yeah? Do I need to come over there and beat his sorry ass?” Karkat leaned forward, hearing a little ‘dude’ from Dave in the back.
“No, it’s okay, Kar. He’s cool, like you told me he would be.” June shrugged, propping up the phone so that Karkat could see both of them. He nodded before squinting at the screen, analysing the setting.
Karkat scoffed angrily, “That’s good, but you two are fucking ridiculous. Seriously? First off, you’re watching a movie without me, and I can see the glow of the TV screen. Second of all, you two are supposed to be studying, like I am? Did you fuckwads get distracted by some shitty trailer online again? Like, what time in a row is this: First, second, third? God, should I even be counting at this point. You two never get anything done without me there. Also, I see those goddamn paper plates. You got pizza too. Just despicable.”
Karkat just went on and on in his own little world as June, and Dave sat there and took the beating. Despite the truth behind Karkat’s anger, this time was not applicable. Dave pipped up, ready to lay the smooth burn onto the boy’s skin.
“Actually…” Dave scooted more in frame, “We got the whole chapter done. Need me to send you the study guide, since you’re still working on it?”
Karkat furrowed his brows, “Yeah fucking right, you liar. Go ahead, honestly, send it to me. I can’t wait to get the document that says ‘Fuck You Karkat’ typed in Comic Sans and font size 69 as you do every time, dipshit.”
Dave shrugged, “Alright, man, if you’re right, I’ll buy you coffee Monday morning. If I’m right, you have to tell me that I’m the coolest fucking guy you’ve ever met.” June laughed at the grin plastered across Dave’s face. Karkat didn’t even know the trap he was walking into.
Karkat rolled his eyes, opening his laptop, “Sure, whatever you say, Dave Strider. Should I call you Liar Strider instead? Considering how you’re fucking fibbing to my face.”
Dave just laughed as he shared the file with Karkat. It took a minute for Karkat to click on the document, eyes widening at the fully filled-out doc. The corner of Karkat’s mouth twitched before he took a deep, long breath.
He grabbed his phone with force, pulling it very close to his face, “Strider. You are so fucking lucky that my brother is doing one of his stupid meditation sessions and I can’t yell. I swear to god when I see your sorry ass on Monday, I will make you wish you were never born.”
Dave just erupted into a fit of laughter, and June soon joined in on the antics. After Dave let himself calm down, he leaned forward to smile at the camera.
“It’s okay, Kar, I’ll still get you a coffee…” His grin went wide, “Only if you tell me right now that I’m the coolest fucking guy you’ve ever met.”
“Nope. Bye June. Dave, go fucking kill yourself.” And Karkat hung up the phone.
June and Dave erupted into a fit of giggling, leaning into the couch at Karkat’s angry outburst.
“Oh god, he’s so easy to rile up.” Dave laughed, earning another giggle from June.
“He’s probably more mad that you bested him this time.” June laughed.
“Probably. He never likes letting me have the last laugh.” Dave rolled his eyes, leaning back into the couch.
June just smiled, fully content. Being out to both of her closest friends was going to make things a lot easier now. Relishing in the moment, she leaned close to Dave, mimicking their half-hug from earlier.
She felt him stiffen before returning the gesture, relaxing into the contact. They just stayed there like that, kind of cuddling, platonically, of course. Dave was always warm; it made him function like a heater. June just let herself radiate in his natural warmth for a moment.
“Thanks for being such a cool guy, Dave.” June suddenly confessed.
“‘Course, we’re bros.” Dave nodded, “Or wait– we’re. No yeah. I forgot you’re cool with that. Yeah, we’re bros.”
June giggled, “Yeah, we are.”