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"Are we skipping next month's rehearsal?" Paul asks.
Will tries to recall if he's missing anything. He's not the best with date — not Dave's level of bad, at least — but sometimes he can be forgetful. It's unavoidable, really. "Why?" he asks, when nothing comes to mind.
Paul looks amused, like Will has just told a particularly bad joke. "Not doing anything for your one-year anniversary is a pretty bad move, man."
Will still doesn't get it.
"You and Dave?" Paul pauses. "It is next month, right?"
Will glances toward Dave, chatting with Joe. Sensing his gaze, Dave looks over and gives him a bright smile, before focusing back to his conversation. Will continues to stare. It's a constant in his life, to stare at Dave. Even when they were just kids, he's always noticed him. From making fun of each other in class to actually becoming friends to their band, to Will continuing to stare at the empty piano in the rehearsal room when Dave moved away for university, to this stable routine, monthly or bi-monthly meet up for their quartet. He's never been able to get over it. Not that he's been trying that hard. Will knows it's terminal since the beginning, and there's no point in fighting the inevitable.
After all, being in love with Dave is quite a comfortable feeling.
He doesn't know anything about an anniversary, though. Paul's not helping. He's just looking at Will all expectantly, his Cheshire smile beginning to falter at the edge the longer he waits for an answer. "Right?" he asks again.
"...Right," Will says, and then, lower: "What do you mean, me and Dave?"
Paul finally looks as confused as Will is feeling. "Aren't you two together?"
Will wishes that were the case. While he is so far gone it's kind of sad, having his friendship is more important. There's no way he is risking years of finally getting to this point of casual intimacy that he has with Dave. Who cares if he can't kiss him: Dave does it often enough anyway, always with a hand swung over his shoulder to pull him closer, his lips pressing against the corner of Will's mouth, his glasses uncomfortably digging into the side of his face. Dreams of properly wining and dining him are replaced with Dave staying at his place, sharing a simple dinner before relaxing on the couch with some random show on, Will trying his best to not pass out — a losing battle when Dave is draped over him like the world's best weighted blanket, content to crash here after a full day of singing. They usually end up on the couch, bad as that is for their back the next morning. It used to be a proper sleepover with Paul and Joe and late-night snacks and pulling blankets, the four of them terribly more boyish in the dark staring up at the ceiling; Will can't, for the life of him, remember when that's stopped being the case.
His crisis is interrupted by Dave bouncing over. "Joe's thinking of catching a movie after," he says, his head finding its way to Will's shoulder with natural ease. His hand is also clasping Will's. "Something for the kid, you know."
Will nods, not really listening as his eyes dart between Dave and Paul. This is just Dave at his factory setting: excitable and tactile. He's always kept Will close to him, as if the distance between them is a personal affront, but he does it with everyone. He hugs Joe a lot, he's fallen asleep on Paul's laps too many times to count when they travel, and he and Tim are always touching each other when Will facetimes him. If anything, Will is the one taking advantage, allowing himself to indulge in Dave's touch and keeping it too close to his heart.
"Are we skipping next month's rehearsal?" Paul asks again, to Dave this time.
Dave's grip tightens, before relaxing. "Yep," he says. He smiles at Will, that brilliant, thousand-Watt grin. "Just you and me next time."
It's impossible to ignore how hesitant Dave's said it, but Will is still lagging from the "you and me" part of the sentence. He thinks he nods.
"Cool." Dave darts up to kiss his cheek, right where his mole is.
* * *
After the movie and the dinner and saying goodbye to everyone, and after Dave is fast asleep in the guest room — they have shared a bed together before — not often, but Dave is clingier when he's asleep, as impossible as that sounds, and Will is not going to pass up the chance to wake up with Dave by his side — wait, if they're dating, why is Dave not questioning the guest room situation? — Will panics.
It routes back to his last thought: If they're actually dating. If Paul's to be believed, it's been almost a year. Dave certainly agrees — isn't that a thought, Dave saying that there is something between them. It's his number one fear wiped away just like that: no more is he scared of losing Dave, or losing what they've already had. Turns out dating Dave is just as easy as pining for him, and their affection remains the same despite the change in label. Maybe there's no real need for a label, but Will is finding himself kicking his feet like a school girl at the thought of calling Dave his partner anyway.
Maybe it's not so bad.
* * *
He tries to kiss Dave properly the next morning. It's a lot, to just know that he is allowed. Dave perks up even more than when he got his coffee at the first chaste press of lips together, his hands pulling Will in by his collar for a second and a third, until Will is left breathless and flustered against the kitchen counter, heart racing at how quickly Dave escalated it.
"Finally," Dave says, pleased.
"Sorry it took me this long," Will says, meaning sorry I was being an idiot, though he can't ever let Dave know that he didn't know. He's never going to live it down in that case.
"I don't mind if you need more time," Dave shrugs. He's typing something on his phone with one hand, the other holding Will close, fingers absently drawing circle into the small of his back. Each touch sends a tingle through him, everything recontextualised. A glance shows he's talking to Paul, but before he can read more, Dave turns the phone off and slides it back into his pocket. He looks back to Will, his gaze warm. "We got all the time in the world, you know."
"...Were you waiting for me?"
"I figure I do enough around here. Time for you to pull your own weight, Downey."
Will shrugs. Fair enough. He's gonna have to prepare the best surprise ever to make it up for the fact that he didn't know they were dating the past year.
* * *
Later, Dave calls him. His smile has never been as obvious in his voice as it is now.
"I can't believe that worked," he says.
Paul shrugs, before remembering that Dave can't see him. "I told you. Will's easy."