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Graf has been acting weird lately.
They have been spending more time together, so Juan noticed, of course he did. He just didn’t understand why.
First of all, Graf started hanging out with Juan a lot more often. Not that it was such a weird thing, it’s just that Graf had many friends on the server. He was kind, funny, patient, and always eager to help people when they needed something. When he wasn’t spending time with other people, he was always working on his ongoing projects. Graf was a busy guy, but he somehow always found time for Juan.
Juan wasn’t complaining, he liked spending time with Graf, and he was glad they had been growing closer. Graf was a good friend. He just couldn’t understand why Graf seemingly went out of his way to make time for him in his busy schedule.
Besides, Graf’s presence brought some sense of security into Juan’s life that he rarely felt these days. Being Second in Command Deluxe at the North could be stressful at times. Juan loved all of his friends, his family, very much, and more than anything, he wanted to make them happy and make sure they were safe. He put everything into making the North the best possible place for everyone there.
Maybe that’s why he learned to really appreciate the way Graf made him feel… safe. He never really stops worrying about his family, Graf included, but when they’re spending time together, Graf’s steady, quiet presence brings some long-forgotten sense of peace into Juan’s life. He liked that Graf was reserved and calm.
He especially liked it when Graf invited Juan to his workshop to stay there while he worked on some of his redstone contraptions. Watching him work was calming in a way that not many things were these days. Juan enjoyed how focused he looked when he was absorbed in his work, that little wrinkle between his eyebrows that appeared when he was thinking about something really hard.
But Juan started noticing some things.
“You’re good at this,” Juan said one of these days when they were hanging out in Graf’s workshop.
His words startled Graf, who was so absorbed in his work that he probably forgot about Juan’s presence. He looked up at him from the machine and gave him a soft smile.
“Thank you, Juan. It means a lot coming from you,” he replied and went back to his work.
Juan didn’t pay attention to it at the time, but when he thinks about it, Graf has been taking every opportunity to compliment him.
“Do you have someone?” Graf asked him one day when they were taking a walk in the shopping district together.
“Me? No, I don’t,” Juan replied, trying not to sound bitter at the question. He didn’t have time for love; he was a busy guy. Besides, no one would want to date him anyway.
“Why not? You’re so handsome,” came a quick reply.
Juan almost choked on air. Handsome? He felt himself blush at the compliment. He giggled and, without thinking, did an awkward little spin in his Superman outfit and struck a pose to show it off.
“Look, I’m Superman.”
Graf looked at him, smiling softly but not saying anything. Great, Juan, you made it awkward. Juan suddenly became very aware of how stupid he must look. He felt his face heat up even harder from shame.
“Well, I have some work to do. I’ll see you later,” he said, trying to cover up his embarrassment, and without waiting for a reply, he walked away.
Even with his back turned, he could still feel Graf’s eyes on him.
It didn’t stop after that. In fact, it only got worse.
The compliments were just one thing. Sometimes when they hung out, Graf would sit really close to Juan, so close that Juan was basically pressed into his side. He can’t say he didn’t like it, but he found it strange nonetheless. When he leaned into Graf’s side, he felt the other man tense up a bit before relaxing and practically melting into him.
Juan liked their newfound closeness, but it only made him more confused. He never really thought of Graf as a touchy guy. He doesn’t think he's ever seen Graf act like this with any of his other friends.
Another thing that Juan noticed is that Graf stared at him a lot. He doesn’t really do that with anyone else, but when he’s talking to Juan, he just keeps staring at him. Every time they hang out together, Graf looks at him so intently, giving Juan his full attention. Juan has to admit, it feels really nice, even if sometimes he feels a little flustered when he’s building or painting and he looks at Graf, only to find his eyes already on Juan.
And the worst part is, Graf doesn’t stop when Juan catches him. He just smiles and keeps watching him. Juan doesn’t really understand why. He can’t be that interesting to look at.
Sometimes Graf sat on the couch in his paint store and watched him work. He said he liked spending time in Juan’s shop because it’s really cozy and makes him feel inspired when it comes to his own work, and Juan didn’t mind his presence. Graf was really quiet and never did anything to disturb his work.
But when Juan looked up from his canvas and noticed Graf staring at him again, he couldn’t help himself.
“You’re staring,” he said.
Graf didn’t look embarrassed at being called out; in fact, a slight smile that reached his eyes appeared on his face.
“I like watching you paint. You look nice when you’re so deeply focused on something.”
Juan almost dropped the paintbrush. He tried to think of a reply, but before he got the chance, Graf spoke again.
“Does it bother you? I can stop if it does.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Juan replied, not really sure if it was true. But for some reason, the thought of Graf looking away made him feel upset. “You can do whatever you want, just… Don't distract me, okay?
Graf’s blue eyes twinkled with amusement.
“I’ll do my best.”
Juan didn’t think about all of Graf’s weird recent behavior too much. Okay, maybe he thought about it a little, but he couldn’t figure out why Graf was acting like this; his best guess was that Graf really valued their friendship. Yeah, that must be it.
In fact, it didn’t fully hit him until his conversation with Tina.
“Graf just told me I look really good,” Tina told him after Graf’s trivia event.
“Yeah,” was his immediate response, because duh, Tina really does look good today, she’s dressed as him after all.
“…Oh.”
Tina’s dressed as him. And Graf complimented her. When she’s dressed as Juan.
“Yeah, you have really good style today,” he said, stopping that train of thought before it got the chance to spiral into something more. Before he could get his hopes up. Tina looked at him and rolled her eyes.
“You can’t possibly be this dense, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you were.”
“Hey! I’m not dense, what the fuck!”
“You really haven’t noticed it?” she asked, looking more amused than annoyed.
“Noticed what?”
“That Graf likes you. It’s so obvious. He’s been flirting with you for so long, I think everyone besides you knows that already. He has a massive crush on you.”
"Oh,” Juan muttered, red in the face.
Graf was really handsome; anyone with eyes could see that, and Juan didn’t wear these glasses for nothing. He was also extremely smart, knew multiple languages, and on top of that, he was sweet and kind. He could easily get a date with anyone he wanted. Why would he be interested in Juan? What could he possibly see in him?
But it just made so much sense. Graf’s recent behavior, his spending so much time with Juan, the compliments, the lingering looks… Could it really be true?
“Exactly,” Tina laughed. Juan couldn’t see his expression, but he could imagine he looked really dumb right now.
He couldn’t help but think back to all the time he spent with Graf. How long has Graf felt like this?
“Are you gonna do something about it? Honestly, it’s been kind of sad watching him try to go after the most oblivious guy on the server.”
Juan wasn’t sure how to answer that. He didn’t know how to act now that he found out someone might actually like him in this way. And that someone is Graf. Graf with his beautiful blue eyes and soft smile, Graf who always listens to Juan talk about anything and everything, Graf who cares for him and makes sure that Juan is comfortable at all times… Fuck.
He has to do something about it, doesn’t he? Suddenly, he felt himself getting more nervous by the second.
“I can’t believe this,” he said. “I need to talk to him, I have to… No, wait, I can’t just talk to him about this. What do I even do, Tina? He actually likes me?”
“Yes, you silly boy. Try not to freak out on him. You don’t have to talk about it if you aren’t ready, you can take things slow. Just don’t let him chase after you if you don’t like him back,” Tine replied, smiling at him. “But I have a feeling you do,” she added, her expression turning from soft to mischievous.
“What! I’m done talking to you about this,” Juan exclaimed. Tina started laughing at him.
Juan really appreciated her, even if he knew that she would never stop teasing him about it now.
He went to find Graf right after that. He still wasn’t sure what to say or do, but… he just really wanted to see Graf. They will figure it out as they go, or at least he hopes they will.
He found Graf further in the shopping district, near the new KFC.
“Hey,” he said, approaching the man. Graf turned around, and his whole face lit up when he saw Juan. Oh god, Tina was right, wasn’t she?
Juan felt nervous again.
He shouldn’t feel like this; it was just Graf. Just Graf, who, apparently, has a crush on him.
“Hey, Juan,” Graf replied. Did Juan’s name always sound so nice coming out of his mouth? Juan thinks he might go crazy. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m fine. I really enjoyed the trivia, thank you for organizing it.” A small, surprised smile appeared on Graf’s face, as if he wasn’t expecting the compliment, and Juan noticed a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. He wasn’t sure if Graf had always acted like this around him, and he only started noticing it now, but he can’t say he’s not enjoying it.
“I’m glad you liked it.”
Fuck it. Juan needs to do something before his heart is gonna jump out of his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was because of his nervousness or because he was now hyper-aware of everything Graf said and did in his presence.
“Do you want to come to karaoke with me? It’s gonna be happening soon, and I know you wanted to come for a long time, but there wasn’t really an opportunity, so… We could go right now, if you’re free.” Juan asked him.
Graf’s eyes widened in genuine surprise. A bright smile started to spread across his face. Juan felt his face heat up again under the intensity of his gaze. Graf’s stupid, stupid crush will be the death of him if his own racing heart doesn’t kill him first.
“Of course, I would love to,” came a breathless reply. Juan felt his chest tighten with excitement. It was just karaoke, but for some reason, it felt like taking a big step in their relationship.
Suddenly, he felt a cold hand grab one of his own. Graf just held his hand. They were holding hands. Juan feels incredibly normal about this.
“Let’s go, then,” Graf said. “I have a song I want to sing in mind.”