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David never considered himself to be a nervous person.
Hesitating wasn’t an option in the middle of a set, not when there was nobody to cover for his fuck-ups. He never liked the idea of second-guessing himself, anyway. In life, there were always two options: do it or don’t. It was that principle that carried David through every decision, each trial and tribulation. So when he texted a message to Hal, asking him to come over, a thought that had never crossed his mind flitted through his head.
What if he doesn't want to?
There was a 99% chance that Hal would accept in a heartbeat and David scowled at the uncharacteristic moment of weakness. Then, he was reminded of Hal's timid nature and the notion of his friend rubbing off on him didn't sound too bad after all. A few minutes later, Hal's reply chimed on his phone.
[OK!! OMW ദ്ദി◝ ⩊ ◜.ᐟ]
That thought quickly dissolved in his mind and gave way to a warmer, fuzzier sensation that nestled deep in his sternum. David collapsed onto his bed with a huff, cradling his cellphone close to his chest. Things were simple with Hal. He always seemed to wear his heart on his sleeves in regards to other people- A difficult thing for Dave to fathom, who had inherited his father's stony demeanor. If Hal liked someone, it would be clear as day on his face. David knew Hal enjoyed spending time with him as much as the drummer did.
His fingers tightened around his phone. He wasn't worried that Hal wouldn't want to hang out. He was worried about something else.
“David!” A voice called out from downstairs, accented by a strange southern and slavic twang. “Your friend's here!”
In an instant, the boy's thoughts crumbled like a pile of stones, tumbling down as David clambered off his bed and down the stairs. Dad always yelled at them to quit running down the stairs before they ‘tripped and ate shit’. His parents seemed immune to that risk- Dave had seen his dad miss a step once and land on his feet with a somersault in the air. He was not born with the same gracefulness, apparently, as he skidded to a stop at the base of the staircase- causing Hal to jump and squeak simultaneously and Ocelot to catch his fall, sporting a bemused smile.
“Hal.” Dave mumbled, out of breath. The flush of exertion on his cheeks burned as Hal giggled at his entrance.
His friend waved in reply, still snickering. “Hi, Dave.”
“‘Howdy, Ocelot, it's awfully nice of you to call me down and also thank you for keeping me from landing flat on my head.’” Ocelot piped up in a poor imitation of David's gravelly voice, which sounded incredibly odd with his cowboyish accent. The boy rolled his eyes, but still mumbled a half-assed greeting and a ‘thank you’.
Hal giggled once more and behind him, Ocelot fully righted his position with a hearty clap on his back, one that carried more than just a familial weight. David didn't need to turn to recognize the words silent behind his smirk. Go get ‘im, tiger.
“You kids go and have fun. I'll just mosey on over there.” Ocelot drawled, making absolutely no indication of moving. Hal allowed himself to be towed away after giving an enthusiastic wave ‘goodbye’. In the wake of Hal’s farewell, Dave turned his head to the side to catch a glimpse of Ocelot’s figure as they trekked upstairs.
Ocelot was always hard to comprehend, growing up. He could have a dazzling smile that would make even the most famous of models jealous, while broiling and seething inside. He could lace his words with venom, paired with an icy glare, and reveal in a heartbeat later that he was only just kidding, (the latter of which, Kaz was a frequent victim of). Ocelot was an open book- only for the pages to be full of nonsense when you took a closer look. Over the years, Dave liked to think he got better at reading between the facades of his strange uncle.
But as he saw a flash of Ocelot's face past the halo of Hal's silvery hair, he found that he couldn't decipher his expression at all. Not because there was nothing there, but there was far too much in a glance. In that heartstopping moment, David knew at his core that every emotion visible was genuine. No smoke or mirrors, but a storm caught in a bottle. Then, as if it never happened at all, Ocelot raised his two hands, fingers in an echo of his dual revolvers, with a placid smile.
The bizarre moment was mostly forgotten by the time the two reached David's room and in its place was that insistent, gnawing feeling worming around his insides again like a thousand needles. Hal's wrist was still in his grasp, a thin and delicate thing. Dave hoped to whatever god was out there that he didn't feel how clammy his palm was.
A small gasp sounded from his side and the drummer peered up from his rapid-fire thoughts to see what drew his friend's attention. He followed Hal's line of sight to his wall, a simple black, red, and white poster of two planets and the fiery wake of a rocket that divided them both. Underneath it all were bold letters that read: Space Odyssey.
Hal lightly nudged his shoulder. “You really want to go to Jupiter, huh?” Dave responded with a small push of his own, only a fraction of force he'd use when wrestling with his brothers. Thin. Delicate.
His ears burned slightly. “Heard it's nice this time of year.” Hal's laughter echoed in his ears like a fond memory and Dave softly tucked away that sound close to his heart.
He swallowed thickly, letting go of Hal's wrist, and turned to face him. David stood like that for a few moments, staring at the decals of Hal's graphic t-shirt. He knew Hal could tell he was having one of those moments again, but the other boy showed no signs other than a dog-like tilt of his head as he waited. Others never knew what to do when David got like this- forced into a position where action wasn't an option and he had to voice his thoughts instead. He'd lock up like a statue as the gears in his head slowly ground out the proper words, all while the other person slowly lost their patience.
No, Hal wasn't like that at all. After all, he understood, didn't he? He understood what it was like to have syllables lodged in your throat, to see more worth in the language of music and machines than spoken word. David turned his gaze from the tattered letterings on Hal's shirt to his eyes- grey like the poster he got because it reminded him of Hal, grey like steel of his drums, like the blinding lights from the view on stage. He met his eyes and Hal smiled, a wordless thing. Take as long as you need.
“I want you to listen to something.” He mumbled finally, fishing for his MP3 player in his pockets. “With me.”
Hal smiled warmly, and David caught a hint of relief in the corners of his lips. Was he worried about something too? The drummer padded over to his bed, falling onto the unruly sheets as Hal took his place beside him in a much neater manner.
Unraveling the long cord of his earbuds, Dave looped one over his ear and craned over on his elbows to carefully press one to Hal's. Hal visibly fought back a giggle and squirmed in place, ticklish. Would he notice that David had given him the far-side of the pair, forcing them to huddle close to the MP3 player? He held his breath as he pressed ‘play’, and settled back down, hands clasped in prayer over his unsteady heart.
The first notes of a guitar rang through the tinny earbuds, striking through David's mind. It was nothing like sitting before his drumset, but the presence of its voice helped soothe his nerves. He closed his eyes and breathed. Please. He thought. Speak to his heart.
From the day you arrived
I've remained by your side
In chains, entombed,
As the melody washed over his ears, Dave chanced a glance at Hal, only to find that he was looking at him as well. The boy started at the fact he'd been caught, but sheepishly maintained his gaze. His ashen locks were strewn across the mattress like scattered petals, silver soft eyes melting in David's heart. His stomach lurched into itself. Nerves. He swallowed them all, a bundle of cords, and tried to spin the right words out.
“This song.” He rasped, “Reminds me of you.”
David could see Hal's eyes widen as the full meaning of his words slowly settled in his mind. He could see his lips part, tasting that simple phrase on his tongue. His eyes gleamed in the light. Steel drums and spotlights.
A trembling hand moved to brush against David's knuckles. Hal's tongue flickered out to wet his chapped lips and Dave tracked the movement like a fox in wait.
“It reminds me of you too.” His voice was shaking so much, but Hal never broke his gaze as he spoke those words- truer than anything Dave had ever heard. A gasp of relief flooded through him, the kind that left his legs weak. He unclasped his fingers to take Hal's hand in his- like a snare latching its teeth on a fleeting rabbit.
Placed inside
Safe and sound,
Hal's grip met his and David knew in that moment that he had him, the same way Hal did. A steady beat, two melodies in harmony. Synchronized. He was never going to let go. He tugged Hal closer and the boy followed easily. David wanted nothing more than to kiss him as he had always fantasized about, to see if those lips were as soft as they appeared, but he could feel the way Hal stiffened minutely as their faces came close, so instead he laid his head gently against his chest.
Hal let out a squeak, but buried his nose closer to Dave's throat rather than flinch away. Still, Dave murmured, “Is this okay?” Perhaps a bit selfishly, just to hear the flustered notes of his voice.
“V-very okay...!” Hal stuttered out, voice an octave higher than normal. Dave grumbled happily, allowing himself to gather Hal fully in his arms to bring him even closer. He laid his hand on the crook of his waist, the other curled loosely over his neck. He could feel Hal's pulse radiating from his skin; the steady beat of an albatross’ wings, waves ebbing and flowing against the coast. A drumline Dave would readily march to.
It felt good to have his weight against him. David could lift Hal with one arm, even on a bad day, but the feeling of his upper body leaning against his own reminded him a bit of how Kaz's dogs would treat him like a spot to nap on sometimes. It was grounding- nice. Especially with how easy it was to look down and study Hal's features as much as he wanted- his smooth pale skin and the way his body moved as he breathed, his elegant lashes and soft hair, his slim, delicate frame-
Hal suddenly hummed and mumbled to himself. “Adagio,”
David blinked. “Hrngh?” Hal peered up through his bangs, his cheeks adorably squished against David's chest.
“Your heartbeat. It's playing in adagio.”
At those words, David could feel his cheeks slowly creep up with heat. Butterfly stuck in his sternum. Hal giggled into his neck, fingers skimming across the fabric of David's shirt. His touch was searing.
“Accelerando.” He teased. The drummer could only grumble in embarrassment, knowing his pulse would only quicken the longer Hal traced his finger in circles over his rabbiting heart. Anyone else would’ve balked at the idea of treating Shadow Moses High’s reformed delinquent in such a casual way, but here Hal was- stroking his collarbone like he was a lapdog. It was a feather-light touch, as if Hal was still uncertain about something.
“What’s wrong?” Dave gritted out, mentally wincing at how callous his words tumbled out. Luckily, Hal didn’t seem to be offended, only looking slightly shocked at how easily David saw through him. That expression fluttered for a moment and a familiar meekish air took root of Hal’s demeanor once more.
“I…” He began hesitantly. “What is this? What are we?” David looked down, trying to meet Hal’s eyes as reassurance, only to find that he had buried himself into his chest, shielding his gaze from the world. For as beautifully empathetic he could be, Hal could typically only see the world as it was presented to him- and that meant it was difficult for him to read between the lines. Dave thought back fondly to the many times Mei Ling's collection of proverbs became brutally butchered through the pianist's interpretation, no matter how hard she'd try to train him in the art of poetry.
More than that, Hal was just the kind of person who needed encouragement the same way a plant would need light. He'd never ask for it outright either, quivering at the slightest attempt to do so- as if expecting to be trampled on. David would gladly murmur praises to his ear until the stars gave out if he could see him bloom.
“I like you a lot,” He said frankly. He's pretty sure he's in love with him, but that was something else to deal with in the future. “More than just a friend. We can be anything you want to be.”
His words appeared to have coaxed Hal out of hiding, shining eyes staring wide at him. “I like you a lot too…! Maybe we can be b-boyfriends?” He whispered, disbelief still coloring his voice. David didn't think he was terribly picky, and would've been fine with whatever Hal suggested, but the sheer delight that hummed through his body made him feel like he was on Jupiter. He couldn't fight back the small smile on his face as the ending riff faded into a whisper.
“Yeah. Boyfriends.” Hal sighed happily and shifted even closer. “That's a good one.”