[Fuck I should have included that song, but oh well. This magical mystery tour leads...
...to somewhere in Viea Village. It seems to be leading him to the park and specifically the playground area of the park. Once Dave parks the car, the glove box seemingly opens on its own though with some examination it's easy to see John rigged the stupid thing somehow. There's a piece of paper taped to point at the button to open the trunk.
And should Dave actually open the trunk he'll find a handful of blankets and an extra jacket.
It's pretty quiet until a bunch of lights suddenly turn on at Dave's feet, leading a path toward a giant playground structure. The top of the structure's dark, and it's quiet outside but further down the path it's easier to hear the piano.
[ JOHN, FOR FUCK'S SAKE, NATALIE'S ADVICE WAS A MIX TAPE. NOT SPENDING HOWEVER LONG TO RIG A GLOVE BOX TO OPEN AND LIGHTS ON THE GROUND. what even is this like christmas lights or????
the blankets and jacket go into his sylladex because dave's at least listening but also stubborn about being cold or not. also i hope you realize he got back to wearing his ugly fucking sweater parade, so he's in this and his red skinny jeans for this.
[The song doesn't change at least and the thing is even if Dave can't see John yet from John's vantage point he has a clear shot of Dave from overhead. It's how he's tracking what's up. The lights also seem to darken after Dave walks away, solely following him. The snow's very obviously been blown away from the structure as well and though there are icicles on the nearby trees and fresh snow on the ground the area around them is pretty solid and smooth.
The piano plays and once Dave gets to the base of the structure he'll find that strings of Christmas lights turn on leading the path upward. The song's louder now and the top of the tower is still darkish, but there are a few lights around so that Dave can see as well.
Once Dave starts climbing though, if he bothers, John will change the song, and the higher that he climbs he'll notice that John's. Singing.
...look he fucked up, Dave wanted a serenade and this was close enough.
When Dave gets to the top of the structure he'll find a few things. A flat landing. A telescope. A clear view of the skies. And John playing and singing. His eyes aren't on Dave as Dave clears the gap but he's focused on the keys and it's probably a good guess that he's been out here for a While.
[ he shouldn't be able to see john, maybe, but he's used to being watched and he pauses and scans the area. there's no way he can make john out in the dark at this distance but he triangulates his roommate anyway, and after a second continues walking, hands shoved in his pockets against the cold or against nerves.
he'll climb up, though. there's obviously not any other choice here (he could run, but it's john, and it's music, and so he climbs and he doesn't do it slow because if he doesn't just move he's not sure he won't move in the wrong direction.
whatever that is.
...what will he do though? lean against the rail with his hands still in his pockets and eye john, and...consider. ]
[...now that Dave's actually up here and he's finished making himself look like a dumbass, it's easier to realize he's also a little nervous again. It's also easy to school his face into a slightly playful smile. Gotta try, at least. It's impossible to tell what Dave's thinking and it's too easy to let the doubt start to sneak up on him again.]
What, the keyboard? [He lifts his hands off of the keys, taking a step away.] All yours.
[ he'd ask how the fuck john got everything up here but > sylladex and > flight so that answers itself. dave pushes off the rail and goes over to the keyboard and does the annoying thing where he cracks his knuckles and his fingers and doesn't have the slightest hint of emotion in his expression. which...yeah, sorry john, that never helps with anything.
he also helpfully does the staring at john for a minute or so thing, like he's trying to figure him out. it is at least slightly less catlike and intense than it would be if he'd lose the shades, which he does not. ]
[They trade places and he watches Dave and he can’t quite figure out where this is going. For a moment he says nothing. ] Yeah. You have a different one for everybody pretty much.
Mhmm. Yours is that recording - you sang for me the one time. [ a few bars played though he figures john remembers. this isn't why he asked for the fucking keyboard, but. ] Before that it was from the mix you gave me on the second. Of October.
[ of course he remembers the date. this particular song and he does a few bars of that, too, idly. he starts up a few different ones, only snippets of each, and says a name every time he switches. ]
[There's a nod as he makes himself comfortable against the railing, listening and pinpointing the songs. He doesn't know what Dave's doing still, though he's a little flattered and slightly alarmed that Dave is using that particular thing for his ringtone. Still, he folds his arms over his chest and cants his head just slightly.]
They're good picks. [And good people. All of them. He has questions, but he's not asking. He's letting Dave take his time, given that Dave gave him that much.]
My tastes are impeccable always. [ HE SAYS, WEARING A FUCKING TRAVESTY OF A SUIT JACKET. ] So anyway. Shut up for a second.
[ there's a few aimless bars played and he doesn't look nervous but he is and he's pretty sure he cannot possibly be reading this wrong. a mix, maybe, because john always puts kind of questionable songs on his mixes, but this is all.
a little much for friendship maybe.
if he's misreading this he can just Die, jfc. ]
...And listen to the one I actually wanted to use. Kinda gonna be missin' some neat sound effects, but you cannot be blamed for only having a regular keyboard and not, like, a mix one - I'm distracting myself. Just listen.
[ but half of those songs coming out here were an answer and the other half sounded like a question, and if this is being done via music, fine, whatever.
it's dumb but honest, and he knows john isn't really up on rap so it's not just the music bars but the actual lyrics rapped quietly at dave's usual volume, or maybe a hair louder to be clearly enunciated.
he manages it without actually looking over at john for any part except "which is also you - interesting" which gets a slanted look that's as opaque as anything else he ever does, before looking back at his hands and finishing off with his gaze locked there, though, and the reason he specifically never used the ringtone after realizing he kind of wanted to was because it was a dumbfuck longshot. ]
[Well like. Dave's right. John doesn't know as much about rap as Dave himself does and this isn't something he recognizes at all so he's quietly listening and staying against the railing. He tries to catch Dave's eye when he looks at him but it's too fast and he continues to watch, a huff of amusement at some of the lyrics but mostly just...
...just...
...just. The song finishes and for a minute he's silently looking Dave over because that's definitely an answer. It's an answer to the question he's wanted to ask and he tries to think about what to say. How to say it, actually, in a way that isn't going to fuck this up again. So he moves from the railing back toward Dave, standing in front of him with the keyboard in between.]
...change it. [It's a whisper mostly, permission granted and he's hoping he can minimize his chances of burning things again if he's only saying two words.]
[ - why. no. what. john tried to do it in two words and that's the first thing out of dave's mouth without even thinking or meaning anything by it which is what tends to occur when he's flustered even when he doesn't actually look flustered.
he doesn't pull his hands up off the keys but doesn't play another note. ]
You know I love a good metaphor. But can we maybe dabble in explicit honesty for like five seconds and never again and be clear on what it is we're doin'. Because I'm pretty sure I didn't get it wrong, but this would be an astoundingly awkward thing to get wrong, dude, because I'm pretty sure we just asked one another out and you don't generally operate on any level of irony, and also there were like, lights and bullshit, but just to clarify?
[And there he goes. John sort of eyeballs Dave contemplatively while he rambles and there's a slight smile because that's kind of typical. He's getting better at reading him and he doesn't move, doesn't bother to try to touch him or anything yet but he lets Dave talk until he feels like stopping. It's then that he uses a hand to gesture.]
Wind. [A gesture to the moved snow.] Space. [A gesture to the sky.] Light. [A gesture to the path.] Time. [No gesture this time, but there's a crooked grin nevertheless.]
Just to clarify, I think...maybe...we've been kind of dating for a while without realizing it was dating. But maybe that's just me. I'm not great with subtleties sometimes.
Okay. The aspect thing wins you the sappy fuck of the universe award.
[ like. wow. okay.
he should put his hands in his pockets. he did not put on the spare jacket and he's already freezing. ]
...Sorry for skipping out on Saturday. I did the thing where I make somethin' up and go with it to try to distract from something else, and then I couldn't backtrack on it.
It actually just happened to work out this way but also, fuck off, you love it. [...right? Haha, anyway.]
It's...like. It's not fine. That was actually pretty terrible but I get it. I'm not mad or anything. And anyway it gave me some time to think a little more and put some stuff into perspective and that was when I realized that I was approaching this the entirely wrong way. [Another glance.] To further clarify, I am extremely into you even if it just felt normal in comparison to other crushes. It's probably why I failed to notice until I did and then freaked out about it.
If it helps I didn't spend the day with anyone else. I mean, I visited Malik, but that was it.
[ is he just blatantly not responding to the "you love it" part MAYBE ]
So...
[ so. uh. shit. ]
Okay. Like. [ he debates saying "the last time i did this" but the past three - well, two trainwrecks and karkat, two of which were in another life, do not need to be brought up right now. ] You're a day off with the telescope. The Geminid Meteor showers should start tomorrow.
You researched? [ he has to kind of laugh, but. ] Maybe if we stuck it out until like two am, but the thirteenth to the fourteenth is supposed to be the peak time.
[ and this is why dave's in charge of timeline management, maybe. ]
Grab anything you want to come with. [ sylladex it, he means. they'll come back to "now" later, but. ]
Yes I researched it. Or I tried to and was a day off apparently. [Don't laugh, that's rude.] I wouldn't mind spending that time with you but why wait? [The keyboard gets tossed into his sylladex and it's hard to say what else is in there already. The telescope goes, too.]
It's not like I'm doin' much with my nights. [ john says he's ready and dave drags them forward through time, guesstimating with his usual intuition around when he'll want to be. it's maybe haphazard but he's also going off the best viewing hours according to the astronomy sites he...follows...
fuck off?
it's the usual immediate travel, and when they're on the other side of when he doesn't actually drop john's hand. ]
[He knows he's timetraveled before. Or at least he's timejumped enough to know he should maybe be used to this but even so he doesn't let go of Dave's hand either when they reach the other side. He looks straight up at the sky instead to see if they're in the right place.]
Yes, well, the last couple of nights have gone into this so I think we're even. [That is to say he doesn't really care and he's content.] I thought this would be a good spot to set up since the observatory would be crowded and they'd probably get mad at us for being on their roof.
There's also the dorm roof or like a million others, but this is [ RIDICULOUS? HE FOLLOWED A MAP TO GET HERE? WITH A SOUNDTRACK? ] very 80s movie aesthetic.
[ the corner of his lips quirks upwards ever so slightly. ]
[There's a nervous laugh because yeah, that's true enough and he rubs the back of his neck for a moment.]
In a weird way, you're kind of the Diane to my Lloyd mixed with a little Jake to my Sam. Right next to me the whole time and me tripping over myself the whole time to get to you. There's a huge difference between us and them though.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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...to somewhere in Viea Village. It seems to be leading him to the park and specifically the playground area of the park. Once Dave parks the car, the glove box seemingly opens on its own though with some examination it's easy to see John rigged the stupid thing somehow. There's a piece of paper taped to point at the button to open the trunk.
And should Dave actually open the trunk he'll find a handful of blankets and an extra jacket.
It's pretty quiet until a bunch of lights suddenly turn on at Dave's feet, leading a path toward a giant playground structure. The top of the structure's dark, and it's quiet outside but further down the path it's easier to hear the piano.
Follow?]
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the blankets and jacket go into his sylladex because dave's at least listening but also stubborn about being cold or not. also i hope you realize he got back to wearing his ugly fucking sweater parade, so he's in this and his red skinny jeans for this.
which is you know
whatever
so yes we're following the path. ]
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The piano plays and once Dave gets to the base of the structure he'll find that strings of Christmas lights turn on leading the path upward. The song's louder now and the top of the tower is still darkish, but there are a few lights around so that Dave can see as well.
Once Dave starts climbing though, if he bothers, John will change the song, and the higher that he climbs he'll notice that John's. Singing.
...look he fucked up, Dave wanted a serenade and this was close enough.
When Dave gets to the top of the structure he'll find a few things. A flat landing. A telescope. A clear view of the skies. And John playing and singing. His eyes aren't on Dave as Dave clears the gap but he's focused on the keys and it's probably a good guess that he's been out here for a While.
What will you do, Dave?]
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he'll climb up, though. there's obviously not any other choice here (he could run, but it's john, and it's music, and so he climbs and he doesn't do it slow because if he doesn't just move he's not sure he won't move in the wrong direction.
whatever that is.
...what will he do though? lean against the rail with his hands still in his pockets and eye john, and...consider. ]
Hey, Mr. piano man. Let me borrow that.
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What, the keyboard? [He lifts his hands off of the keys, taking a step away.] All yours.
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he also helpfully does the staring at john for a minute or so thing, like he's trying to figure him out. it is at least slightly less catlike and intense than it would be if he'd lose the shades, which he does not. ]
...You know how I assign people ringtones?
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[ of course he remembers the date. this particular song and he does a few bars of that, too, idly. he starts up a few different ones, only snippets of each, and says a name every time he switches. ]
Rose [ hey brother ] Carmen [ shelter ] Minato [ internet personas ] Chiyo. [ pocketful of sunshine
anyway. most of those have obvious links. not all of them do, but he always has a damn reason. ]
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They're good picks. [And good people. All of them. He has questions, but he's not asking. He's letting Dave take his time, given that Dave gave him that much.]
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[ there's a few aimless bars played and he doesn't look nervous but he is and he's pretty sure he cannot possibly be reading this wrong. a mix, maybe, because john always puts kind of questionable songs on his mixes, but this is all.
a little much for friendship maybe.
if he's misreading this he can just Die, jfc. ]
...And listen to the one I actually wanted to use. Kinda gonna be missin' some neat sound effects, but you cannot be blamed for only having a regular keyboard and not, like, a mix one - I'm distracting myself. Just listen.
[ but half of those songs coming out here were an answer and the other half sounded like a question, and if this is being done via music, fine, whatever.
it's dumb but honest, and he knows john isn't really up on rap so it's not just the music bars but the actual lyrics rapped quietly at dave's usual volume, or maybe a hair louder to be clearly enunciated.
he manages it without actually looking over at john for any part except "which is also you - interesting" which gets a slanted look that's as opaque as anything else he ever does, before looking back at his hands and finishing off with his gaze locked there, though, and the reason he specifically never used the ringtone after realizing he kind of wanted to was because it was a dumbfuck longshot. ]
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...just...
...just. The song finishes and for a minute he's silently looking Dave over because that's definitely an answer. It's an answer to the question he's wanted to ask and he tries to think about what to say. How to say it, actually, in a way that isn't going to fuck this up again. So he moves from the railing back toward Dave, standing in front of him with the keyboard in between.]
...change it. [It's a whisper mostly, permission granted and he's hoping he can minimize his chances of burning things again if he's only saying two words.]
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[ - why. no. what. john tried to do it in two words and that's the first thing out of dave's mouth without even thinking or meaning anything by it which is what tends to occur when he's flustered even when he doesn't actually look flustered.
he doesn't pull his hands up off the keys but doesn't play another note. ]
You know I love a good metaphor. But can we maybe dabble in explicit honesty for like five seconds and never again and be clear on what it is we're doin'. Because I'm pretty sure I didn't get it wrong, but this would be an astoundingly awkward thing to get wrong, dude, because I'm pretty sure we just asked one another out and you don't generally operate on any level of irony, and also there were like, lights and bullshit, but just to clarify?
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Wind. [A gesture to the moved snow.] Space. [A gesture to the sky.] Light. [A gesture to the path.] Time. [No gesture this time, but there's a crooked grin nevertheless.]
Just to clarify, I think...maybe...we've been kind of dating for a while without realizing it was dating. But maybe that's just me. I'm not great with subtleties sometimes.
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[ like. wow. okay.
he should put his hands in his pockets. he did not put on the spare jacket and he's already freezing. ]
...Sorry for skipping out on Saturday. I did the thing where I make somethin' up and go with it to try to distract from something else, and then I couldn't backtrack on it.
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It's...like. It's not fine. That was actually pretty terrible but I get it. I'm not mad or anything. And anyway it gave me some time to think a little more and put some stuff into perspective and that was when I realized that I was approaching this the entirely wrong way. [Another glance.] To further clarify, I am extremely into you even if it just felt normal in comparison to other crushes. It's probably why I failed to notice until I did and then freaked out about it.
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[ is he just blatantly not responding to the "you love it" part MAYBE ]
So...
[ so. uh. shit. ]
Okay. Like. [ he debates saying "the last time i did this" but the past three - well, two trainwrecks and karkat, two of which were in another life, do not need to be brought up right now. ] You're a day off with the telescope. The Geminid Meteor showers should start tomorrow.
[ ...he holds out his hand. ]
Wanna see?
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Fuck, seriously? I though it was tonight. [Yes, well, what do you expect from someone who tends to pop around timelines doing whatever the fuck?
...but at the same time he looks at Dave's hand and he nods before tentatively taking it. They can talk about this in a bit.] Let's go.
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[ and this is why dave's in charge of timeline management, maybe. ]
Grab anything you want to come with. [ sylladex it, he means. they'll come back to "now" later, but. ]
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I think I'm ready.
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fuck off?
it's the usual immediate travel, and when they're on the other side of when he doesn't actually drop john's hand. ]
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Yes, well, the last couple of nights have gone into this so I think we're even. [That is to say he doesn't really care and he's content.] I thought this would be a good spot to set up since the observatory would be crowded and they'd probably get mad at us for being on their roof.
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[ the corner of his lips quirks upwards ever so slightly. ]
Which you've pointed out is your jam.
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In a weird way, you're kind of the Diane to my Lloyd mixed with a little Jake to my Sam. Right next to me the whole time and me tripping over myself the whole time to get to you. There's a huge difference between us and them though.
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Tell you what. If you can't guess by the time the shower's over I'll tell you. Deal?
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