[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.
That better be a promise, babe. [ AND MOVING RIGHT ALONG past the nickname: ] I'm assumin' the extra blankets I was tasked to ferry out are for some sort of makeshift fort here.
Mmhmmm. [He's also just going to brush right past the nickname because that's a thing to talk about Later. He gestures to the space at the top of the structure before he deploys a handful of pillows and a few more blankets.]
If we're going to be here for a while it doesn't make sense to freeze.
You know that if we want this to work you are going to have to kind of deal with shit like winter. [But he gets to work on making a cozy nest and setting up the telescope. ]
Uh. What? [Excuse, what the fuck, Dave.] When was this? [He would argue that that's a little extreme but also...it's Dave. Who took on a suicide mission to save the rest of them. So maybe not.]
...if I tell you you’ll want to do the thing, but yeah, Eren wants to fucking go snowboarding and I asked why he wanted to kill me but pointed out it was your kinda thing and he asked which was more important. [ dave: guess i’ll die ]
[Huh. He finishes setting up their nest and it's more or less a literal bird's nest with blankets and pillows all around in a large pile for them to sit in the middle and John considers that for a moment.]
Snowboarding sounds pretty fun. [RIP DAVE.] But since we're being open about weird shit we say to people, that first note was a text I sent someone. So I guess we are even?
no subject
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.]
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
...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.]
no subject
[ - 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?
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
I think I'm ready.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
[ the corner of his lips quirks upwards ever so slightly. ]
Which you've pointed out is your jam.
no subject
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.
no subject
no subject
Tell you what. If you can't guess by the time the shower's over I'll tell you. Deal?
no subject
no subject
If we're going to be here for a while it doesn't make sense to freeze.
no subject
That's implying that there was ever any sense in any human being spending any amount of time outdoors in the middle of winter ever.
no subject
You know that if we want this to work you are going to have to kind of deal with shit like winter. [But he gets to work on making a cozy nest and setting up the telescope. ]
no subject
[ to eren
about snowboarding ]
no subject
no subject
no subject
Snowboarding sounds pretty fun. [RIP DAVE.] But since we're being open about weird shit we say to people, that first note was a text I sent someone. So I guess we are even?
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...