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[parodeity]

DAVE STRIDER

consider this your warning about stairs. itll just keep happening bro. im telling you man

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[windeity]

[A slight pout. He doesn't entirely believe it, but their food arrives not long after along with an extra plate for Dave to portion the pasta out.]

If you say so. Anyway, it's just throwing a ball. No other rules. [An equally slight grin.] We can even put up the bumpers for you to make it easier.

[parodeity]

[ look...he worries about the whole straight thing sometimes (a lot of times) but he doesn’t think it’s remotely john’s issue. dave’s insecurities aren’t on his head. ]

I’ll have you know I have great aim?? [ he starts to portion the pasta, anyway. ] I’ll take you on, ball boy.

[windeity]

[Will Dave ever tell John this, probably not. And yet he's just lowkey worried even as Dave's portioning the pasta.]

If you are giving me a shitty jock nickname there has to be one better than "ball boy." But that sounds like a challenge to me, too.

[parodeity]

[ probably not!!! john gets to suffer not knowing. ]

Why would I want to give you a better one? Did you have a shitty jock nickname? And it can be a challenge if you want, I don’t care either way. Did you want it to be?

[ when he’s done he tugs his plate towards himself and twirls his fork idly. ]

[windeity]

[He's taking the rest and mirroring Dave's motions to eat.]

I had a couple of shitty jock nicknames, yes, but also I do not want a shitty jock nickname from you because I do not want to be a shitty jock anymore. And no, I guess not. I'll text the girls sometime soon and see about doing it then.

[parodeity]

Do I get to hear what the shitty jock nicknames were, though?

[windeity]

Gambit. [Which is dumb and kind of embarrassing now that he thinks about it, but he's just eating his noodles and shutting up.] And Sharkbait when I was starting out.

[parodeity]

...and the story behind each is?

[windeity]

I hadn't hit my growth spurt yet by the time I started freshman year, so being kind of short and scrawny I ended up tricking opposing teams because I looked like an easy target. [His hand comes up for an air quote.] "Shark bait."

...and then the tables turned, I got better at the game and...well, you know what a gambit is?

[parodeity]

Tricks. [ he’s doing that inscrutable watching thing again, neutral and calm. ]

[windeity]

[The air quote hand is up still and there's a flick of his wrist before a playing card appears in his palm.]

Exactly. A risk, a trick, and a strategy.

[parodeity]

[ there’s a barely there twitch of his lips. ] You prepped magic tricks?

[windeity]

Maybe one or two. [There's a semi-hopeful grin?] Is it too much to say I don't need them because being with you is magical enough?

[Look he absolutely knows he's playing up the cheese factor but he's hoping to at least get Dave to smile.]

[parodeity]

I dunno, blue eyes, you prepped ‘em so you may as well try to wow me?

[ because he’s curious and distracted, having succeeded in moving his pasta around a lot as he watches john. presumably he will eat it in a little. ]

[windeity]

[Dave please eat your food, god. But John's giving him a mischievous look as he shrugs a little and grabs a napkin to start folding something.]

What, Christmas wasn't enough to wow you? [And now they're both not eating because they're idiots, that's good.]

[parodeity]

[ no he wants magic now ]

Should I expect to never be wowed again, Egbert? Weak.

[windeity]

Eventually I will have to come up with some new tricks is all. [He's still busy with his origami project.] What happens if I never can wow you ever again?

[parodeity]

When the magic disappears? [ he twirls his pasta. ] Depends what’s left behind in the ashes, doesn’t it? I think there’s more to life than that.

[windeity]

I think so, too. And the thing about ashes is that better things can come from them.

[And speaking of ashes, John glances around before pulling out what looks like a a packet of matches he procured somewhere. The origami's finished and it looks like a paper rose. He lifts his eyebrows and he glances at Dave again before promptly lighting the edge of the rose on fire.

The napkin starts to burn but there's a light breeze over the table to control the flames, ashes beginning to pile up before the napkin completely burns. There's something sticking out of the ashes then. Pick it up?]

[parodeity]

...I cannot believe I set you up for a trick.

[ he’s obviously picking it up ]

[windeity]

This is not my fault. [And of course when he picks up the the object from the ashes it's a red rose bud with a small stem.]

[parodeity]

[ dave twirls that instead of his fork. ]

Okay, I’ll admit it. You must have wowed all your dates every time. [ he kind of wants to ask for another trick, but he doesn’t. ] Somehow I don’t think you ever run out of tricks.

[windeity]

Only the really important ones. [Which is to say this is probably a very very rare occasion, if at all.] I try to keep up to keep things interesting, but I am not always that great at it.

[parodeity]

Flatterer. [ but john gets the smallest flicker of a smile. ] You’re not the only one who can do sleight of hand, you know.

[windeity]

[He'll take that as a victory!!! But he's grinning anyway and giving Dave a pleased look.] Yeah? Are you going to make that pasta disappear?

[Not that he's doing much better.]