A/N: You know, I actually thought about writing a sex scene for this or at least implying it, but that just didn't feel right. I personally don't think that sex is sacred and should be saved until marriage, but Karkat - being the hopeless romantic that he is - probably does. That's his character, and I don't really want to change him just for some lame, mildly arousing stimuli. So have some DaveKat that isn't rated M.

To your surprise and slight confusion, Dave doesn't mention the bathroom incident for the rest of the day. He stays with you for most of the school day, walks you home, and then leaves without coming inside like you expected. You assume that he's giving you space out of fear that he made you uncomfortable or angry, so you do your best to not think about it.

He doesn't even bring it up the next day when he's walking you to school. He doesn't say much of anything, actually, but you can't complain. It's works out for both of you. Dave clearly needs some time to indulge in his thoughts, and you don't think that you'll be capable of anything except that until this dance that's happening tonight.

Because holy Hell are you nervous. You think that you have become the very embodiment of nervous, because that's all you feel anymore. Kanaya was waiting by your locker this morning, and she handed you your backpack holding your tailored suit, both of which you had completely forgotten about. You should have felt relieved or happy, but you didn't. Just more nervous jitters as you tucked the backpack safely in your locker before Dave could ask what it held.

Not even Kanaya's promise to stop by early with Rose to check on you made you feel any better. You are empty of awareness and the ability to care. Admittedly, it's not that different from how you usually act, except now you mean it.

If there's one good thing about how dazed you are, it's that school is over so fast that it makes your head spin. It seems like you were just sitting in first period and then you blinked and were standing on your porch. You wish every day passed like that.

You mumbled a quick goodbye to Dave, and he distractedly gave you a kiss on your forehead before turning and leaving. You don't even think that he realized he did it, but it was still nice.

You step inside, and barely have two seconds to yourself before the weight of what's going to happen in just four hours hits you like a brick. Or a truck. Or something else that's heavy and hurts a lot. You're not nervous anymore, which is good, but that's only because you're too fucking terrified to be nervous.

You've been to the dance before, of course. During your first year, you went with John as friends. He spent the whole time dancing and talking with Dave's older sister, and you spent most of the time pretending that you didn't want to end your suffering on top of one of the nearby tables. The second year was better. You and Jade went as friends instead, and had a pretty good time, actually. You're ashamed to admit that you were crushing on her just a bit, but your feelings for her never went beyond a slight twinge. You do appreciate your friendship with Jade, though. She's a great girl, but not your type.

Actually, when you think about your type, you see someone who's tall, fit but not overly muscular, pale, blonde, and-

You know what? Never mind. You don't have a type. And even if you did (which you don't), there wouldn't be time to think about it. Because you're on the verge of a break down, and you are flipping the fuck out.

You grab your backpack and duck into the bathroom to get changed. The dance is technically in four hours, but you don't care. You need to be ready. More than ready, you need - shit - future vision, or something. You don't know what to expect for tonight. Dave could be genuinely trying to treat you like his boyfriend, or he could be setting you up for another bucket-full-of-water prank. Or something could go wrong, and he cancels at the last minute, or worse, he could get here early.

So many variables, and so little time to panic over each and every one of them.

You think that Kanaya is going to be here about a half an hour before Dave, and that makes you feel a little bit better. At the very least, the thought has calmed you down enough to open your backpack and pull your suit out without creasing the perfectly smoothed cloth. Kanaya really went all-out on these, actually. She ironed them all very carefully, to the point that the only wrinkles are where she folded the clothes to fit into your backpack.

It's all very impressive, and you pause for a moment to ponder if Kanaya is some sort of goddess before you decide that you're stupid and should just get dressed. You strip carelessly, tossing your clothes wherever, and take much more care with getting clothes on. Your hands are shaking, but you manage to get dressed without ruining your 's the easy part. The hard part is tying your tie. You think you saw a diagram for this once. You can totally do this.

You thread the tie under your collar, and cross the thicker end over top of the thinner bit. Then you… fold the bigger part under the thin part, and…

This is stupid.

Kanaya knows how to tie a tie. She can help you with it. And if not, well… ties aren't you thing anyway. It won't surprise anyone if you show up with an untied tie. They're stupid, anyway.

Well, your suit is one thing you can check off of your mental checklist. It actually fits pretty well, like a glove. It's very nice. You actually look… right in it, and not like a three year old wearing clothes ten sizes too big. It's a nice change. You make a mental note to thank Kanaya when she gets here in - you push up your sleeve to check your watch - three hours and fifteen minutes.

And you're back to waiting.

You manage to pass some time by finally finishing that TV show you love. Unfortunately, there's only three episodes you haven't watched yet, and while Rick and Morty is a fantastic show, you do not have the patience to sit through episodes you've already seen five times. Especially not after a cliffhanger like the one they just dropped on you. Unbelievable. You never thought that cruelty like this could exist in the comprehensible universe, but you guess you were wrong. At least season three is coming out soon.

When you check the time again, you are happy to see that Kanaya's visit is only two hours away. You've been careful not to roll around too much on the couch, lest your suit get wrinkled, and you hope that Dave appreciates the effort. He doesn't appreciate much, but he better appreciate this.

You lay on the couch for about ten minutes, thinking about nothing in particular, before you decide to do something else to pass the time. You tap your fingers against the side of the couch impatiently while you think.

Predictably, you think about Dave. He is your date for today's event, so of course you'll be thinking about him. You're still not entirely sure about your feelings for him. You've warmed up to him quite a bit during these past few months, and that confuses you. He acts as if you and him have always been close, and that he wasn't the biggest pain in your ass for the better part of two years. You wish you knew why. You were expecting him to play the passive-aggressive card, where he's still kind of a dick, but is somehow even more charming that before. But that's not what happened. Dave is… a great boyfriend. You hate to admit it, but he is. He's sweet and considerate and a great kisser. He's always looking out for you, and you've never seen him flirt with anyone else.

Actually, you've never seen him flirt at all. How does he get a girlfriend without ever flirting? Wait. Does he flirt with you? You think he does, but you're not sure. The only kind of flirting you're certain about is the kind that's used in your romcoms, but when it comes to Dave, you might as well through that knowledge out the window for all the good it does you.

Someone should write a book about this. But with anyone else as the main character. You don't think you'd make a good main character in a book or a movie or anything in between. Maybe you could be the sassy supporting character or the best friend, but that's it.

Speaking of characters, you wonder what role your friends would play in the shitty soap opera that is your life. Kanaya and Rose are the stereotypical lesbian couple, of course. Where people think that one can't exist without the other, even though they're both separate people. And John is the straight guy. The one who sort of balances out all this gay shit. You could see Terezi and Jade as the same type of character. The female friend who doesn't put up with bullshit and makes sure that the love interests aren't stupid enough to remain completely oblivious to the feelings of the other. And Gamzee is the stoner friend that's mostly there for atmosphere or when it's convenient to the story. Sollux is the computer nerd that every friend group seems to have, and-

Shit. That makes you and Dave the oblivious love interests, doesn't it? It's a good thing you don't love each other. At the most, this whole dating thing has taught you that you and Dave could have been friends if you had first met in any other way. Maybe if you had been on good terms from the start you would "love" him, but as it stands, you don't.

But maybe he loves you? It wouldn't be the weirdest thing to ever happen to you, but it's up there. You don't see why Dave would love you. If he had any nice intentions, he would have apologized on the first day like Jade did and - fuck - asked you out or something. But as it stands, he clearly isn't interested in anything serious or long-term. He told you that he wanted to play a game, and that's what this is. A game. You're a toy. Something to amuse him until graduation, where he will crush your heart when you no doubt confess your love like the gullible dope you are.

This is something that should make you sad. It doesn't. Being sad would mean that you had been hoping for Dave's feelings to be genuine the whole time. And you don't want that. You don't want him to love you, because you don't love him, and you'd rather not break his heart. Your discovery about Dave's intentions just makes you mad - like everything else. Maybe you should start playing seriously. You should actually try to make Dave fall for you. That way, when this is all over, it hurts him just as much as he wanted to hurt you. Dave is playing a sick game, but you're sicker. You can turn the tables like he wouldn't believe.

A sudden knock at the door jolts you from your thinking, and you're incredibly surprised to see that it's already 5:30. Holy shit. Did you really spend two fucking hours just thinking about you and Dave and your role in a horrible romance movie?

You hate yourself right now. Well, more than usual at least.

You open the door, and are immediately struck speechless by how… perfect Kanaya looks in her fancy dress. You're not ashamed to admit that she's the very embodiment of a lady, no matter how much of a sister she is to you. Pretty is still pretty, okay? And she matched the color theme, too. Impressive.

She's wearing a light, icy blue, which is new, but not at all bad. It looks great on her. Her dress only has one sleeve, as her right shoulder is bare. The blue ends just below her stomach, trailing behind her down to her ankles, and she has a skirt the color of snow that ends just below her knees. She compliments the look with a pair of black pumps, and has done her make-up in black, too. Black lips, black eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and whatever else girls use to make themselves up. Strangely, she looks paler than usual. Almost more pale than a troll should be, but you chalk that up to the lighting and all the black she's outlined her features with. Anyone else would look trashy in that get up, but her? Not a chance. Kanaya could probably make a garbage bag look good without even trying.

"Well, you look charming." She says, humor lacing her words as her lips stretch into a small smile. You don't get to reply before her hands are on your collar. She presses it flat, smoothing it with her thumbs, and then move on to your tie. You're not even going to wonder how Kanaya can tie something that fast. Or even how anyone can. The important thing is that you quickly end up with a tied tie. You're even going to overlook how tight she tied it. Knowing you, it will probably come undone by the end of the night even if she glued it together.

"I hope you don't mind if I take pictures." Rose speaks up from behind her girlfriend. Kanaya moves inside to make room for her date, and you get about three seconds to process the large camera in her hands before a bright light goes off and blinds you.

"Fuck, Lalonde!" You shout, digging your palms into your eyes as white spots fade in and out of your vision. "We already have a blind person in our friend group! Turn that Hellish flash off for Christ's sake!"

You blink rapidly, trying to fix your vision, and you hear them move deeper into the house. One of them - Kanaya, you think - pulls you over to the couch and sits you down. The door shuts just after, followed by the sound of skirts swishing as Rose (you're certain that it's Rose) sits in the nearby chair. When you can see properly again, you are so not going to describe her dress. That will show her. "Hm. Perhaps you're right." She hums thoughtfully, and you think she's tinkering with her camera. "The picture came out very nice, but that was a little overkill. I'll adjust the flash."

You hiss lowly, rubbing your eyes. Your vision is coming back at least, but everything is still a little off. It's kind of unnerving, and you're secretly glad that Kanaya is choosing to comfort you rather than sit with Rose. Well, technically, the chair can only hold one person, but you've seen them do the gross couple thing where they sit on the other's lap. You're glad that they're sparing what's left of your vision.

"What's with the pictures, anyway?" You ask, looking over at Rose. Or in her general direction. One of the two. Shit, how powerful even is her camera? "Who do you think is going to want to remember this disaster?"

Rose shrugs, flipping through some pictures already on the device. "Our parents, for one. School dances are apparently a big deal. That's their favorite romantic movie trope. It's embarrassing."

"Your parents?" You speak up, immediately interested. Dave never talks about his family beyond Rose. The only reason you know that he has an older brother and sister is because they were seniors when you were a freshman. But beyond that? You have no idea.

She nods in reply, glancing over at before looking back down. "Yes. Our parents wanted me to take pictures of this occasion. They bought the camera, after all. You know…" She changes the topic before you can interrupt, a small smile on her lips. "...if you like, Karkat, I can tell you what our family tree looks like. A fair warning, though. It's a tad complicated and more than a little ridiculous."

You don't care how complicated her stupid family is. You want to know everything about Dave that you can. For, er, strategy, of course! Yeah. Sure. You nod, giving Rose your full attention. You notice that Kanaya looks to be interested to. Maybe Dave isn't the only secretive one in the Strider-Lalonde family. It's weird that they have different last names, but you think that Rose is about to explain that, so you stay quiet.

She clears her throat, getting comfortable as she turns to face you fully. You hope that you didn't accidentally sign up for a chapter's worth of exposition. "Me and Dave are half-siblings. We share the same father, and two different genetic mothers. That's where our older brother and sister come in. See, before my parents actually met, Dave's dad was in an affair with a married women. Apparently, neither man knew about the other, and when the woman's husband found out, he left her. Understandably." Rose nods a little at this part, her hands clasped in front of her seriously. "At the time, Dave's mom had a son. She was in a mess, trying to figure out how to care for a child with no husband, and it only got worse when she found out she was pregnant with Dave. Seeing as how she hadn't had sex with her husband in almost a year, the baby could only belong to her secret lover. So once it was born, she left both of her children with him and disappeared."

You frown in distaste shaking your head. "Wow. What a bitch. I'm almost glad she left. She clearly would not have made a good mother in even the loosest definition."

Rose hums in agreement, smiling wide. "Agreed. It all worked out in the end, though. Afterwards, Dave's dad met my mom. She also had a child, who is, today, my older sister. I was the cause of their union. Neither of them had been very good at protection, so the marriage happened far sooner than it should have. After only a month or two of knowing each other. The good news is, it's still going strong. They're more in love than they ever have been. And all while balancing incredibly successful careers. It's almost an inspiration." She finishes with a small sigh.

You're glad she told you, but that was a little ridiculous. Kind of stupid too, but you suppose that if every family was normal, the world would be a very boring place. "Careers?" You blink, remembering that she mentioned their jobs briefly. "What do they do for a living, anyway?"

"Oh. They both-" She goes to say, when a knock at the door interrupts her.

You tense, and climb to your feet. Nervous or not, this is your house and your boyfriend, and you're going to answer the damn door. Kanaya stops you though, fixing your tie and smoothing out your shirt. You would be annoyed if it was anyone else, but this is Kanaya. You know that she wants Dave to like how you look just as much as you do. Finally, she gives you a reassuring smile and pushes you towards the door. You sigh, taking a deep breath, and open the door.

You take one look at Dave before you groan, rolling your eyes. "You, Dave Strider, are the biggest asshole that I have ever had the displeasure of meeting." You tell him. The dance has a theme. Blue and white. And what does Dave show up in? Red. Bright fucking red that hurts your eyes to look at. He can't even wear the color as an undershirt, or something (the undershirt he is wearing, for convenient reference, is black). His entire suit is red. His pants, at least, are a darker shade of red, which helps balance the outfit out. He had the decency to wear a white bowtie, but it seems to be more of a mockery to the dress theme than anything.

He stays quiet for a moment, and you can't be sure, but you think he's looking at you. You hope he's looking at you. For non-romantic purposes, obviously. He snaps out of his daze after a few seconds, and steps closer. You stiffen, and he does something that you weren't expecting. He presses a kiss to your cheek, smiling softly. "You look great, babe." Dave mutters into your ear, one hand reaching down to give yours a gentle squeeze.

Now it's your turn to be dazed. He just- turned the tables on you without even trying. You should be mad, but you aren't. Your cheek burns where his lips touched it, and once again, you find yourself questioning his motives. Does he care about you genuinely, or not? You can't tell anymore.

Rose holds up her camera expectantly, and he scowls. "Did you turn the flash off?" He asks, crossing his arms.

"Doesn't matter." Rose smirks. "Mom and dad want to see this mysterious boyfriend of yours, and since you refuse to bring him over, pictures are the only thing that will satisfy them." She pauses. "Besides outright stalking and kidnapping, I mean."

Dave sighs, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you close. You swallow a small squeak of surprise, resting one hand on his chest on impulse. Blush makes it's way to your cheeks, and you pray to God that it doesn't show up in the picture.

Luckily, Rose has relented and the flash is off. She takes about five pictures of you and Dave in various positions that he makes up on the spot, before deciding that she's satisfied. You hope that Dave's parents approve. You get the feeling that they'd be happy as long as he's happy, though.

"M'Lady." Dave taps your shoulder, and you turn to him with a scowl. This does nothing to dampen his grin, and he opens the front door for you with a flourish. "Your chariot awaits."

At this, you can't help but smile. You quickly hide it, but not before Dave sees and his own smile widens. You step outside, the other three trailing out behind you, and are pleasantly surprised to see a limo pulled up outside of your house.

Your eyes widen, and you shoot a glance at the ever-smug Dave. "Holy shit." You breathe. You've never even seen a limo in real life, let alone rode in one. "Is that…?" You ask, brow furrowed in confusion as you look over at Dave.

He nods, pressing a kiss to your forehead before leading you over to the vehicle, one arm around your waist all the while. "Yeah. Me and Rose are class acts, Karkat. We like to treat our dames to only the finest accommodations." He smiles down at you, and you are faintly aware of Kanaya giving Rose a kiss as thanks.

Should you… kiss Dave? Is that how you thank someone for renting a limo for you? You're not sure. No one has ever treated you to a limo ride. Or anything at all. Dave is your first real relationship. You're not going to count the embarrassing, passive-aggressive bullshit that you and Terezi did for an entire year. You want to completely forget about that.

You're seriously considering kissing Dave. Just a peck. And he looks like he's waiting for you to do it, too. But then Rose and Kanaya announce that they're going to leave without you two if you don't get in the limo already, and you've missed your chance. Then again, this is a dance you're going to. You should have plenty of chances to sneak in a kiss.

Right?

The ride in the limo is short lived (though not at all disappointing) and you soon arrive at the school for this dance. And, just like you suspected, Dave sticks out like a sore thumb. Literally, thanks to all the red he's wearing. At the very least, it shouldn't be hard to find him in a crowd. Everyone else more or less matches the dress code, with splashes of darker blue (John, of course) here and there. This is likely because the boys were made to match their dates. You're not sure why, but something about a school dance with a dress code and a cheesy slogan makes girls wet.

The gym actually impresses you. The planning committee for this year really went all out, likely because this year, Rose was finally old enough to be the task manager. That girl is so good at organizing people that it sometimes scares you.

White and blue streamers hang from the ceiling, and from these streamers hangs little snowflakes. They dot the room, hanging from their own separate string if they're too big or out of the way. It has a sort of Harry Potter feel to it, and it automatically earns your admiration. There's a DJ booth directly across from the doors, though the person manning it has a pretty shitty idea of good music. Piles of fake snow at littered around the floor, with a light sprinkling anywhere everywhere else. Even the unofficial dance floor, which is the whole first floor of the gym.

Did you mention that your gym has two floors? Stairs against the wall on either side of the room lead up to two separate, smaller gyms. Here, there are tables for couples to sit at and most likely do other, less school appropriate things.

The food tables are pushed up against the back wall next to the stairs, and it is distinctly Christmas and holiday themed. You make a mental note to avoid the table at all costs, unless, of course, you get pathetically desperate. The lights have been tinted blue, and soft classical Christmas music plays in the background. This is a winter formal after all. You're certain that, just like the previous two years, someone will spike the punch at around 8 and then anything formal goes out the window. But for now, you're just going to enjoy it while everyone is still sober.

There's a little photo area set up by the entrance for couples to get a "touching memento" with interchangeable backgrounds. Rose and Kanaya eagerly head over. You, of course, do not. Dave seems to appreciate this, and quickly pulls you off to the side of the room.

You think that he's going to try and kiss you while the dance supervisors aren't looking for kids snogging in the corner, but he doesn't. Instead, he makes what is possibly the biggest mistake that someone can make during a dance.

"Karkat, can you give me a few minutes to sort something out?" He asks, tossing irritated looks over his shoulder as he talks. "This DJ obviously knows jackshit about anything, so I figured that I could teach him how to do a semi-decent job. I can't stand this trash, let alone dance to it." Dave explains.

You can't believe that he's making this mistake. If there's one thing you've learned from your romcoms, it's that you never leave your dates to do something else. Once you do that, that gives the real love interest and/or the unappealing alternative the opportunity to make a move. At the very least, Eridan lives in Florida. According to Feferi, he can act rather… repulsive at dances once he's gotten into the spiked punch. And considering that he reportedly had a crush on you at one point, you do not want to be there for that.

Despite the many alarms going off in your head, you sigh internally, nodding some. "Yes, please. Educate this degenerate piece of shit. I'll be upstairs, praying for his rapid improvement under your masterful wig."

If he notices the sarcasm in your voice, he doesn't say anything about it. Dave hugs you quickly, pressing a messy kiss to your cheek before heading off. "Thanks, you're the best." He tells you with a relieved smile.

And by the time you recover from that kiss, he's already lost in the rapidly growing crowd. You hate when Dave is sweet. It just further cloaks his dickish personality.

Still, with nothing better to do, you climb the stairs to the second floor seating area and prepare to wait. This is sad, even for you, but what else are you supposed to do? Your friends are either not here or busy with their dates. Unlike you.

You wish that you could complain, but to be fair, you do notice a noticeable improvement in the DJ's skills once Dave starts helping him. From your position overlooking the first floor gym, it's easy to see your "date" helping out the pathetic fuck. The guy seems to genuinely appreciate Dave's advice. You, on the other hand, don't. You didn't even know that Dave had a serious interest in music, let alone DJ-ed at what sounds like an above average level. It's amazing and makes you think.

You really don't know a lot about Dave. He does a good job of keeping his personal life to himself, and you do a good job of not caring. Well, not anymore. From now on, you want to know all there is to know about Dave Elizabeth Strider. You had to learn his middle name from John for God's sake! And that's only because he likes to use Dave's name when he gets really upset with his friend, for a variety of reasons. It doesn't happen very often, admittedly. Only about once or twice for the entirety of the three years you've lived in this town.

You know Dave's favorite color. It's red, though you have no idea why. You know that his favorite subject is math because it's so easy for him, and you know that he's fluent in ASL. You know that he's somewhat ashamed of his parents and is very private. Other than that? Not much. Just little bits and pieces of his personality that you've picked up here and there. You know that he's not as calm and collected as he pretends to be, and that his walls are thicker than you give him credit for. You also know that he, for whatever reason, is very interested in you. This leaves you confused beyond any other puzzle that you have ever encountered.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" A voice snaps you out of your wandering thoughts, and you turn away from Dave to look up at Jade.

You're about to tell her to go away, but she, of course, sits in the seat across from you without waiting for a reply. She's alone, which surprises you. You thought for sure that a girl like Jade would have a date. She's pretty, nice, has a contagious smile, and is a lot smarter than people give her credit for. You don't really want to ask about her love life, but asking questions is the only way you're going to get to know Dave better, so maybe you could ask her just for practice? Yeah. Why not, right?

You clear your throat awkwardly, and she looks up from her phone to stare at you. "So, uh, where's your date?" You ask after a pause, resisting the urge to tug on your collar. That's the number one tell that someone is nervous, and you're not nervous, dammit! You're perfectly confident.

Jade smiles, and holds her phone up for you to see. "Here." She tells you. She has Pesterchum open, and she scrolls through the chat so that you can see just how extensive the walls and walls of green and orange text are.

And you have to admit. You're impressed.

"You're dating the orange text guy?" You ask, confused. You know that Jade is straight, so male pronouns should be fine. This isn't Tumblr, after all. You doubt that she gives a shit one way or the other about what pronouns you use for the color of text.

She nods, bringing her phone back and typing out a quick reply before turning it off. "Yeah. Dave introduced me to his cousin in Texas through video chat, and we just kind of clicked." Jade giggles, wrapping a strand of her brown hair around her finger. "It took him a year to work up the courage to ask me out, though. Can you believe it?"

You're happy that Jade is in a nice relationship, but a part of you can't help but feel bitter. Her boyfriend is in Texas, and even he's spending time with her at this dance. Meanwhile, your date is perfectly in reach. He just has better things to do, you suppose.

"Thinking about Dave?" Jade asks suddenly, interrupting your thoughts once again.

You blink, and then cringe, giving her your best apologetic look. She had probably been talking to you, and what were you doing? Ignoring her in favor of indulging in self-depreciation. "Sorry, Jade, I was just-" You go to say, and she holds up a hand, smiling softly.

"Don't worry about it, Karkat." She sighs, shaking her head. "I know that dating Dave can be trying. Especially since it's so hard for him to open up."

She just keeps smiling and smiling at you, as if she's waiting for you to figure out… something. You're about to ask what she's looking at you for, and then everything clicks and your jaw goes slack. "You mean that you and Dave…?"

Her smile is still there, but now it's nervous and hesitant. "Yeah." She confirms, nodding. "Just for a little while. We kept it between the two of us. I'm sure you've noticed by now that Dave values his privacy." Then, her smile drops completely and she grimaces. "Maybe a little too much, actually."

This, you can agree with. Dave is far too private. You know that there's probably a good reason for this, like maybe childhood trauma, but you still don't like it.

"Jade, can you tell me about Dave?" You ask suddenly, reaching across the table and taking her hand in yours to make it clear how serious you are. Touching people is something that you're not normally okay with, and she knows this.

She looks from your conjoined hands, then up at you, then back at your hands, until you're worried that she's stuck in a loop. And finally, Jade sighs, giving your hand a little squeeze. "What do you want to know?" She raises an eyebrow.

You assume that there are going to be some things she won't answer, out of respect for her friend's privacy, but there is probably still a lot that is allowed, so why not something simple? You think for a moment, and then you have your question ready. "What are his interests?" Christmas is coming up soon, so why not be prepared? With as little as you know about Dave right now, you'd rather shoot yourself in the foot than try to find a thoughtful, meaningful gift for him.

Jade begins talking immediately. You guess that she really does know Dave better than you. "He likes photography." She begins. "Not color - he takes really pretty black and white ones, and he has his own darkroom at home. It's top secret, though. I keep telling him that his pictures are fantastic, but he still thinks that it's a lame hobby. He writes raps in his free time, and for the most part, they're pretty good. He spins his own music, or makes remixes with his turntables. He has this weird collection of preserved dead things that makes him really uncomfortable, but he won't tell me why he keeps them or how he even finds so many dead things." Jade pauses, giving you a look that you don't quite understand. "And he likes you." You expect this to be said with a knowing smirk, but instead, she looks completely serious. Eerily serious, and it's making you uncomfortable.

You clear your throat, gently pulling your hand from hers and resisting the urge to shift in your seat. "So, uh, do you know why he likes me?" This, you think, is the most important question you could possibly ask, if only because your curiosity is almost overwhelming. You always thought that Dave hated you, but if the past few months have told you anything, it's that he cares about you. Are his feelings honest? You're not sure. And, more importantly, do you want those feelings to be real? You… don't want to think about that question just yet. You don't think that you're ready for the answer.

"He-" She begins to say, only to be cut off when someone clears their throat behind her. You bite your tongue, holding back a groan of disappointment. Dammit, you were so close!

Dave has his hand on her shoulder, and he seems completely at ease as he smiles down at Jade. "You're not turning my boyfriend against me, are you?" He asks, humor lacing his words.

Laughing, Jade stands up, giving Dave a brief hug. "Wouldn't dream of it." She grins. Her phone chimes in her hand, and you know without needing to ask who the text is from. "Now, while I sweep my boyfriend off his feet, why don't the two of you share a dance before the music quality drops again?" Jade suggests brightly. It's dark in the gym, but the wink she gives you is clear as day. Hopefully, your blush is not as obvious.

There's a pause, and then Dave nods slowly, looking over at you. "Great idea, Jade." He compliments. You think that an unspoken moment is shared between them, because she mouths a quick "good luck" at you before scurrying away to reply to the orange text. Dave offers his hand to you, smiling like a perfect gentleman, and your stomach drops to your feet. "So, what do you say, Karkat? Wanna dance?"

Even if he wasn't your boyfriend, you don't think that you would have been able to say no. Dave has a certain charm about him that makes people want to say yes to even his most ridiculous requests.

So it's no surprise when you take his hand, albeit with plenty of hesitance. He doesn't seem to notice this, and pulls you to your feet. You're both still on the second floor, so he leads you down the stairs to the dance floor. On the way down, you notice him share a nod with the DJ, who responds by giving him a thumbs up. You watch him adjust some knobs and dials and the slider things that you see in movies, and then select a new soundtrack from his playlist.

The generic pop song that was playing in the background transitions smoothly into a slow song, and you're dimly aware that it's one of your favorites. You haven't heard it since before your dad died, but it's still just as good as ever. Little Wonders, by Rob Thomas, you think. ((And yes, you should listen to this song while reading this part.)) You'll have to look it up when you get home, but for now…

You and Dave step onto the first floor, weaving your way through the crowd. It's about 6:45, and the formal started at 6, so most people are here by now. As such, you expect that working through the crowd will be hard, but Dave navigates the sea of bodies with ease. He stops towards the center of the group, and takes your other hand in his. He puts it on his shoulder and you, taking the hint, do the same with your other hand. He holds your waist loosely, gently, and almost… unsure. It's hard to tell through his stupid poker face, but you think that Dave is nervous. You don't blame him. You are, too. You're kind of always nervous around him.

The lyrics start in the background, and you can hear them perfectly. You expected people to be talking, but one glance around shows couples dancing like you and he are. Unlike you and he though, they look perfectly at ease. The girl with her head resting on his chest, and some couples are even kissing. You look back to Dave, who looks stiff in his tux and not anywhere near as comfortable as he was when he picked you up earlier. You rest a hand on his chest, shuffling forward a bit, and that seems to wake him up. Dave sways to the side ever so slightly, and you follow suit, letting him lead.

The dance is a little awkward and really improvised, but you find yourself smiling anyway. You and him are turning in a slow circle, swaying back and forth to the slow, steady beat. It's nothing like you imagined it would be, but it's better in its own right.

"Hey, Karkat?" He says quietly about halfway through the song.

You lift your head up (when did you lay against his chest?) and look at him with big eyes. "Yeah?" You blink. He doesn't look very good. Did you do something wrong?

He doesn't say anything immediately, and your attention turns back to the lyrics. "Time falls away, but these small hours- these small hours, still remain." You think that these words can apply to your situation in an odd way. Especially the verse that follows. You don't remember the exact words too well, so you attempt to listen, but Dave opens his mouth and his words take center stage instead.

"I just… I'm really glad you agreed to be my boyfriend." He tells you slowly.

His eyes are burning holes in your soul, and for the first time in a long while, you feel uncomfortable under his gaze. "What do you mean?" You ask, just as hush-hush as him. "I always thought you hated me."

Now you're both uncomfortable. Dave's head tilts a little to the left, meaning that he's looking away from you. "I… could never hate you, Karkat." His expression looks a little pained, and you frown. What is that supposed to mean? He never hated you? Then why did Dave always treat you like the shittiest piece of shit he ever stepped in?

"Dave-" You go to say, but you're cut off when he presses his lips to yours. Your protests die in your throat, and you kiss back softly. Your questions and anxiety and uncertainties seem to melt away when he kisses you like this. Like you're the most important thing in the world to him.

The kiss feels a little wet, and it takes you a moment to realize that tears are falling on your cheeks. You don't know why you're crying. You go to pull away, but Dave beats you to it. "I have to go." He tells you in a rush, already backing away.

It's dark, but you can see the dampness of his cheeks and you can see that there tears there are clear, not red. You weren't the one crying.

You reach out to grab him. "What are you-?" He dodges your pathetic attempt to stop him, and quickly turns, shoving his way through the crowd. The grace and confidence from earlier is gone. Maybe it was never really there at all.

You suddenly only know three things that are absolutely true.

One, your name is Karkat Vantas, and you are dating Dave Strider.

Two, Dave is nothing like the person he pretends to be.

And three, you just accidentally fell in love with him.

You sing softly to yourself the words you forgot earlier. "All of my regret will wash away, somehow. I cannot forget the way I feel right now." The words feel right, rolling off your tongue with ease. You think that this is what he wanted to tell you. You're beginning to think that maybe - just maybe - Dave loves you, too.

He's disappeared through the crowd now, and ditched you at your first real dance, but you're not going to hold it over his head. You feel oddly nice. For some reason, finally admitting to yourself that you lost his stupid game makes you feel lighter than air. You've been denying your feelings for him for almost three whole years. You don't believe in love at first sight. You do, however, believe that hating him was a delusion in it's own right. You've always been bad at games, and this one is no exception. You love Dave.

And just in time for Kankri "Relationships-Are-Nonsense" Vantas to visit for Christmas break. Great.

You wonder if a bullet through your foot would keep you hospitalized long enough to avoid him.

A/N: I bet you guys know what's happening next chapter.

(Warning: Next chapter contains Kankri. Do not read if you can't tolerate long rants that are long and poorly done because I can't write Kankri for shit.)