Dave P.O.V.

Not even twenty minutes after Karkat and I had our first kiss, Jake fucking popped his head out the back door to check on me. Apparently it was my cue to head back inside and finish out the set. I really didn't want to leave that spot on the curb, but work was work and I was getting paid for this. I offered for Karkat to come inside and chill with Jake backstage until we were done with the set. He agreed hesitantly.

The next time I saw him was out in the parking lot, smoking a cigarette.

"Hey, what's up?" I greeted him, walking up from behind.

"Not much. Just needed some fresh air." He replied. I raised an eyebrow at him, finding some irony in him needing fresh air while polluting the air. He shrugged and dropped the cig, stamping it out with his foot.

We leaned against the brick wall and chatted for a bit longer before some fan came up and tried to butt in, fawning over how great my music was. Then she started trying to flirt with me, clearly looking for a hookup. I was going to handle it on my own, before Karkat cut in.

"Hey, bimbo. You know that song he made a dedication for at the beginning of the set? Yeah. That was for me. He's not available anymore. And he's sure as fuck not interested in a dumb slut like you. So why don't you go fuck off to someone who actually gives a shit and take your fake tits with you." And just like that, the lady walked away without another word.

I looked at Karkat with wide eyes and just stared at him.

"What?" He asked.

"Dude, where the hell did that come from?" I was less angry and more in amused shock. I'd never heard Karkat genuinely tell someone off like that. It was kind of hot in all honesty, what with how protective he was.

"She was being a slut, I told her to lay off. Simple as that." He shrugged.

"So, … I'm not available anymore?" I teased.

"Damn right you're not. I hate to break it to you, but you're exclusively mine now." As he said it, he pulled me closer by the front of my shirt. Being this close I could still smell the tobacco on his breath. I didn't care though because it was damn hot and he was smoking and I was melting. Despite him being shorter than me, he managed to make me feel very small in that moment and it was incredibly enticing to the point that it almost made my knees weak. He was definitely acting like daddy material right now. I needed to calm the fuck down before I popped a boner right then and there and embarrassed myself.

Luckily Dirk came outside and to check up on me and say goodnight and whatnot because he and Jake had packed up all the equipment already. "Hey, bro. I'm gonna go ahead and head out but-" and he paused when he saw the position I was in. "Shit. Nevermind. I'll just leave you two to it then." And he started to turn and walk away.

Karkat smirked and let go of my shirt, nodding in the direction of Dirk. I took that to mean that he wanted me to go talk to my brother. I swallowed harshly and nodded, taking a second to collect myself before running after him.

I caught up with Dirk and he asked if I was still catching a ride with him and Jake. I told him I'd probably stay back a bit longer and chill with Karkat. He didn't seem to mind that much. If anything he seemed excited, since it meant he'd be alone with Jake again. I let him know to apologize to Jake for making him pack up when that was technically my job. He said not to sweat it but that he'd let Jake know.

Then when I came back, Karkat was almost to his car. I jogged to catch up with him. "Leaving so soon?"

"Yeah. I'm getting kind of tired and I don't want to risk falling asleep at the wheel." He shrugged.

"Well shit. Uh … so, I caught a ride here with Dirk and he just left…. Mind if I... y'know?"

"Yes you can have a ride. Hell, if you want you can just come over for all I fucking care, since neither of us work tomorrow." He said, holding the driver door handle.

"Sounds cool." I said, trying to play it smooth. I walked around to the passenger side and hopped in, trying to stay casual. Inside however, I was kind of freaking out. I'd never been to Karkat's place and I was kind of really curious.

"First though, you're not allergic to cats are you?" He asked.

"No, why?"

"I have a cat, why fucking else?" He quipped with a grin. "Secondly, and this is your fair warning, I have no idea whether or not Eridan will be home tonight or even if Sollux might be over. He doesn't exactly have a set schedule and sort of just does what he wants."

"Sounds like a shitty roommate." I mumbled. I nodded though to let him know that I was fine with everything.

"Nah. We both kind of just do what we want. It rarely ever becomes a problem. Besides, he's soundproofed his room." He shrugged it off casually and started his car, buckling his seatbelt. I went ahead and buckled mine as well since I really didn't know how good of a driver Karkat was and he did admit to running a light on the way here.

"Is that even legal?" I was pretty sure that apartments weren't legally allowed to be soundproofed.

"To be completely honest, I think he bribed the landlord into letting it slide. But I'm not about to question it unless we get an eviction notice on our door." He pulled out of the parking lot and for a while it was pretty quiet in the car. "By the way, sorry for embarrassing you in front of that bitch and for the thing with your brother. I don't have an excuse for her, because honestly I sort of lost my temper. But if I'd seen Dirk coming then I probably wouldn't have pulled you so close or y'know, made such a public spectacle."

At first I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but then after a moment it clicked and I remembered when he'd pulled me close to him by the front of my shirt and practically growled in my ear. Hot damn. Just the memory was exciting. "Dude, Karkat, are you kidding me? The way you snapped at that bitch, that was the best thing I'd ever heard come out of your mouth. It was fucking hot. I was struggling to hold my fucking composure because of it. And then the way you pulled me in, Jesuit Christo. Do you have any fucking clue how hot that was for me? Because I was literal putty in your fucking hands right there. If you'd told me to drop to my knees right then and blow you I'd have done it in a heartbeat. Fuck the bystanders. That's how bad you had me." When I finished talking, Karkat's face was rivaling the color of a tomato, even with the dim lighting in the car I could see it.

"Well all-fucking-right then. Apology retracted." He muttered, clearly avoiding eye contact with me now and focusing on driving.

"Are you sure? Because if you need more convincing I could keep going on and on about it." I smirked.

"Dave fucking Strider. If you do that, so help me, I will pull this motherfucking car over and you will walk to my fucking apartment in the goddamn dark." He growled.

"Noted." I said, suddenly very serious. I was not about to get kicked out of my boyfriend's car at fucking 10pm.

"Thank you." And with that he turned on the car radio. It made me jump a little with how loud it was. And that's really saying something since I DJ and literally stand next to giant loudspeakers at work. I reached forward to turn the dial down and when I did, all I caught was Karkat's laughter.

"What the fuck, bro?" I hissed.

"Oh god, that was fucking priceless. You actually jumped." He cackled.

"Why do you keep your stereo so loud?" I asked, moving a hand to my ear because damn it kind of hurt now.

Karkat simply shrugged. "I don't always keep it that loud."

I sighed and took a minute to listen to the song that was playing, now that my ears had stopped ringing. "Do you always keep it on the pop station too or is that another thing that constantly changes?"

"If that's your way of asking to change the fucking station, the answer is 'please do'."

"Ohthankfuck." I breathed as I scanned through the channels and away from Katy Perry. I settled on one of the few stations in the area, the alt-rock one that was playing "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind. Karkat and I both started singing along at the exact same time. I turned to look at him and smiled as we sang, just enjoying the fall air and the way this night was going.

Ten minutes later we arrived at his apartment. It was a quick walk up the stairs and a fumble with the apartment keys and we were in. He toed his shoes off at the door and I followed suit, not wanting to track any dirt in. He seemed to appreciate that and flipped the living room and kitchen lights on. There was a note on the counter which Karkat promptly picked up and read.

"Ok. Wow. So apparently Eridan is going to be at Sollux's place until Wednesday. That's really fucking weird. He never spends that much time over there." A pause. "Whatever, at least he won't be here bothering me." And just like that, the note was tossed into the kitchen trash. "So. The cat didn't make a mess of the kitchen today. That's good. Um. Why don't I give you the tour of our shitty little place?"

"Tour away." I gestured forward with my hands and he led the way.

The floor plan was simple enough, living room and dining room being connected and then leading to a small hallway. At the base of it was the small restroom and down on the other end it split in two directions that were the two bedrooms of the place. Karkat's was on the left and Eridan's on the right. Simple enough.

"Nice place." I noted.

"It's really not, but thanks." He ran a hand through his hair.

"No problem." I plopped down on the couch and just laid back to relax. "So what do you want to do now?"

"Well, what I want to do is go change out of these work clothes." He grumbled.

"Go ahead, I don't mind waiting." I offered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine out here. Besides it's your apartment. I'm not gonna stop you from being comfortable in your own home."

"Ok. I'll be back." And just like that he disappeared. When he said he'd be right back he wasn't kidding though. Less than a minute later he was back in a t-shirt and some sweatpants.

"Jesus, that was fast." I commented. Again he just shrugged.

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"Depends on the movie. Just because I know you have decent music taste doesn't mean you have good movie taste too."

"First of all, fuck you. Second of all, I have great taste in movies."

"We'll see about that." I teased.

Surprisingly he wasn't wrong. The movie Karkat and I wound up watching was Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I'm not normally one to pay a compliment to Michael Cera, but it wasn't a totally shitty movie in all honesty. Which, coming from me, was a pretty decent compliment movie wise. We spend a majority of the movie cuddling and saying 'same' and 'relatable' to almost every single one of Wallace's lines.

At some point we both passed out. When I woke up it was pitch black in the room and the "are you still watching?" message was up on the screen. I hit no and turned off the tv, then checked the time. Fucking 2am. Jesus Christ. I nudged Karkat, trying to get him to wake up so he could get to bed. He simply nudged me back and continued sleeping like a log on my shoulder. I sighed and unlatched him from me. He groaned in his sleep and yet still failed to wake up. I wound up scooping him up and carrying him bridal style to his bedroom. I set him down gently on his bed and he latched his arms around my neck, refusing to let go apparently. I sighed and just gave in, too tired to try and unlatch him a second time, laying down next to him and subsequently passing the fuck out again.

The next morning I woke up to an empty bed and a sweet smell in the air. I groggily got up and stumbled to the kitchen only to find a very grumpy Karkat attempting to make toaster waffles. Or rather, attempting to fight the toaster in order to get the cooked waffles out from its iron grip. I laughed a little but went to his rescue.

We ate breakfast and wound up back on the couch, just hanging out and watching Friends.

"So, wanna do anything today?" Karkat asked, apparently getting bored of the episode already.

"Why don't we go on a date?" I suggested.

"Like a coffee date?"

"No. I mean, like a real date. You know, since I'm not available and all." I grinned.

"You really aren't going to let that go, are you?" He only seemed a little bit annoyed, so that was good.

"Probably not."

"Ok fine."

"Wait, was that a fine for the date or fine for me not letting go of that golden line you dropped?"

"Yes."

"Really?" I didn't actually expect him to agree to a real date so soon.

"Do you want me to change my answer?"

"No, no. I like this answer. I just didn't think I'd get this far. I don't actually have any ideas of where to take you."

"Well there's a whole list of bullshit first date ideas we could roll through." Karkat suggested. I immediately knew that he probably wasn't actually looking to go on a stereotypical first date. It didn't fit him much anyway to try and replicate traditional stuff when it came to romance anyway.

"What? So you mean like, dinner and a movie? That kind of shit?"

"Sure, shit like that. Or bowling. Or going 'someplace nice' which is really just a fancy restaurant that isn't quite fancy enough to need a reservation." He really seemed to know his shit here.

"What about a picnic?"

"Still too cliche."

"Damn. " I sat and thought for a while longer before realizing that anything and everything I could think of was probably terrible or cliche. I sighed and leaned my head back against the back of the couch. "Wanna just walk around town and see if anything catches our interests?"

"You know, that's actually not a fucking terrible idea." Score. "Do you want me to swing you by your place to get clean clothes or do you just want to borrow something?" This absolutely perfect man. I swear. It's like he could read my mind and know exactly what I was going to worry about next.

"Would you call me lazy if I opted for borrowing clothes?"

"Absolutely not."

"Cool."

Karkat P.O.V.

So there we were, just walking around town aimlessly. It was pretty nice considering it was fall and there was a light breeze blowing, shuffling what few leaves had managed to make their way to the ground already. I opened up the HassleMate app and decided to turn on the setting that allowed me to add people in my phone contacts. I was genuinely surprised at the number of people who had this stupid ass app. Amongst them though, was Gamzee, so I added him. And of-fucking-course he's online right now. I glanced at Dave and realized he too was on his phone, probably doing the same shit that I was doing right now. I decided to shoot Gamzee a message, hoping against hope that he might actually have any non-shitty ideas of where I could take Dave today.

-TerminallyCapricious has accepted your friend request-

TC: WhAt'S uP kArBrO?

TC: DiDn'T kNoW yOu AlL uP aNd HaD tHiS aPp

CG: WHAT IN THE EVERLOVING FUCK DID YOU SET AS YOUR QUIRK?

CG: THAT IS POSSIBLY THE MOST ANNOYING SHIT I'VE EVER SEEN

TC: HeY mAn, No NeEd To MoThErFuCkIn JuDgE.

TC: We AlL gOt OuR qUiRkS

TC: ThIs OnE iS mInE

TC: AnD yOuRs Is AlL mOtHeRfUcKiN sHoUtY

CG: I GUESS, WHATEVER

CG: ANYWAY

CG: I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU

TC: Go RiGhT oN aHeAd MoThErFuCkEr

CG: DO YOU KNOW ANY GOOD PLACES TO GO FOR DATES

TC: ThAt AlL uP aN dEpEnDs On WhO yOu'Re On A dAtE wItH

CG: YOU VERY WELL KNOW WHO I'M ON A DATE WITH.

CG: I LITERALLY TOLD YOU YESTERDAY THAT DAVE AND I ARE PRACTICALLY DATING NOW

CG: THIS IS NOT NEWS

CG: SO WHERE SHOULD I TAKE HIM?

TC: CaLm DoWn MoThErFuCkEr

TC: TaKe A bReAtHeR

TC: JuSt TaKe HiM tO yOuR pAd AnD gEt YoUr MoThErFuCkIn ChIlL oN

CG: THANKS FOR THE ADVICE

I promptly closed the app, giving up because Gamzee was absolutely no fucking help. Of fucking course his idea of a good date was going home and smoking a bowl together. That's literally all he ever fucking did with his life.

You shrug it off and open the maps application on your phone, browsing through the list of nearby locations so that maybe that could inspire you.

Dave. P.O.V.

Well this was going fucking spectacularly. Karkat and I had been walking for a solid five minutes now and still neither of us had come up with any ideas. I'd been googling local places for a while but nothing was striking me as something that we might both want to do that would be first date worthy. I opened HassleMate and decided to hit Rose up, since she had a relationship that was doing well, being married and all.

TG: hey lalonde

TG: do me a solid and help me with a thing

TT: First of all, you know for a fact that my last name is no longer Lalonde. It hasn't been for quite a while.

TT: Second of all, I would like some context to this "thing" before I decide whether or not I will be able to help you.

TG: date ideas

TG: i need date ideas

TG: dont ask questions

TG: just spit em out

TG: please

TT: David, I had no idea that you were back to the field of dating already.

TT: Who's the lucky lad or lady?

TG: not important

TG: so far from important that im surprised you could even find it to bring it up at a part of the conversation

TG: im talking solar systems away from important

TT: Based on your avoidant answer, I can only assume one of two things. Either you really are in a hurry, which you nearly never are, or it's someone that I already know that you'd prefer me not to realize you are involved with.

TT: If it's the former, then I'm disappointed with how terrible you are at planning nowadays.

TT: However, if it's the latter, as I assume it is, then you're on a date with a certain dark-haired waiter from a certain local restaurant that I recommended you check out.

TG: why

TG: why are you doing this now

TT: I believe I've earned the right to say "I told you so."

TG: ok fine

TG: its him

TG: you were right

TG: kind of

TT: Kind of?

TG: you said he was my soulmate or whatever

TG: i cant verify that information just yet

TT: I said nothing of the sort. I said he would be a good fit for you. Kanaya said he was made for you. Soulmates were never mentioned.

TG: whatever

TG: take it or leave it

TG: im not admitting you were right again

TG: if you need to see it again just scroll back up to the message

TG: so will you help me or not

TT: I will. But I need details. Is this your first date together?

TG: technically no

TG: but officially yes

TT: So you have unofficially gone on a date?

TG: a few of them yea

TG: coffee

TG: the mall

TG: he came to see my show and i dedicated a song to him

TG: if those count for anything

TG: but we werent official or anything at the time

TG: now can we make with the helping

TG: were wandering around town trying to come up with ideas

TT: Fine, fine. Why not take him to a movie?

TG: hes ruled out every cliche first date option

TG: no movies

TG: no dinner

TG: no bowling

TG: basically if its happened in a movie then its ruled out

TT: Well what does he like? You could do something that caters specifically to his interests.

TG: . . . . . . .

TG: so movies

TG: library

TG: coffee

TG: or a concert

TG: basically everything has been done it or its been ruled out

TG: its a first date rose i dont know that much shit about him yet

TT: Well what are you expecting from this date? What are you hoping to get out of it? And please be honest with me, especially if you're planning to bed this boy tonight. I'd rather not give you a decent romantic idea if you're going to turn around and ruin it.

TG: what the fuck no

TG: that is not happening

TG: im trying to legitimately romance this guy

TG: sounds crazy i know

TG: havent done that shit since high school

TG: but since you have the expertise in courting can you give me an idea i can use

TT: Well I know that you're not the biggest fan of sports, but there is a football game tonight at Vidar Tech. Kanaya was invited by a friend but we likely won't be attending. Maybe that could be his sort of thing?

TG: ok

TG: yeah that could work

TG: before i pitch the idea to him though

TG: how the fuck do i flirt with someone at a football game

TT: I believe this is the part where I tell you to figure that much out for yourself because otherwise it isn't you flirting, it's me. I don't really want to flirt with your future boyfriend, directly or indirectly.

TG: first of all hes already my boyfriend

TG: second of all thats just weird so whatever ill figure it out

TG: even though ill probably just fuck it up

TG: rose the guy is made for me and im going to fuck it all up

TG: see what youre setting me up for

TG: failure

TG: thats what

TG: youre just setting me up to fail

TT: Oh would you stop being so dramatic already? You'll be fine. What's the worst that could happen? You snuggle up on a bleacher bench? You hold hands? You touch tips?

TG: did you just

TG: was that a sausage party reference

TG: ohmygod

TG: why am i being tortured

TT: I couldn't help myself. It was an opportune moment to use it.

TG: suddenly i regret convincing you to come see it with us

TT: As you should. I told you I didn't want to watch it and now you're seeing the repercussions of guilting me into watching a movie with you.

TG: we had already bought the tickets

TT: Regardless, I believe you have a date idea to pitch to a certain handsome boy that's probably waiting for you to give him attention again.

TG: oh shit

TG: yea

TG: thanks for the help

TT: I expect to hear details tomorrow though, mister. You've been keeping me out of a loop that I helped start.

TG: yeah whatever bye

I locked my phone and shoved it in my pocket. When I looked back up at Karkat he seemed to be looking around and back at his phone like he was confused.

"You alright?" I asked, making sure we weren't like lost or anything, since it looked like he had his maps open.

"Huh? Oh yeah. I'm good. Just still fresh out of any decent fucking ideas." He grumbled.

"I've got a suggestion, but before I pitch it, a friend suggested it and I don't know if it's really your type of thing."

"Dave. Just tell me what the fuck it is." He chuckled some and put his own phone away now.

"Ok. Well there's a college football game tonight over at Vidar. Shouldn't cost too much and it doesn't really fall in the category of stereotypical first dates."

"I don't give a shit how much it costs." And just like that I deflated. Back to the drawing board. "We're going." Wait what?

"Wait, what?" I asked, genuinely shocked.

"Yeah. We can make fun of the guys getting way too into the game and screaching their heads off like fucking children. It'll be hilarious." Karkat grinned and I swear in that moment I fell in love.

"Where have you been all my life?" I asked, instinctively lacing the statement with some sarcasm so it could be interpreted as either genuine or a joke.

"Shut up." Karkat groaned as he lightly punched me in the shoulder. The blush on his face told me that he caught the sentiment and that was enough for me to be content with our current plans.

"Make me." I teased. His face only got a darker shade of red. I was about to suggest we grab some food or head back to the house and chill until we actually had to leave for the game, but I was stopped dead in my tracks. Karkat had leaned up and pecked my cheek unexpectedly. I couldn't help the grin that slipped onto my face as I took his hand and continued walking. At this point, it didn't matter what we did, as long as I was with him everything would be fine.