Chapter Text
It's both a simultaneous relief and a nasty twist of fate that Dave was forced out right before Christmas break. He won't have to deal with anything for a while, but if you were him, you'd be dreading going back and facing all the nasty looks. It helped a little that Rose stepped right up beside him and came out herself, because you could see a lot of the tension in his shoulders bleed away. He has a friend willing to be out in the open and support him. It's more than he's ever had before now, at least.
You look up from your video editing when there's a knock at the door. It's Christmas Eve and you're not really expecting anyone over. Dave's eyebrows are furrowed and you can see him slouching a little further than he already had been over on the couch. After hitting the save button, you go to look and see who it is.
"Yo. It's Egbert. You wanna deal with him or should I shoo him off?"
Even though his little crush had been admitted ages ago, you don't think Dave has ever quite gotten over it. The first words out of Egbert's mouth had been "How come you didn't tell me that when you asked me out?" You're pretty sure that Dave's been deliberately avoiding him since then, which is exactly why your little bro surprises you when he mumbles to let John in.
Before you let him inside, though, you step out into the hallway and put a hand on the kid's shoulder. Man-to-man chat time. "You know how you fucked up, right?"
You can see his eyes widen a little, but he nods. "Rose told me, ehehe. I wanted to apologize and to, um, give Dave his Christmas present."
You immediately tack on a point in Egbert's favor for getting pronouns right. It took you years to stop thinking of Dave with female pronouns, and you still slip up on occasion. "You gonna try any funny business with him?"
Another point in his favor as he shakes his head. "Not unless he wants me to." That earns him a smack to the head, and you're more than a little satisfied when he says it hurt.
"All right. Go in and talk with him, I'm gonna be right fucking there the whole time, so if he starts getting upset, you're out on your ass in the middle of winter. Got it?" He scrunches up his face in some weird parody of a serious look, except you know Egbert and know that it's totally genuine. He's just hilariously overeager to prove that he's not a total fuckup.
You sigh and open up the apartment door, trying not to wince as John unironically lets out a yell and goes to jump on the couch next to Dave. Times like this, you're grateful for the choice to keep your desktop out in the living room instead of in your bedroom. At least this way you can keep being productive while making sure your little bro won't get into any trouble.
Maybe Egbert doesn't see it when he puts Dave in a headlock and gives him a noogie, but you can see the slight wince at the contact. "Ease it up, Egderp, I still got bruises that are healing yanno."
"Oh jeez, I forgot!" Seriously? How could he forget about how a group of bullies beat the shit out of Dave? You want to say something dickish to him, but the next words out of his mouth make you pause. "How are you healing up? They didn't break anything, did they?" At least Egbert cares, even if he had a momentary lapse in memory.
"Nah, they didn't do much worse than crack one of my ribs. Can't wear my binder for another couple weeks, but I'll be fine." You're kind of surprised how casually Dave references his binder to the kid that probably would want a couple handfuls of his boobage if he hadn't stunted their development with hormones and constant binding.
"Binder? What's that?"
"It's how I keep my man-titties from flopping all over the place, dude. Get with the program." You snort, and you're betting that John's face has gone an interesting shade of red at that.
"Oh! Oh. Okay... Does it hurt to wear it? I mean. Normally, when you're not getting the shit beaten out of you."
You pause your editing and turn around to go kick Egbert's little ass, but you can see Dave shaking his head at you. Maybe John thinks it's meant for him, though. "Nah. I mean, it's a little uncomfortable, but feeling more like myself is worth not being able to take a really deep breath or having to slouch all the time." Like he's doing right now, to try and hide his chest.
"Can I see one?" The curiosity in his voice is almost painful to hear. It's so genuine and eager, but he's got a lot to learn.
"Fuck no, you don't just go asking a dude if you can see his binder. Rude, man. I don't ask you if I can see your boxers or briefs or whatever the fuck you wear, this is the same thing."
"For your information, I'm wearing Ghostbusters boxer shorts."
Dave snorts, and you have to keep from doing the same because damn that sounds exactly like something Egbert would do. John laughs, but he at least drops the subject and pulls something out of his coat pocket. "I brought you a Christmas present."
"Thought the Egberts didn't celebrate Christmas. Where's your dreidel, man?"
"Ha ha ha, just because I don't celebrate doesn't mean you don't, either. Jeez, just take it." You can't see it, but you can practically hear the eye-rolling going on over there, followed by Dave ripping open his present.
"Dude. The fuck? You didn't have to get me this shit." So much for getting any editing done. You swivel around in your chair to get a good look at the brand new iPad your little bro's holding, and you can't quite hold back the low whistle that wants to escape. John must have been saving up for months to get that thing.
"Where'd you get the cash for this kind of Christmas present? Also notice how I'm totally refraining from cracking a Jew joke here, because it almost physically hurts and you're my best bro."
John laughs and punches Dave in the shoulder. "I saved my allowance for it. Also, you're a dick."
"Says the dude with one to the dude that has been tragically left dickless by God."
For a moment, all you can hear is Egbert making this ridiculous half-snorting noise while he tries to keep from laughing, and then the dam explodes and he just can't stop.
"Jesus fuck, John. Breathe. I know I'm the king of witty comebacks but seriously, it wasn't that funny."
After a minute, the kid finally calms down enough to wipe tears away from his eyes. "Don't stop, okay?"
"Stop what?"
"Being... you. I had this stupid, dumb little worry that you'd stop being Dave because of all this."
Dave shrugs his shoulders. "What can I say? Can't be tamed."
You're relieved to hear John laugh again, and when they start ripping open the packaging to Dave's shiny new electronic toy, you turn around to finally get some work done. They're kids. Dave's a resilient little motherfucker, and John... You're just glad John values his broship with Dave so much. He could've refused to talk to Dave, kept that iPad for himself after months of saving, and moved on.
But he came back. Maybe he'll never return Dave's feelings, maybe he will. But you hope to God that your little bro sees how lucky he is to have John even as just a friend.