Your name is John Egbert, and there is currently a hand on your leg. More specifically, it is your best friend's hand. It's nowhere near the danger zone, instead placed loosely above your knee, but it's an odd enough gesture to make you look up at him, confused.

"Dave, what are you-" you start, confusion only increasing when he shushes you.

"Dude, check it out." He doesn't look at you (Well, you don't think he does. His glasses make it a little hard to tell.), just nods his head a little bit to the left.

Your eyes go over to Nepeta, who is currently sitting at the furthermost head of the table, the tiny, but older, girl's olive green eyes flickering away from you the second yours try to meet them. She ducks behind her computer, only a shock of red-brown hair visible over the monitor.

"What about-" you start, only to be cut off again.

"She's doing her weird shipping thing," he says under his breath, a little smirk on his lips. Having to whisper sure doesn't stop him from talking.

"Wait, with..." It takes a moment to click. "With us?" You try to be quiet, you do, but your shock makes it hard.

"Yes, shhh." He scoots closer as he shushes you again.

"Um, Dave, what are you doing?" He keeps moving closer as you speak, until your chairs are almost touching.

"Shhh, Egbert. Just go with it." And now his hand is inching up your leg. It still isn't going up dangerously high, stopping on your lower thigh, but you can't help tensing up a little. Sure, physical contact is something you initiate all the time, but this is so weird. Especially coming from him.

"Dave, I'm not-" You know he's heard it before, just like you know, at least from what he's said, he isn't, ether, but you still feel the need to clarify.

"Yeah, I know, you're straight as a fucking ruler." You can sense him rolling his eyes behind his stupid sunglasses. "Just play along, dude."

Well. If he insists. After all, he is your best friend. You trust him. And if he pulls something, you have plenty of witnesses.

Oh, wait, maybe that's the problem.

...

Oh, well.

And, so, you find yourself leaning in so your foreheads are almost touching. "Like this?"

He smirks again, just a little bit. "Perfect. Check out her face."

You have no idea how he can see it, facing you – until you realize he just knew exactly what her reaction would be without looking, because he's 'Dave Motherfucking Strider' – but your gaze moves up, and you have to tilt your head up just a bit so her eyes aren't above the frame of your glasses.

The first thing you see is olive green, surrounded by too much white. Her eyes are open too wide, the color popping out sharply against her tan skin. Everything under the bridge of her nose is blocked out by the top of her computer, but you can see the intrigue and anxiousness, edging near desperation, in her eyes alone, and that is more than enough for you.

It takes everything you have not to break out into a giggle fit.

"She looks ridiculous," you whisper, unable to keep your lips from curling up at the corners.

"Exactly." That knowing, almost scheming smirk reminds you too much of his sister, who is currently sitting across from you and analyzing some movie you've never heard of with Karkat, sitting on her right. Feferi, in the seat opposite Nepeta, is busy bopping her head along to the beat of whatever is playing on her iPod. As is the normal arrangement in Marketing class. None of them notice you.

"This is fun," you admit, starting to grin like an idiot as the bell rings. You reach over and force your laptop into a hard shutdown as Dave turns away slightly to do the same.

"Isn't it, Egbert?" His smirk grows as he closes the computer, stands, and tucks it under one arm, the other going around your shoulders.

You roll your eyes, but you're still smiling as you do the same with your own laptop, dragging him along to put them up. "You're ridiculous," you giggle, kneeling to put yours in the right slot and fumbling around with the cord to plug it back in.

"Don't act like you don't love it." As per usual, Dave's being a lazy ass and doesn't even plugging his in. "Besides, I do it all for the ladies."

You scoff, straightening back up. "Only one lady involved here, Dave."

"I dunno, man, Karkles seemed pretty damn interested." He slips his arm back around your shoulders just in time for Nepeta to walk over.

You lean into him as you laugh, and he pulls you back to your desk. You hear a, "What in the love of fuck are they doing?" and look up to see Karkat looking almost disgusted and Rose with an eyebrow raised and an amused smirk on her lips.

"See? The princess can't take her eyes off us." And now Dave is almost actually smiling and you can't help but giggle, one hand covering your mouth as you stop at your desk and drop to your knees.

"And now, Egderp, I must bid you... adieu," he says, managing the most dramatic expression you've ever seen on his face while throwing his backpack on over his shoulder.

"Uh... Dave?" You're the one smirking now, getting up from kneeling down to get your own. "We have next period together."

"Oh." A moment of blank silence. "Right. I totally remembered that."

You roll your eyes, smiling as you make sure your bag is secure on your shoulders. "'Course you did. You're so lame, Dave."

You don't even think about grabbing his hand before you do it, dragging him out of the room.