All This Time - Chapter 1
AO3 link
genre: fluff and angst, friends to lovers
warnings: little homophobia
Knock Knock. Dab Howlter tapped on the window, brushing his wild, jet black hair away from his face. He had climbed up the big oak tree outside the Pancake's residence, and was now out on the balcony, waiting by the glass doors. He could see his best friend getting out of bed, rubbing his eyes and putting on the glasses that lay on his bedside table. Once he saw Dab, however, Evan rushed to the balcony door, unlocking it from the inside and ushering Dab through. "Hey Cutie." Dab smiled cheekily once the door was shut behind him. Evan blushed, as he did every time Dab called him by a pet name. "You shouldn't be out here. It's passed midnight and freezing outside - you're still in your pijamas!" "Couldn't sleep, I was bored, and you weren't answering your phone." Dab complained, albeit cheerfully. He then crossed the room and flung himself onto the expensive single bed. "Now come lay down with me." He demanded. Rolling his eyes, Evan followed Dab, getting under the covers as Dab did so as well. After removing Evan's glasses for him, Dab cuddled up to him, his wild hair tickling the boy. "Do you remember when your mum cut it short for you?" Evan chuckled, starting to play with Dab's hair. "It grew back in less than a week. Have you even cut it since?" "Don't think so." Dab replied, closing his eyes. His arms wrapped around Evan's waist, hands sliding under his shirt slightly. "Christ, Dab, your hands are cold!" "Warm them up for me, then." Dab murmured sleepily. Evan curled into Dab's body, sighing softly at Dan's welcome embrace. "Tomorrow, should we do something?" Evan asked, not ready to drift off just yet. "Like what?" "We could look for frogs in the park again, or go swimming in your back garden. Or, you could play with my science set." Evan suggested. A fond memory made Dab chuckle; the last time they used the science set, Dab was having so much fun mixing chemicals that he definitely wasn't listening to his friends probably essential advice that they had almost burnt the house down. Of course, Evan's parents were pretty well-off so they didn't have much trouble with replacing it, but Bob was still infuriated. "I'm not sure me and chemicals mix so well." Dab admitted. Evan giggled, remembering that too. "Let's just hang out. Anything, as long as we're together." "Yeah." Evan piped down for a while. There was still more to say - there always would be - but there was something in particular on his mind. Something he needed to tell Dab. Something he'd known for a very long time. Something his best friend should have known for a very long time. Maybe now was the best time for it? "Dab?" Evan whispered. Dab hummed in reply. "I need to tell you something." Silence prompted him. "I'm gay." Evan waited, but Dab didn't respond. "I'm gay, Dab," he repeated. When, again, there was no reply, Evan looked at Dab properly, now noticing the way his eyes were fully closed, his mouth slightly open and his brows relaxed. "And I think I'm in love with you." He said quietly, looking back up at the ceiling. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. That morning Dab woke up to Eliza Pancakes turning the light on and the rain outside pattering against the patio. She smiled at the sleeping Evan cuddled up with him, and Dab grinned back sheepishly. "When?" she mouthed, and Dab shrugged. He was about to mouth "not yet" back to her, but the large frame of Bob Pancakes blocked the light in the doorway. "What's he doing here? Did you let him in?" Evan's father asked Eliza. "No, Dear, but there's no point in keeping them away from each other, it's cruel." Eliza replied, ushering him into their own bedroom. Dab got out of bed, making Evan stir slightly at the sudden rush of coldness, and stood by the half-closed door. "You know I don't like that faggot coming over, he'll turn our son!" Bob's voice drifted in far too loud. "Bob, you cannot just say things like that! I do not appreciate you being such a homophobe, and I have a good mind to kick you out of the house." was Eliza's reply. "This house is mine, I pay for it with my money since you are simply a housewife and a mother. If you want to keep this house, you'll need a job. So yeah, divorce me all you want, I'm still your only income." Dab shut the door. Loudly. Evan was crying, curled up into a little ball under the covers. As soon as he noticed, Dab rushed over to his best friend. "Don't cry, Ev. It's okay. Your parents might even get a divorce soon, weren't you listening? No more fighting after that." His arms found their way around Evan again, hugging him tightly to let him know he was safe. The rain picked up, getting louder and louder until going quiet again, but Evan was still crying. "Hey, Love, let's go to my place? My mum'll be making breakfast round about now, and it's just down the road so we wont get too wet." Dab suggested, and Evan nodded. "All right then, d'you wanna get dressed first?" Evan shook his head. "Fair enough, mi casa su casa. We don't care for decency. Come on, Sweetie." Helping Evan out of his bed, Dab quickly jammed his bunny slippers onto his feet and threw Evan his plimsolls. Together, they crept down the stairs, trying not to be caught to avoid questions like where they were going, and why they were in their pyjamas. It was best that way. As they opened the front door, Dab cursed himself for forgetting about the rain. Despite it being morning, the day was dark with grey clouds and harsh raindrops- it seemed even worse than it was compared to looking through the window. He then had an idea, and a cheeky grin spread across his face. "Let's run for it." He suggested, a glint in his eyes as he watched for Evan's reaction - who was finding that Dab's excitement was infectious. He nodded, very nearly smiling too, and Dab grabbed his hand, closing the front door behind them. From under the limited shelter of the front porch, Evan braced himself and Dab pulled him out and into the rain. Evan screeched in a mix of shock and delight, all problems gone as long as Dab was guiding him through the murky, soggy street. The two reached the Howlter residence easily, since it was only a short distance away, and both took a second to catch their breath once getting inside. Neither really minded that they were soaking wet and shivering on the carpet - not as long as Dab's hand was in Evan's. "Dab? Is that you?" The voice of Tabitha Caspar approached them from outside. "Yeah it's me, plus Evan." Dab called back in reply. His mother entered the house from the back door, her pregnant bump entering before her, and Dab frowned in confusion. "Mum, why were you outside in this weather?" "Why did you leave the house at roughly two a.m.?" She shot back. Dab rolled his eyes. "Okay you win. Now can we have breakfast?" Evan was trying not to laugh at the familial exchange going on between mother and son. Tabitha was clearly exasperated, but amused enough to let it slide. And Dab's charm? Unbeatable. Dab... Dab was a quirky boy. A good stereotype of an artist, especially since he aspired to be one; he was creative, charismatic, carefree. Then again he was also soft, sweet and silly. The house he lived in felt like a perfect representation of all that. The living room, kitchen and study were all combined in one big room, since the Howlters preferred open living. There were three other rooms; the bathroom, the master bedroom, and Dab's room. "I'm making pancakes, you two can go and play in Dab's room and I'll call you when they're ready. Have fun!" Tabitha told them. Evan used to try and call her 'Mrs Howlter', but soon gave up after she downright refused to respond to such formalities. He never even bothered to try and call Dab's dad 'Mr Howlter' - it was clear from the very beginning that it would never work. "Come on, Ev." Dab pulled him along once again, noticing Evan's blush upon their linked hands as well as the not-very-secretive wink his mother passed on to them. Sticking his tongue out, Dab left the watchful eyes of his mother and ushered Evan into his own room, closing the door behind them. Evan grew silent again. "Hey, what's wrong? You still worried about your parents?" Evan shook his head, feeling more and more like a child as he did so. "Something else on your mind?" He didn't want to reply, but it would be babyish not to. "Yeah, I guess so." Evan replied vaguely. "So? What's up?" When there was no reply, Dab said, "If you really don't want to say, I wont force you or anything, I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you, no matter what." That made Evan think. Wasn't that mostly what he was worried about? Dab staying by his side was always the most important thing. He was his best and only friend and losing that would be the end of the world for Evan - but Dab had never failed a promise. "D'you promise you wont hate me? Or ignore me?" Dab looked seriously at him. "I swear it on my life. I will always, always love you." This choice of words made Evan's heart skip a beat. Deciding it was the best thing to do, Evan closed his eyes and started talking. "Um, the thing is, I'm gay, and uh, I'm gay for you." His eyes stayed closed. "Ev, Sweetie, open your eyes." Dab said softly. Evan did so with great reluctance. "I feel the same way! I love you, and not just as a friend. It's always been like that; you've never had to worry about it." Throughout all of this, Evan's eyes grew impossibly wider behind his glasses. "Y-you mean that? You really mean that?" Dab nodded. "Yup! Do you think, maybe, you'd like to be my boyfriend?" It was the first time Evan had seen Dab nervous. He was shifting around on his feet and biting his lip and it was so damn cute. Evan nodded. Dab broke into huge smile, teeth and all. "Can I kiss you?" he asked, and Evan didn't hesitate to nod again.
