#sorry this is in fact danbert

[cowmaid]

happy tdov

[godlizzza]

can we maybe get some more pre-relationship teen danbert? :3 I'm a sucker for watching that mf pine over the most volatile boy ever

Dan wished he could say he'd been spending more time in the library for honourable reasons, like studying, but in reality he was there to spy on a boy.

He wasn't always there when Dan looked, but he had a better bet of seeing him here than just about anywhere else in the school. Dan leaned casually against the history section, careful to keep out of the watchful eye of the school librarian, Mrs. Cho. He swept his gaze over the musty carpet, between shelves and across desks with no luck. He was just about to call it quits and slink back to his locker when he heard a muttered curse behind him.

Dan paced around the shelves, peering into the next row. He froze as his eyes landed on Herbert West, perched on his toes and reaching for a book just out of reach. Dan wasn't sure when he'd become fixated on Herbert. The two of them weren't friends- even calling them acquaintances would be a stretch.

The only reason he was sure Herbert even knew who he was was because of their names always being right beside each other when they got test results back from Science. Dan had taken Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and in every one Herbert always scored on top, but Dan was right below him, threatening to scrape his way to the top. In these instances, Herbert would shoot him an appraising look, before going right back to pretending he didn't exist.

All Dan knew was that he'd really noticed Herbert, and his subsequent feelings for him, somewhere between Herbert calling their Math teacher, Mr. Coleman, an, "Unbelievable fool," and the time he'd retaliated against Tony Evans tripping him in the hall by decking him in the face with an advanced physics textbook. Tony's nose was broken, Herbert was suspended for two weeks, and Dan was in love.

Now, Dan was faced with the object of that love grunting in frustration and struggling to reach a book. He knew an opening when he saw one and swallowed his nerves to stride forward and reach over Herbert's head. He pinched the book off the shelf and held it out for Herbert.

"Here," he said with a smile.

Herbert didn't return it. In fact, he scowled at Dan as he swiped the book from his hands and hugged it to his chest.

"I didn't ask for your help," he snapped.

Dan faltered, his stomach dropping to his feet. "Oh, uh, sorry. You just, um, looked like you needed it."

"Well, I didn't," Herbert shot back. "I was doing just fine."

Dan thought he looked anything but just fine. If he hadn't stepped in, Herbert would've been forced to resort to seeking out the step ladder or scaling the shelf like a gecko.

Herbert's lip was still drawn back in a sneer and Dan's mind raced for something to say that would smooth things over. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to talk to a boy he liked. His experience with other guys his age had always been dictated by unwritten rules, one of which was that you did not flirt with each other. Maybe he ought to try talking to Herbert the same way he would with a girl?

Dan leaned his elbow on the shelf, trying to strike a pose of cool nonchalance. "Sorry. I just had to talk to you."

Herbert raised an imperious eyebrow at him. "And why is that?"

"I had to tell you how much I like your-" He stumbled as he searched for something to say. With girls, he would open with a compliment, tell them how nice their hair or their jewelry was, then use that as an excuse to reach out and touch them. Maybe he'd tuck a strand of hair behind her ear or take her hand to swipe his thumb over a ring. Herbert, however, had no long hair to tuck away or rings to fondle. "-Your shirt," Dan finally settled on, lightly tugging on the collar of Herbert's pale blue button-up.

Herbert smacked his hand away and jumped back like Dan had tried to strangle him. "Don't touch me!"

"Sorry!" Dan yelped, throwing his hands up in surrender. His heart was suddenly hammering against his ribs. "I didn't mean to-"

Herbert pointed a finger at him and declared, "You're weird," before turning around and scurrying off.

"Wait!" Dan called after him, but Herbert had already disappeared between some shelves, leaving Dan alone with nothing but some musty paperbacks for company.

Dan sank to the floor with a groan, his back against the shelf. How had he managed to screw up that badly? One thing was for sure: he couldn't approach Herbert the same way he'd done with girls in the past. He'd have to find some other way to get close to him. He just wished he had any idea how.