Wesley’s heart thudded loudly in his chest as he stood nervously just outside the turbolift, pacing in place, barely able to contain his excitement. This moment had been coming for a while now. Every time they passed in the halls or exchanged a casual word, his stomach did flips, and now here he was—finally mustering the courage to do something about it.

He glanced at his reflection in the shiny metal surface, adjusting his uniform. His hair was as tousled as usual, and he ran a hand through it in a nervous gesture, hoping it looked less "I’ve been running around the ship" and more "confident Starfleet officer."

You can do this, Wesley. Just... relax.

But his mind wasn’t listening. It was buzzing with thoughts, all revolving around them, one of the only other ensigns his age. The only one who seemed to understand how he felt—like they were both caught in that same space between being kids and adults, trying to figure everything out.

The turbolift doors slid open, and there they were—standing just a few feet away. Wesley’s breath hitched in his throat, and the words tumbled out before he could stop them.

“Hey… so, uh, I was wondering... if you wanted to maybe go get banana splits with me?” His voice came out a little breathless, but he didn’t care. His grin was goofy, but genuine, that kind of bright, eager look he couldn’t hide even if he tried.

He could feel his face getting warm, and in a move he’d seen in holo-novels a million times but never thought he'd actually try, he leaned forward- took their hand and kissed the back of their knuckles, completely oblivious to how utterly ridiculous he probably looked.

“Please?” He added, eyes wide and pleading, the kind of puppy-dog expression that was probably way too much, but he didn’t care. “It’d be... really nice. I promise I won’t be too much of a dork.”