"It's a date, then, as soon as we have the window of time to slip off."

He raises an eyebrow. "I didn't realize a lack of objection meant I'd actually subscribed to it."

"It doesn't," he says, smirking.

"You were just hoping I'd agree?"

"Predicting might be a better description."

"I'm afraid that currently it's still 'probably no, right now', actually."

"Oh, well, guess I'll have to just charm you into liking me for my 'personality,'" he says, doing air quotes.

"It almost sounds like you expect that to be hard."

"Oh I don't, I'm pretty sure it'll work out, it'll just take longer for me to get to kiss you that way."

"Almost sounds like you think that'll be easy."

"Not easy as much as—natural?"

"Natural's a way to put it, when you're – what, fifteen?"

"Yes? I'm also very charming and you actually do like me."

"Most people aren't quite so equipped at flirting by this point, was my point."

"Ah yes, but there isn't really a right way to do it. Flirting is expressing attraction with decreasing amounts of plausible deniability, but I threw that to the winds already so now it's mostly showing you that I'm a cool person and that my intuition about our romantic compatibility is correct. And my social intuitions do tend to be so often correct."

"The confidence definitely helps, that's part of the good flirting."

"Well of course, there's little point in trying to convince you of something I'm not convinced of myself."

"Smart."

"Another of my many qualities, I admit."

Anthony smirks.

"I have several of those! Some even not related to flirting!"

"You do," says Anthony. "Lots of qualities."

Still smirking.

"Something on your mind?"

"You're cute."

"See, I'm already winning you over. You, I believe, ought to know you are also extremely cute, and a couple of other things."