On the one hand, John is thrilled to have his best friend here. On the other hand, his friend is attending the birthday party he didn't even want (and that he's still not sure he wants...) and placing a weird phallic(?)-shaped objected in front of him. He wants very, very much to be touched. He's not as oblivious as he seems, and it doesn't take a genius to know that neither of them are in the position to be making grand gestures like buying old movie paraphernalia for each other.

"Dave." He says it in that kind of flat-but-affectionate way, like a parent trying really hard not to laugh at an inappropriate but hilarious thing their child has done. "Is this... is this some kind of troll thing? I mean, I appreciate the thought, and I know you've been spending a lot of time with Karkat and all, but that's not really my thing."

But he pushes it off to the side in a way that says Dave's not allowed to take it back, and already concocting a plan for how to hide it in the barracks. It doesn't seem safe to leave out in the open, for a myriad of reasons.

The mug Dave pours for him gets a different reaction, though. He does pick it up, and takes a sniff, wrinkling his nose a little, though he doesn't put it down.

"Are you sure about this? This smells worse than the dead things Jade brings me sometimes. It doesn't have anything weird in it, does it?"