[ like, the same place he always is? which dave has realized in recent months is a terrible spot, but he has no idea how to fix it. he'd been trying for years before getting here, had figured out it was all right to allow people beyond rose jade john to care, but really most times he's not sure where he stands on a lot of shit.
dave had allowed himself to be tugged along and just. shrugs. at the question. ]
I'm fine. I don't need to talk to anyone about the stuff we were talking about. I never did before.
[ so: he pulled back hard and plans to stay that way, at a wary, casual distance. ]
I'm not about to fall to pieces, Kitkat, gimme a little credit here.
To be quite fucking honest, this entire shit show has been a pretty compelling argument on why I should never give you any credit ever?
[ like, the last few hours have been nothing but everyone falling to pieces.
and the thing about hating yourself is that you also tend to not know how to take care of yourself. and this is pretty hypocritical of karkat, since he won't be becoming the poster child for self-love any time soon, but. dave is important. ]
Like you can't tell me you're not going to fall apart when you literally just vanished to who knows where for almost a whole month?
[ i.e. dave made yet another alien friend. for. whatever reason. ]
And yeah, I can totally tell you that? I needed time to chill the fuck out and get in the right mindset, that's literally it. Come on, it's not like you and Rose would let me break or anything anyway.
[ dave says, as though he regularly brings his problems to anyone at all. although that is even more unlikely than usual to change since he apparently decided that was clearly not a thing that worked re: dirk. ok, dave. ]
[ karkat almost, almost asks who that is but like. it's probably another fucking alien fish. it's always alien fish. stop adopting alien fish?
he just scowls though. he and rose do not have many interests that overlap, but the thing they have most in common is how invested they are in certain individuals and the very extreme measures they would go for said people. and unlike dirk, neither of them really have to carefully step around an abusive shadow. so if the situation called for it, he is pretty sure they'd be more effective than the orange strider. but.
that shouldn't even be a thing they should have to worry about????? goddammit dave ]
I mean, I'd like to break your mouth sometimes? Primarily the mouth area whenever you start spouting stupid crap. For example... like now.
It's not stupid. All of it is too much for him, literally all I'm gonna do is treat him like. John.
[ a john he is avoiding, anyway. as much as he loves john, dave would never consider, like, heaping his problems on john. or discussing bro in a real way, ever. he'd still tell john bro was the bomb, even.
dave shrugs again. ]
...Our solutions to shit almost always prioritize me so far and I hate it. Burning his fucking guardian for me is the final surefire sign that we need to dial it back five thousand notches. I'm not giving him a single indication that he can use to do something else stubborn and crazy as fuck that's like stabbing himself in the gut. If you're worried 'bout my stability, that continuing to be a thing would probs make my stability not a thing. So.
Alright, so let's say this dumb plan works out. I know you said it isn't dumb, but also, it is. You probably don't really notice since you were in the middle of it, but the two of you were literally always together? Literally any time I walked in on you and you weren't clinging to his walk stump I would be shocked.
[ he just kind of. gestures lamely. ] Are the two of you really going to be able to deal with being like that for several months in a row to. Not.
[ but he. shrugs. again. he still looks incredibly neutral on the topic. that's probably actually not normal but whatever??? ]
Idk, Mom and Jade's grandpa are both here, he should be fine? And you and Rose and John are all here. I'm p sure the whole me clinging to his leg thing wasn't helping. Maybe we can go back to spending more time together when I'm better at him not reading me.
[ okay but like, the whole neutrality thing is not helping dave's case?? cause like, dave isn't normally that expressive of a dude, but he does emote more than, you know, dirk. so if he is keeping his expression completely blank then it
obviously isn't fucking okay seriously fuck u dave???? ]
Kind of like how you are really going out of your way right now to make sure I don't read you. I swear your face has barely fucking twitched during this entire conversation.
[ well, aside from the more jokey parts. like whoever the fuck p-diddy is. karkat still refuses to ask. ]
[ dave you shitty dick stop with the time bs..............
but karkat still doesn't look too pleased, partly since he doesn't believe dave is actually sorry. despite that, he will actually lean in to kiss dave, a lot more gently this time in comparison to the one from two hours ago (over four weeks) ago. karkat figures if there is one way to at least somewhat lessen the edge, it's that, and also he just wanted to do it.
he also wants to punch him but he decides to wait until dave does something to truly piss him off again before attempting that. ]
[ he didn't want to show up with a bruise from getting punched???? karkat would have been pissed off??? honestly karkat probably knows dave won't actually stop him from like, punching him. karkat is used to dave absconding for periods of time before coming back and just kind of allowing whatever to happen.
he did find a shortcut to shaking dave out of his weird mood, at least - he can't remain carefully neutral when karkat leans in, and instead kisses back, his left hand rising to the side of karkat's neck. ]
[ other things karkat is used to: dave not knowing how to shut the fuck up. which is actually a shared problem between them but whatever.
anyway this is the one advantage karkat has over dave that no one else has and he will use it?? even if it's cheating but dave cheats all the time so!! ]
Why do you keep talking, holy shit. [ says the guy who is also interrupting the kiss to talk? ]
[ UGH karkat doesn't want to talk about dirk!! well, he does, but he wants to talk about dave's relationship with dirk. not his own?? he just wants to hold a grudge forever at the guy and be mad, why won't dave let this be a thing. ]
As hard of a time as I usually give to him.
[ no he's probably gonna continue to be an asshole ]
Don't give me that look, you knockoff Tim Lake. [ karkat doesn't think dave will even catch that reference because the dude probably fell asleep when karkat forced him to watch that particular romcom. since, you know, dave always falls asleep. ]
I'm an immature and unlikable asshole, remember? Of course I'm going to be a dick to him. But it'll just be my normal level of dickness.
You say that, but I know for a fact people're takin' to you. Like, sure, you piss people off a lot, but I bet a lot of people are comin' around talkin' to you and friending it up despite your best attempt at being a cactus.
[ ... ]
I love you and all but you'd totally fail an attempt to steal Dirk's hypothetical lunch money.
karkat, at least, does not say that and just focuses on the second thing. ]
And fuck you, I would steal it as well as his carefully written homework. And then, to put icing on the absurdly sweet baked good, I would stick his head down a waste tube and flush it so many times his hair will finally learn how to follow the laws of gravity, something you all ignore on a regular basis. I will then use his lunch money to wipe away the salty tears that will leak from his vision balls and I will use the tears and money to season my dinner. A dinner known as my overflowing cruelty.
[ well he 100% meant it when he told dirk to fuck off but he took that back because dave would be Upset over it lmao
karkat does not point that out. ]
I don't like "being involved," I am just always thrust into situations without my consent and then am forced to become involved. They're completely different.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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dave had allowed himself to be tugged along and just. shrugs. at the question. ]
I'm fine. I don't need to talk to anyone about the stuff we were talking about. I never did before.
[ so: he pulled back hard and plans to stay that way, at a wary, casual distance. ]
I'm not about to fall to pieces, Kitkat, gimme a little credit here.
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[ like, the last few hours have been nothing but everyone falling to pieces.
and the thing about hating yourself is that you also tend to not know how to take care of yourself. and this is pretty hypocritical of karkat, since he won't be becoming the poster child for self-love any time soon, but. dave is important. ]
Like you can't tell me you're not going to fall apart when you literally just vanished to who knows where for almost a whole month?
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[ i.e. dave made yet another alien friend. for. whatever reason. ]
And yeah, I can totally tell you that? I needed time to chill the fuck out and get in the right mindset, that's literally it. Come on, it's not like you and Rose would let me break or anything anyway.
[ dave says, as though he regularly brings his problems to anyone at all. although that is even more unlikely than usual to change since he apparently decided that was clearly not a thing that worked re: dirk. ok, dave. ]
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he just scowls though. he and rose do not have many interests that overlap, but the thing they have most in common is how invested they are in certain individuals and the very extreme measures they would go for said people. and unlike dirk, neither of them really have to carefully step around an abusive shadow. so if the situation called for it, he is pretty sure they'd be more effective than the orange strider. but.
that shouldn't even be a thing they should have to worry about????? goddammit dave ]
I mean, I'd like to break your mouth sometimes? Primarily the mouth area whenever you start spouting stupid crap. For example... like now.
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[ a john he is avoiding, anyway. as much as he loves john, dave would never consider, like, heaping his problems on john. or discussing bro in a real way, ever. he'd still tell john bro was the bomb, even.
dave shrugs again. ]
...Our solutions to shit almost always prioritize me so far and I hate it. Burning his fucking guardian for me is the final surefire sign that we need to dial it back five thousand notches. I'm not giving him a single indication that he can use to do something else stubborn and crazy as fuck that's like stabbing himself in the gut. If you're worried 'bout my stability, that continuing to be a thing would probs make my stability not a thing. So.
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[ he just kind of. gestures lamely. ] Are the two of you really going to be able to deal with being like that for several months in a row to. Not.
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[ but he. shrugs. again. he still looks incredibly neutral on the topic. that's probably actually not normal but whatever??? ]
Idk, Mom and Jade's grandpa are both here, he should be fine? And you and Rose and John are all here. I'm p sure the whole me clinging to his leg thing wasn't helping. Maybe we can go back to spending more time together when I'm better at him not reading me.
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obviously isn't fucking okay seriously fuck u dave???? ]
Kind of like how you are really going out of your way right now to make sure I don't read you. I swear your face has barely fucking twitched during this entire conversation.
[ well, aside from the more jokey parts. like whoever the fuck p-diddy is. karkat still refuses to ask. ]
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...Yeah, I just got back from talking to Dirk.
[ plus a few days to heal a bruise lmfao ]
Sorry.
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but karkat still doesn't look too pleased, partly since he doesn't believe dave is actually sorry. despite that, he will actually lean in to kiss dave, a lot more gently this time in comparison to the one from two hours ago (over four weeks) ago. karkat figures if there is one way to at least somewhat lessen the edge, it's that, and also he just wanted to do it.
he also wants to punch him but he decides to wait until dave does something to truly piss him off again before attempting that. ]
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he did find a shortcut to shaking dave out of his weird mood, at least - he can't remain carefully neutral when karkat leans in, and instead kisses back, his left hand rising to the side of karkat's neck. ]
Hey. [ shut up dave ]
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anyway this is the one advantage karkat has over dave that no one else has and he will use it?? even if it's cheating but dave cheats all the time so!! ]
Why do you keep talking, holy shit. [ says the guy who is also interrupting the kiss to talk? ]
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[ oh ok we're back to the topic of dirk.
sorry karkat ]
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As hard of a time as I usually give to him.
[ no he's probably gonna continue to be an asshole ]
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and
that's it. try again?????? ]
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I'm an immature and unlikable asshole, remember? Of course I'm going to be a dick to him. But it'll just be my normal level of dickness.
[ nah ]
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[ dave isn't going to argue the immature or asshole parts i guess???????????
romance ]
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[ ugh anyway ] You can stop worrying about it since I'm not going to attempt to steal his fucking lunch money or anything.
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[ ... ]
I love you and all but you'd totally fail an attempt to steal Dirk's hypothetical lunch money.
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karkat, at least, does not say that and just focuses on the second thing. ]
And fuck you, I would steal it as well as his carefully written homework. And then, to put icing on the absurdly sweet baked good, I would stick his head down a waste tube and flush it so many times his hair will finally learn how to follow the laws of gravity, something you all ignore on a regular basis. I will then use his lunch money to wipe away the salty tears that will leak from his vision balls and I will use the tears and money to season my dinner. A dinner known as my overflowing cruelty.
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His hair stays like that in water so I don't think that'd work? But anyway. Is it ok if I keep crashing with you for a bit?
[ at night, he means. ]
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[ probably because they both know if karkat said no to it he wouldn't actually mean it. ]
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[ karkat is so tsundere? it's terrible ]
You rarely mean any of your demands people fuck off, admit it. You like being involved.
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karkat does not point that out. ]
I don't like "being involved," I am just always thrust into situations without my consent and then am forced to become involved. They're completely different.
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[ admit it ]
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