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It wasn't like Dave to avoid Karkat like this. He was starting to get worried. He hadn't seen the guy since that morning at breakfast, and even then he left right after eating, not even bothering to try to hold a conversation with him, or anyone in the entire house as far as Karkat could tell. Dave had been acting weird for a few days now actually, stealing away for hours at a time, acting nervous, and now he hadn't spoken to Karkat or even been in the same room as him for more than 10 minutes all day. He had to figure out what the problem was.
Knocking on his door awarded no response. He couldn't smell him, which was weird, but he hadn't been anywhere else when he looked.
"Dave, I know you're in there; you're not fooling anyone leaving the lights off." There was a pained sigh- whimper?- noise coming from further away. His closet? "Dave? Dave, what's going on?"
"Just leave me alone please," he whimpered, his voice muffled.
"No, Dave, we agreed to the whole red-smearing, remember? Talk to me."
"Oh my godddd," he groaned, more to himself than to Karkat. "I promise it's not that deep, man, I'll be fine." His voice was oddly whiny. Something had to be wrong.
"If you don't open the door, I'm coming in." Karkat barely heard a string of "fuck"s getting closer to the door. "Can't a guy" - something something - "without having to" - mumble mumble - "from his endearingly overprotective boyfriend?" The rambling stopped and the door crept open, Dave hiding behind it.
"Dave. Come on." Dave sighed grudgingly and stepped into his sight.
Karkat's head cocked to the side in curiosity.
"What's up with the collar?" Dave's cheeks, already dusted with pink, flushed even more.
"What do you think?" Confused silence. Dave cleared his throat, looking down. "It's a scent... blocking... thing..."
"Why in all of bulge-scarring fuck do you need that?" He knew all the pieces were there, they just wouldn't click. Dave picked at his sleeve, struggling to gather the words or the courage or-
"Oh, are you in heat?" Dave's head shot up, eyes wide, face now bright red. He had to have just yelled that.
"Dude, shut up!" he whisper-screamed, pulling Karkat into his room. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"What is your deal?" Karkat laughed, following. "You're the one that turned your mating cycle into this pan-twisting guessing game in the first place."
"I wasn't trying to!" Dave shut his door. Karkat saw that he had made his nest in his closet- blankets and pillows and the odd stuffed animal spilling out messily into the bedroom. It was oddly adorable. He'd have to help Dave with it some time. He was snapped back to the scene by Dave's exasperated tone. "How would you like it if I announced to everyone in the fucking house that you were in heat?"
"I mean, it'd be weird to announce it, but it's not like it's this big deal." Karkat watched as Dave flopped into his nest. Karkat squatted beside him and lowered his voice. "...Is it... It's a big deal to you guys?"
Dave threw his head back. Shrugged. "I don't... Not really? Just... fucking embarrassing, dude. I don't really need everyone knowing how desperate and fucking needy I am right now." Even saying that to his moirail-matesprit-boyfriend made him tense up. He felt Karkat's hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, it's okay, Dave. It's not like you're the only omega that has heats."
"I know..." He wanted to argue, but Karkat was comforting him, and arguing would probably be a dick move. "I know."
"Can I take off your collar so I can scent you?" Karkat refrained from adding that Dave also wasn't a damn woofbeast and didn't need a collar, because he was trying to comfort him, and saying that would probably be a dick move.
Dave hesitated. Being scented would feel way too fucking good right now. But oh god he wanted that shit. Karkat scenting his neck and his thighs and even just his wrists holy shit he didn't know if he'd be able to control himself-
"Dave, honey, you're rambling," Karkat whispered. Dave fell back into his nest, covering his face with an arm.
"Oh, jesus, I was not saying that out loud-"
"Hey, it's okay, man; you're not thinking straight right now. I get it, okay?" Dave nodded reluctantly. "I know you've mentioned that you're okay with me 'helping' with your heats a couple times before." Karkat's voice took a playful tone at "helping", poking Dave, Dave shoving him lightly in response. "You still okay with it now though?" Dave nodded again.
"Please."
"What was that?" Karkat asked, amused.
"Please," Dave mumbled, even quieter.
"Please what? Like, 'Oh please fuck me, I need you-' " Karkat was cut off by an elbow to the ribs. Dave hid his face in a pillow.
"Okay, okay," Karkat laughed, stroking his hair with one hand and reaching for his scent collar with the other. "I'll take care of you."