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Dave saw Karkat across the hall, just through the nearest doorway. He always sat there, every single day without fail, his short legs hanging off the side with his head right on the center cushion. He’d sit there for hours most days, thinking or watching movies on the portable DVD player Dave had made with some of his extra grist. It had quickly gone missing, and honestly he didn’t care-he could just make more- but he found it not the least bit surprising when he saw it on the floor in his room.
Dave didn’t know why he found it so funny that he did this, because honestly there wasn’t anything better for them to be doing besides talking bullshit battle strategies and stupid jokes. Rose was too busy spending time with Kanaya, and the Mayor was off doing who knows what, and he was bored, so why not? It wasn’t like Karkat ever noticed him anyway. He just sat there, thinking about whatever it is trolls think about when they watch shitty romcoms.
He attempted to casually stroll into the room as if he had no idea that anyone else was there, but that went right down the hole because for once, Karkat wasn’t doing anything. He was just sitting there, looking him straight in the shades.
“Can I help you?”
“Nah. I’m just passing through.”
“Passing through where? There’s only one door.”
“Yep. Passing through this door, and right back out again. Later, Vantas.”
Karkat gave him a look as he calmly stepped back outside, mentally scolding himself for being so goddamn stupid. Who even says “just passing through”? And why wasn’t he doing anything? He considered going back in and trying to play it off as exhaustion, but to be honest he’d woken up about an hour ago so he had no excuse. He decided to head back toward the main sitting area and look for the Mayor. He could use some can jamming to clear his head.
————
Karkat shuffled around until he got comfortable on the couch. Strider was bizarre, but he usually managed to say things that made sense. Maybe he was drinking whatever it was that Rose had been having that time she was on a “date” with Kanaya. Or maybe he’d finally snapped and gone batshit insane. Either way, he didn’t want to get involved.
He stared at the dull metallic ceiling, trying to come up with ideas for a story he was working on- it would be a magnificent tale of adventure and romance, but aside from that he wasn’t exactly sure. He figured it would be the most interesting with lowblood characters because their short lifespan forced a sense of urgency to their love, which was pretty fucking exciting if he had anything to say about it. He liked to write cameos of his friends in his stories, even going so far as to ask Nepeta about possible ships he could work off of, back before Sgrub. Though they had plenty of differences, she understood how important romantic comedies were, and sometimes they would watch them at his hive and talk about character pairings that worked and didn’t.
He pulled a notepad and a pencil out from between the cushions. He found it much easier to keep them there than having to run back to his respiteblock or carrying one around with him. As the plot ideas came to him, he quickly scribbled them down in his messy handwriting. The main hero, a lowblood Gladiatoriate, was just about to defeat a mighty mane beast, brown blood dripping from his brow as the highblood OmbudsTroll looked on with a-
“Whatcha writing?”
“JESUS FUCK. What the fuck, Strider?! When did you even get in here?”
He was lounging next to him, practically two inches away from his face. He was so close Karkat could see the freckles that spread from the bridge of his nose across his cheeks. He hadn’t noticed them before. He must have slid over when he was distracted. Karkat wondered exactly how into his story he must have been to not notice that.
“I’m just hanging out, dude. Don’t freak.”
“Do you understand personal space? Get the fuck off of me.”
“Dude I’m so comfortable though.”
“I’m not comfortable. Get. Off.”
“I think I’m gonna chill here for a bit.”
Dave was now lying right next to him, squashing him into the crease between the back of the couch and the cushions. Dave's legs were long enough that they actually reached the floor, while his own feet ended up at the same level as Dave’s knees.
If Dave wasn’t going to move, Karkat would. He went to shift his weight upwards, only to realize that there wasn’t enough space. Strider’s big stupid arm had basically pinned him in place.
“MOVE.”
“What are you writing, one of your romance novels or something?”
“Is that any of your business?”
“Well, I’m reading it right now, so yeah.”
“Would you GET OFF ME?”
Dave was just flipping through his story plan like it was his own personal bedside novel, and he had barely gotten past his first chapter. There was no way it was going to be even remotely close to his masterpiece and he wanted it back, but it was too far out of his reach.
“Dude, this shit’s straight up bizarre.”
“It’s not finished yet.”
“Thank god. That would be a disaster, man. This sounds like Ben Hur and Miss Congeniality had a baby and left it with Gladiator for safe keeping.”
“Well we can avert this disaster by, oh, I don’t know, GETTING THE EVERLIVING FUCK OFF OF ME. And thanks, I appreciate the backhanded compliment.”
Karkat was now twisted on his side, his face buried uncomfortably in Dave’s side. He smelled like he’d been doused in aerosol deodorant and energy drinks. He felt a shift in weight, and he was finally able to breathe clean air again. Dave had apparently scooted away just enough for him to sit up, and with a flurry of movement he grabbed his notebook back and burst off the couch before Dave had a chance to make a sarcastic quip.
He slammed the door behind him, bright red with anger and, unexpectedly, embarrassment.
——————
That could have gone a whole lot better. Maybe he went a bit overboard on the personal space thing. Now he was probably going to hole up in his room all the time, and no one would ever see him. Kanaya would have his ass on a plate for messing with Karkat, he just knew it. And what did that even accomplish anyway? Karkat was his friend, yeah, but he didn’t know why he was getting so worked up about all this. It shouldn’t have bothered him, this was totally typical for the little dude. But he had to admit he hated seeing him sitting all alone every day.
Dave felt a tug at his pant leg, and when he looked down he saw the Mayor offering up a can of Tab with what he assumed was a smile. He couldn’t see much of his face, but his eyes seemed pretty happy. Dave opened the soda and hoisted the Mayor up to sit on the couch next to him. He settled in close, leaning his head on Dave’s side.
“I don’t know, Mayor. Was I being weird? I feel like I was being weird.”
He shrugged his little shoulders, and tilted his head.
“Yeah. I’m probably overthinking this. Thanks for the drink, dude.”
The mayor gave an enthusiastic thumbs up, and motioned for a high five. Dave’s hand was about the size of the Mayor’s head, so he offered his thumb which the Mayor happily fived instead.
“Good talk, little man. Let’s go finish building that Can-Ampitheater or whatever it is.”
He picked up the little Carapacian, firmly seated him on his shoulders, and headed towards the little room that held the Mayor’s masterpiece.
------------
Karkat didn’t see Dave for another few days. It wasn’t unusual for him to disappear for stretches of time, during which he’d often stay in remote areas of the meteor either writing rap verses or sitting with the Mayor. Even Rose usually left him alone during these times, sensing he needed space to do whatever it was human males do in their free time.
However, it seemed that the most recent stretch had come to an end. He was heading towards the ablution block when he passed the Mayor’s quarters. There he was, laying on his stomach and covered in green and yellow chalk. Dave was right by his side, smiling and looking for the best place to put the latest can. The two of them were stacking them into some circular structure. He must have made some sort of noise, because the Mayor excitedly skittered over towards his feet and ushered him into the room.
He thought about making some excuse to leave, but the Mayor looked insistent, and Dave seemed okay with it. Karkat sat down next to a jumbled pile of empty cans, brushing the bright red smear of chalk dust off his grey pants.
“Welcome to can town, dude.”
“Uh, thanks.”
He had no idea what to say. Should he apologize for being weird? Should he just act natural and see what happened? He never knew what kind of response to expect from Dave. Sometimes he’d act offended and sometimes he’d look at him like he grew a second set of arms.
“What are you building?”
“An amphitheater. Gonna be the best spot in Can Town for concerts. Maybe even a rave if Mayor’s down with it.”
“I, uh, I’m sorry for being so fucking weird the other day. You scared the living shit out of me.”
“Dude, it’s chill. Just stack some cans and let it out. Can Town is a place of Zen. Right Mayor?”
The Mayor gave a positive sounding noise and a thumbs up.
“Karkat I’m gonna be real here for a second. It’s obvious something’s up, we ain’t gonna judge. Just talk, dude. The two of us combined have more issues than Vanity Fair.”
“What the hell is a Vanity Fair?"
"It's a human magazine. So what's bothering you?"
"Well for starters, don’t read my fucking stories until they’re done.”
“Sure thing dude.”
“And give me some personal space every once in a while, because unlike some people here I don’t live in a fucking cloud of noxious body spray and highly caffeinated and probably toxic carbonated drinks.”
“Personal space. Check.”
“I’m at the end of my rope because I keep trying to make time to talk to Kanaya every once in a while and she’s too busy having dates and doing matesprit things with Rose, and now I only see her when Rose is around, and don’t get me wrong- she’s a very nice human and she has a sense of humor I find fucking delightful but I need some alone time with my friend for fuck’s sake! It's like I never see her unless something's really wrong. And even Terezi's always doing something else.”
“Karkat. Why don’t you just tell them?”
“I can’t just TELL them. Kanaya deserves to spend some time with her matesprit, they’re very flushed for each other and it’s honestly the most romantic shit I’ve ever seen, and I don’t want them to resent me for fucking with their matespritship! I can't just play around with their emotions, Dave.”
“Kanaya won’t resent you, man. Kanaya may be terrifying and literally drinks blood, but she’s like your weird troll mom. She talks about how she worries about you ALL THE TIME. Half the time I spend with her is just 'Dave, Would You Be So Kind As To Inform Me As To Karkat’s Well Being? I Fear He Is Unwell And His Disappearances Are Strikingly Common. Have You Seen Him In The More Recent Days? I Have Been Busy Wildly Making Out With Rose Lalonde And Have Been Unable To Tear Myself Away From Her Delicious Human Lips.'”
Karkat couldn’t stifle a smile. His impression was pretty damn accurate. His voice went up three octaves and he stood stick straight, but he kind of had her down pat.
“That- that was surprisingly perfect. Has she seen you do that?”
“Of course not. I prefer my body to be in one piece, if you haven’t noticed.”
“Says the guy with literally thousands of dead selves.”
“Dude, shut up, they’ll hear you.” He stage-whispered, looking around as if a horde of recently-deceased Daves would come flooding in any moment to take their revenge.
Suddenly they were both laughing, and the awkward feeling that had previously lingered dissipated. Karkat actually felt… better. Less angry, for once. Dave might be weird and sarcastic and rarely take things seriously, but he at least knew how to make people feel better.
“Hey Dave,” he said once he caught his breath. “Has anyone ever told you you’re actually really fun to be around?”
“Only every damn day.” He smirked, pointing at him with his finger guns that so often made an appearance.
“Well that’s good. I was worried your ego might be suffering. Couldn’t have that now, could we?”
————————
Karkat was surprised when Kanaya and Rose came to talk to him first the following week. Apparently, Dave had expressed his concerns with the two of them, and they were perfectly fine with scheduling some alone time for him and Kanaya. They even made a chart, which he thought was nice.
Papers in hand, he made his way towards the Mayor’s room, where Dave and the Carapacian were building their next architectural masterpiece. This time it was a hive complex, multilayered with different kinds of soda and food cans.
“Hey.”
Dave looked up.
“Back so soon?”
“Did you talk to Kanaya about me?”
“I was worried about you, dude. You obviously needed some serious moirail time.”
“I could have done that myself.”
“They were gonna ask you anyway. I just asked them to make a chart since you love those things.”
“I just came in here to show you this.” He tossed the stack of papers towards Dave, and he swiftly reached up and caught them before they could hit the ground and end up coated in a thick layer of chalk dust.
“It’s my first draft of the story. The ‘Ben Hur and Miss Congeniality’ one. I want you to read it.”
“Sure, dude. Your stuff is usually pretty rad.”
“You always have a pretty bass-ackwards way of showing it.”
“Well, I have to maintain my cool guy exterior.”
“So you’ll read it?”
“Of course I’m gonna read it. Sit down with the Mayor and do some can shit while I start this. I’m gonna read the fuck out of it.”
Karkat sat down with a thump. The can tower shook threateningly, but he put out a tentative hand to steady it. The Mayor gave him a look of gratitude and plopped himself in Karkat’s lap. He attempted to shift so he would move, but it was clear the little guy wasn’t going anywhere, so he accepted his fate. He wasn't heavy or anything, but no one had ever sat in his lap before.
He picked up 2 cans and debated where to place them, looking to the Mayor for help as the tower slowly got larger and larger. When it was too tall to build while seated, Karkat hoisted the Mayor up onto his shoulders and walked him around so he could stack the cans in their proper places. Every once in a while, he’d catch a glimpse of Dave out of the corner of his eye. He sat slumped against the wall in a position that couldn’t be remotely comfortable, with his legs stuck out into the center of the room. Somehow he managed to read with his sunglasses on. His face was mostly emotionless, but every once in a while his head would tilt or he’d readjust and Karkat wondered where he was in the story.
Hours passed, but it seemed like minutes. He was busy enough, and even let himself think out loud to the Mayor as they worked. He was an excellent listener, providing well-timed chirps of support and understanding. Sometimes he’d even reach down to high five his nose. It was weird- he couldn’t bring himself to curse around the Mayor. He seemed too innocent, and there was not enough on this meteor to give him a reason to fuck that up.
“Yo, Karkat.”
“You finished it? What do you think?”
“This might just be the longest romantic subplot I’ve ever seen. The flowery language and shit brings it out to... what has it been, like four or five hours of reading?” Karkat’s face fell. "It’s long but it’s got good characters and some pretty badass battle scenes. I don’t normally read romance novels, so I’m kinda out of my element. But it’s good.”
“No fucking way. You really actually like this shit?”
“Yeah, I actually do.”
“Praise? Not something I expected to hear from Dave Strider, knight of bullshit.”
“Not the kind of story I’d expect to read from Karkat Vantas, screamer of obscenities.”
“Touche.”
It was enough to cause both of them to break a smile. Karkat wasn’t really sure if he meant what he was saying- it was just a first draft- but he seemed more genuine than usual. It was fine either way. The more Karkat thought about it, the more he realized he liked Dave. And, it seemed, Dave liked him too. If he didn’t want to spend time with him he could have just asked him to leave, or ignore him completely. But he seemed to be seeking him out, actively trying to hang out with him. It was high time he actually did something about it.
“Hey, you wanna watch a movie with me when you’re done building can towers? I have troll Miss Congeniality.”
“Karkat, I thought you’d never ask."