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We haven't finished this conversation yet.

[ not that dave wants to but it's not like he's going to relax with lil cal around there anyway tbh

also

fuck you it's a great thing to hide because it's not like a fever or whatever is really that big a deal, right? ]

And I'm not that sick, I can still function, it's no big deal? Just. Wasn't drawin' back for the reason you thought I was.

You need rest. Fuck. [He shouldn't have even brought this up, he should've just burned it, Karkat was right, Dave doesn't need this when he's sick. Dirk's hauling Dave up and it's clear he's going for the air mattresses because he wants Dave to lie down and rest.]

Oh my god this is why I wasn't tellin' anyone, no, we need to talk about your dumbass puppet plan first?

[ dave casually digs his heels in and refuses to budge

this is going about as well as their conversations typically do when they're heart to hearts ]

M'fine, I've been way sicker and I worked through those, too.

You going through worse doesn't make bad okay.

[Don't dig your heels in you dick? Dirk lets go but only so he can drag the air mattresses out and set them down. Look at them there. Filled with air. Mattress shaped. With blankets and pillows now being thrown on top.]

Don't set a shitty example for your son.

[Magister is right there and he is seeing this. Teach Magister to rest when he's sick.]

[ it's a good thing he kept his shades on because his eyes flick towards the door to jake's room; that at least can't be seen, though the way he crosses his arms and tenses up again kind of can be. ]

Dude. I'll rest in a few, track down Karkat wherever the hell he's camping out and let him yell at me a bit. Okay?

[ since he knows karkat tries to be as far away from them as possible like

a complete moron ]

[Dirk stops. He looks up from what he was doing. Something heavy sinks down from his throat.]

Okay.

[Dirk was right: Dave can't rest. Not now that he knows Cal is here. The decision is so simple it's laughable.

Convincing Dave isn't as easy as that.]

So anyway my point was I don't want you doing a thing you don't wanna really do just because of me?

[ he's pretty sure he can rest across the base wherever karkat is (it's easy to fall asleep listening to karkat's shouting, even though that should not at all be the case) but it's true he's uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping adjacent to lil cal's room, admittedly. but. obviously that isn't a good enough reason to burn the puppet that he seriously wishes would just rocket off into space again?

karkat 100% absolutely predicted how troublesome dave was going to be in any scenario about this save the one where he never had a chance to be a headache. ]

[Dirk stands there, loose-limbed, an image of relaxation. Not the real thing. He stands there and he looks at his brother.]

Given that your attempt at hiding your illness is over and we're both sick from the same thing, there shouldn't be a problem with you coming over here for a hug now.

[He doesn't have a way to convince Dave. He almost never does. But if they're going to go forward, he needs that.]

I managed it for like over a week, don't I get some credit?

[ dirk sidestepped the issue of their current disagreement but dave lets it go after a second with that grousing comment, at least caving enough to go over for the hug dirk requested. ]

You managed it because I was hallucinating half the time.

[There's no credit when Dirk assumed Dave was keeping distance for the sake of his own health. He wraps his arms around Dave in a way that has become stupidly familiar, and he settles into the hug.

Dave is warm, probably too much, but Dirk still appreciates it. Cal could only borrow heat. The sun, the laundry machine, overheated hardware and he almost caught fire that time but even singed and smoking Cal never felt right, never felt warm the way Dirk wanted. Dave breathes against him, the steady rise and fall and that was something else Cal could never manage. Dirk sat beside Roxy's sleeping form, listening to her lungs, wondering if there was some way he could reproduce that sound, that feeling that made it seem so easy to sleep. But he never worked it out.

Dave gets hurt. Cal is a floppy false man. It's such an easy choice that he doesn't even have to think about it. He knew his decision before Cal ever appeared.]

This is how I know I'll do just fine without him.

Because I hide fevers from you?

[ dirk lost dave in the transition there although it's not like dave can judge - or like he really cares. conversations with dave can go all over the place at the whims of other people because he'll follow along, or they can go all over the place because he can't stick to a script to save his damn life.

he drops his chin onto dirk's shoulder, figuring he missed the conversational jump. no, not the fevers - dirk's probably talking about their hugs, but dave still doesn't follow. ]

He's your computer password, isn't he?

It's the most obvious possible password for a computer no one but me could ever touch.

[So it was ironic. A dumb joke for a system that was a maze of files and encryptions, where all the walls he ever put up were just for Roxy's amusement. There was no point to any of that at the end of the world.]

I don't want to weigh you down with this or anything so I'm just going to ask you to confirm something for me. I'll know I can go through with it as long as your answer is yes.

Just tell me that you'll hug me once we get rid of him.

It'd be the same password even if that weren't the case.

[ it was bro's password, and dave had typed it in too many times to count.

even if he doesn't know the right answer to stopping dirk or asking him to do what he's offering to do, dave does know the answer to the question being posed now. ]

Dude. I'll give you a hug whenever. You know this. Regardless of puppets?

[He breathes in. It isn't quite steady. He closes his eyes. His fingers grip just short of causing pain.]

You won't ever fully be comfortable if I keep Cal, no matter where I put him. It will hurt a little when I lose him, but I've already lost him once and whatever pain I experience from it will be soothed knowing that you can have some peace of mind.

I seriously care about you more than any dumb puppet. Okay?

...I know.

[ but there's a hesitation born of sixteen years not knowing that before he replies, because no, dave doesn't know that, because it's simply never been remotely true. it's fine to believe dirk will prioritize him over smuppets. cal is another matter entirely. ]

[In the end, Dirk is still a kid. He raised his own damn self, he figured everything out on his own from archives and bad experiences. And the whole time, he kept Cal. Cal had saved his life. Cal was his best friend. He told Cal everything, treated him like he was a real person, developed the technique of flashpuppeteering just to fabricate the illusion because yes, no one else was around, but it was a little closer to real for him, and couldn't that be enough? He built robots, friends that would move on their own, and he could have mechanized Cal any time but he didn't. Cal had saved him just as he was. Cal had protected him just as he was. And all those years, Cal and Cal alone was the safeguard of every weakness and vulnerability. Cal kept him sane and safe. Cal let him survive.

Dirk presses his face into Dave's shoulder.]

Please let me do this for you.

[ see, it's true dave's never going to relax with cal there, won't want to sleep near the fucking thing, will try to put as much space between him and it as humanly possible.

but it's also true he's never going to agree to something that's clearly fucking dirk up. if someone is going to be fucked over by something, dave will pick himself as the loser in the situation any time, without hesitation. ]

No.

Edited 2016-08-14 00:37 (UTC)

[Dirk pulls back. He looks at Dave.

He's lost.]

What?

[His hands are gripping Dave's hard, twisting the fabric in between white-knuckled fingers. His face draws together.]

No. You're not living with Cal on base. Do you think I'd let that be a thing? He has to go.

...I'm not gonna give you permission.

[ and his jaw is set and haha this is so stupid, he'll end up bunking at the farm probably, but just. no. dirk's holding him too tight and has admitted it'll hurt and he's not the only self-sacrificial moron in the family.

it's fine?

this is fine. he can deal with this. ]

So. No.

[This is really stupid. They're both self-sacrificial, and they both dig their feet in. Dirk lets go of Dave, but it's so he can fold his arms.]

Believe it or not, Dave, I don't actually require permission to destroy my own property.

[Really, really stupid.]

Yeah, you do. 'Cause I'm not talking to you ever again if you destroy him.

[ dave you

want him to destroy cal you fucking moron

he's not crossing his own arms but he jams his hands into his pockets, scowling. ]

[He can't deal with this?? He can't even believe what Dave is making happen.]

Are you fuckin' five? You can't give me the silent treatment for something you want. There isn't an argument here. We both agree on what we want done.

[ karkat fucking warned you, bro! ]

Fuckin' watch me. Because we don't agree on it at all, okay!

[ yes, he's five, and he's also just going to

storm out, attempting to abscond

so ]

[Dirk Strider throws up his hands. Because what the fuck. What the ever-loving-fuck!]

I love you too, you fuckin' ass.

[FINE. STORM OUT. DIRK WILL STORM INTO JAKE'S ROOM! BECAUSE SCREW YOU.

He absolutely meant that 'I love you' though. He didn't want Dave to leave without hearing that. He heard it's a bad way to end fights to not say that. Not that the fight is over. Still!]

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