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I trust you with the well-being of everyone on the base. I know you'd protect even the people you don't like and trust. So yeah, I'd make you a shark.

[Dirk knows Dave is a good person, even if he doesn't believe it himself. Dirk has absolute faith in that.]

Whenever?

[A. Pause. He looks down at their hands.]

After I. Hm.

[A glance up.]

When you mentioned the cords, you were asking me to move into the tower. I didn't read that wrong.

I...no? I was just askin' when you wanted to. Do that.

[ it was not a "when" to sharknado.

dave could possibly stand to be more clear in what he says and asks. it occurs to him that they went months before dirk said "i love you" and longer still without saying other important things straight out.

he takes a steadying breath, and instead of going in for metaphors or speaking around the topic, tries for clarity. ]

I want you to move into the tower with me. Will you?

[ there. an explicit offer. which he cannot take back or pretend he didn't make. it's no less terrifying than he thought it would be. ]

[He definitely thought it was a when on Sharknado. Which, for a second Dave can see Dirk tense up, not his hand but just this freeze at no, a misreading, him thinking that means Dave doesn't want to move in. It unwinds when Dave asks, except it's still tight in his chest and he can't answer for a second because breathing is not, in fact, a skill he has truly mastered apparently.

It is indeed his turn to be pathetic. Simultaneously.]

Please. Yes?

[Good job he got words out there.]

[ it was a "no" to having misread things, before dave decided maybe he should say it in a way that couldn't be misread. even the affirmative doesn't make him any less terrified, but - asking straight out was probably good? or saying yes?

as ever dave can't actually decide if he approves or disapproves of the honesty involved but. okay. ]

Okay, uh. When? Would you want to. Do that.

Right.

[That is also a choice to be made. They are so fucking awkward. Think logically, Strider.]

I won't need too long to move my stuff. I should probably like... tell the relevant parties and give it a couple days instead of just moving on notice.

Would. Two days from now work? [Making it the twelfth, which is convenient. He will want to be around Dave once things start getting Dangerous so.]

[ a shrug. ]

Whenever works. But, uh. Hm.

[ he has to ask another dumb question here. god. or he could...not ask it. no come on this should be easy ]

What are your plans for the rest of the day?

Okay, so I'll move in on the twelfth.

[He is pretty sure making a set date, and therefore firm and official, is a helpful thing for them both.]

No plans. I was just going to fill the afternoon with work.

Oh.

[ a brief struggle to determine if "work" or "no plans" matters more here. give him a second. ]

Um. Important work?

[ conclusion: he's not sure. ]

[Dirk decides that he has been through this torturous routine a sufficiently number of times that he is willing to risk the pain of rejection to spare Dave the pain of stumbling to his death.]

I can hang out with you if you want.

[ hey ]

No, I mean - uh. It wouldn't be - exactly. [ even when dirk tries to spare him, somehow dave just manages to keep talking himself into an early grave of embarrassment. ] Well, it could be, just like. Would you mind workin' on whatever at my - our place.

[ so he can sleep when the fuck will the great warper disaster be over: a novel by dave strider. and no he hasn't actually slept for more than an hour tops at a time since he caved and let dirk come over on the 2nd. it is currently the 10th. ]

Just for a few hours? [ this is probably the most pathetic question that has been asked so far this conversation, and it has stiff competition. shit. ]

No problem. I'll fix your wires while I'm there so I'm not moving into a death trap.

[There's a pause.]

Tomorrow. Can we build a bunk bed?

If it'll shut you up about them. [ ... ] The wires, not the bunk bed. I am more enthusiastically for buildin' a bunk bed, with the understandin' that I will be like, the attractive assistant who does not actually know how to do this and you're makin' the plans for it.

[ also the first statement was only mockingly long suffering. a certain amount of tension went out of how dave was holding himself at "no problem", even if he'd been slouchingly casual to start with. frequently casual means the opposite with him, but it's slid into genuine with the confirmation. ]

[Dave relaxing always relaxes Dirk, out of 'battle-ready relaxed' and into a genuine posture of calm.]

Standard offer where you pass me the wrenches and I teach you so you'll know how to do it.

Okay.

[ they've done that often enough he's fine agreeing to the situation. ]

Then yeah, tomorrow we can do bunk beds while I rp Vanna White. Though I have never fully committed to the role, I guess? I need more sequins.

That's on you. There has never been a moment here when gettin' sequins for yourself was not an option.

[The changes are minute, but for someone attuned to Dirk's emotions, tone and body language are both shifting slantways: happier, more content, more relaxed. Dirk is apparently feeling a lot better after this talk. Still not perfect, but a major improvement.]

I'll look into makin' myself some, maybe. Is there anything else you think we should cover, or...busywork time for you while I do my best impression of a crash and burn?

[ like he can still talk more but actually. if they stay out much longer he will return to just leaning against dirk like a tired disaster. their non-nonsense discussions tend to take a lot out of dave emotionally and combined with just being dead tired he is now. even more dead tired. but at least he doesn't seem tense beyond minor random fluctuations presumably related to the warpers. ]

I'm reasonably certain that any further discussion will end in your nonsense getting more sleep-deprived than usual. Let's get you to the tower.

[Dave needs sleep, and Dirk probably needs to zone out on some good mechanical work.]

[.tbh the weird sheep metaphor was pushing the sleep deprived nonsense envelope and they both know it ]

Meet me there after you grab work or do you have shit in your 'dex?

Edited 2017-01-14 08:58 (UTC)

[hdu the coke sheep were very sensible metaphorical inventions.]

I'll have to go grab stuff and meet you. Won't be more than fifteen minutes.

[ the coke sheep were the result of like eight days of no sleep only more than that accounting for timeloop said. although they were also just the result of dave being dave. ]

Okay. I'll just wash up or somethin'. [ showers take him like five minutes generally. dave drops dirk's hand and hesitates, before leaning in for a very fast and barely there hug that doesn't quite allow time for dirk to even begin to react, after which he simply lets go and drops off the branch into midair. ]

See ya soon.

[That happened. He thinks? It was definitely fast. Flashstep reflexes barely accounted for it. He blinks a bit.

Dave still has his shades.]

Love you.

[He hops out of the tree so he can head back. He'll get his shades from Dave when they're together again. As roomies.]

[ other signs dave is tired: he literally forgot he had their shades and did not even bother to put his own back on while he's usually pretty militant about wearing his own around everyone else. actually that's probably the biggest sign ever considering how weird he is about the shades. he will probably notice them whenever he gets back to the tower and swear at himself or something. ]

Love you too.

[ and then he'll head out and presumably be like showered and dressed in actual sleepwear whenever dirk gets to the tower where he can like retrieve his shades and dave will manage to probably sleep after like half an hour of low key watching dirk work on whatever. at least the magister will be awake to keep dirk company. ]

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