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[Dirk's voice is quiet.] Just tell me to stop overreading you and I'll stop. No asking if you're okay, no trying to interpret what you're doing. I promise. [He saw the freeze up. He is afraid if he doesn't comment on it he'll miss something important. He is worried that if he does comment on it he'll just make Dave more stressed.

A pause.]

I promise to try to stop the reading, and to entirely stop asking. Sometimes I've worried that not asking you about a possible hint means I've failed you, so if you blanket tell me to knock that shit off I swear I will. Put it down as a boundary, and anything else you want to set against for the day, and I'll respect it.

[He doesn't want to make this worse. He just needs to know. What is he supposed to do?]

[ that's an offer dave...does not know what to do with. it's like carte blanche to lie and get away with it if dirk just doesn't ask and doesn't try to understand. does he want that back? he's wished for it frequently. if he'd had it they probably wouldn't be standing here at all, though.

what answer would dirk be happiest with? sometimes dave thinks he can predict it, but sometimes he gets it really fucking wrong. this feels like it could be one of those times. ]

Just don't worry about it today. I'm fine. You're not failing me. I'm just being weird for no reason, like I said. Zoned out over nothing.

[ wrong or right, he opts for this solution. if dirk is promising not to ask, dave doesn't have to worry about telling or not telling. he smiles and it's amused and a little tired but not forced. ]

Seriously. I probably would've been more useful if I'd known about this sooner but I kinda figured you'd book it and didn't plan to like, hang with anyone. So not being fully awake was not in fact a concern I had earlier. I would maybe have taken back some late night reading. Or maybe not, but at least I would've reconsidered it at the time.

[Dave doesn't get a hint on whether or not he got it wrong. Dirk immediately accepts what Dave says. It's a boundary: Dirk has to stop trying to read Dave or at least trying to call out what he sees. So he will.]

Okay. I'm gonna opt for an easy breakfast. Toast and fruit slices, if you're okay with that. We'll do our chocolate pancake experiment some time when you're less tired. ['Tired' is an easy, blanket word. Dirk lets it stand for whatever Dave has decided it will for today, and he doesn't preoccupy himself with trying to interpret it. (Much.)] We'll do Lord of the Rings and chill.

[ at least there's that. it helps to think maybe dirk won't spend the day worrying about dave fucking himself up over whatever he's currently in a weird mood about. it's a relief to just commit to the thing he'd already committed to doing: not explaining and spending the day with himself, after dirk wandered off. ]

Toast and fruit is fine. [ he can stomach that much, easily. ] One movie or so and then you can go do whatever and I'll go do whatever? And by whatever I mean I'm goin' back to bed. I'll pick your clothes beforehand.

We have to do the Twin Towers if we're only doing one.

[Dave set his boundaries, but no-contact wasn't in there. Still, Dirk is nervous, so the hug is quick.]

Thanks for being my family. I love you. Happy Valentine's.

[He'll back off after that. But he had to do it before they continued on.]

You want AJ instead of coffee if you're going to nap, right?

[ he didn't say no contact. as quick as the hug is, dave does hug back. ]

Twin Towers is fine, and I'll have water. [ nothing super sweet. ] I love you, too.

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