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It was yet another day into their long-ass trip on the meteor, and everyone was bored out of their minds. Like, past regular bored, rocket launched into mind-melting singularities of endlessly repeating patterns. Wake up, eat something, go about your daily habits, avoid Kanaya and Rose's drunk asses unabashedly fucking somewhere viciously public, eat something, go to bed. At this point, Karkat was even considering letting Gamzee out of the refrigerator just to have something to do.
He missed having a moirail. He missed talking to somebody without said somebody being very obviously preoccupied with banging someone else. Karkat refused to stoop down to hanging out with Dave...up until now. Now, he was willing to do pretty much anything to escape the pan-melting grip of mundanity.
So here they are, 'chilling' in Karkat's respite block - like hell Karkat was going to let his guard down in someone else's dwelling space, he knows how that shit goes down - and he's almost convinced it's worth it. Watching shitty movies and exchanging banter with Strider wasn't a horrible waste of time (especially with nothing else to do) and he was veritably enjoying himself.
Even if sitting so close to him was bringing up all sorts of thoughts Karkat had been doing his best to shove in the deepest pits of his thinkpan. He shifted closer to Dave under the guise of reaching for the microwaved confectioneries Strider had produced, and tentatively rested his head on Dave's shoulder. A beat or two passed where Karkat was afraid he was about to be shoved on the floor and- and something...but...Dave was leaning back. Even with Karkat's (admittedly dull) horns in his face.
"Fuck, dude. Why do you smell so good?" Dave asked, turning his head to peer down at the mutant-blooded troll. His hand was reaching up to presumably card through his hair, Karkat too busy being shocked to resist swatting it away.
Karkat squinted, unsure if this was some sort of jape. "What are you talking about, fuckwit?"
Mutual uncertainty hung in the air. Dave scooted ever so slightly away, and the inch of space felt more and more like an endless void to Karkat the longer it took Dave to speak.
"You, uh, smell really nice? Right now?" Dave finally clarified.
Karkat short-circuited, briefly. Dave could...smell him? As in his- his shitty weird troll pheromones? As in, Dave could smell all the confusing flushed-pale feelings Karkat was stewing in for him? Karkat's face was certainly flushing now, and he stood from the couch with a start.
"Did I...say something?" Dave asked, hopelessly confused. The human reached for the remote and paused the film; dousing the room in silence. Karkat bit his lower lip, and crossed his arms. Should he...should he actually try to talk about this with him, or blow it off? The troll looked up from the floor to Dave, taking in his lax - albeit startled - posture.
"Shut up." Karkat spouted off instinctively. "You- I didn't realize you could, uh. Smell...things."
Wow. Very clever wording. Dave lit up - but it was one of those minuscule tells you only find when looking for them - apparently excited to deliver verbal fatality. Karkat shooshed him - retracting his hand as soon as he realized what he'd done. Dave opened his mouth anyway, but Karkat rushed to speak.
"No- let me finish, nookstain! I meant I didn't know you could smell the fucking- troll shit. We, as a collectively superior species," Karkat inhaled, channeling his inner Kankri with eternal disgust, "Give off...scents. Based on mood....moods."
Dave's interest was piqued, if his leaning forwards was anything to go off of. "And you're feeling good? Is that the signal I'm recieving, E.T.?"
"Shut up, yes." Karkat announced, hugging himself tighter.
"Fuck, sit back down then." Dave reached out, making grabby hands. Karkat was about to say something penalizing, but the spark of delight in his chest stopped him. He did want to get back to that...
Fuck it, he sat back down. The movie went back on, but this time Dave was not as subtle with his advances. The human pulled Karkat right in, and he was practically sitting on Dave's lap. Karkat was as stiff as a board, and hideously aware of it, but Soon Dave's hands were on his shoulder; slowly massaging the tension out of them. Karkat knew fuck-all what was happening on screen, as suddenly his world consisted of Dave and the human's stupid magic hands.
Karkat's eyes fluttered shut, and a sigh of contentment slipped from his lips. Dave inhaled quietly, apparently enjoying whatever embarrassing scents Karkat's body was betraying him with. Dave's firm hands were going up-up-up, massaging his scalp - and tactfully avoiding the tangles in his hair. Karkat couldn't resist the building rumble in his chest, lost in the contentment.
Gamzee had never done this with him, on either sides of the reciprocation. The furthest they'd gotten was Karkat papping him to keep Gamzee from fucking murdering the remains of their species in a bout of highblood rage.
Karkat let his thoughts go. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy this subtle warmth - even with the gog-awful couch beneath them - and chill.