[Yes. It is a crime. Karkat Vantas is now under arrest for felonious misunderstanding of being the best moirail a horrendously fucked-up and emotionally damaged human could ask for, sentencing TBA. Probably five to twenty hard time getting vigorous headpets until he gets it, Jesus.

Dave meets those eyes, though, and if his flick away for a second, it's only to think, to weigh the question before he agrees. He's back in no time.]

I guess?

[Shit. Karkat's really close to his face. Looking at him like this, Dave's cheeks warm a little under the faint freckles springtime's starting to draw out of his pale-ass skin. He keeps rubbing Karkat's back and hopes it's attributable to embarrassment over, like, all this emotional vulnerability and crap.]

Um, maybe in increments. [Pet, pet. He shifts a little under Karkat's weight.] Last time I tried talking about--about Bro, it. I felt kind of weird afterwards.

[Like he'd strained some kind of emotional muscle with the effort. Christ, that isn't even a thing.]

That might've been too much in one go, so, you know. Maybe we should try not to push ourselves too hard, while also, like. Maintaining the open channel.