The bell rung, signaling that all students should have reported to fifth period. Dave slowly ambled into class, taking his time. He was sore all over from the strife he'd held with his Bro the day before. He had loved the feeling of his sword meeting his Bro's, the clashing blades sending vibrations along his arms and down his spine, and the satisfaction he felt whenever he managed a hit. The training had made him feel strong.

Dave stumbled entering the classroom, but quickly regained his balance, attempting to keep a straight face just in case someone saw. But he couldn't help the groan that escaped, remembering that he had pulled something in his lower back during the fight. There were also shallow scratches, already scabbing, littering his pale arms at random. Bro always stopped himself before any real damage was done and they only stung a bit. Besides, most of the cuts weren't made from a blade. Dave had been a little uncoordinated. Bro's movements were fast enough to make him trip over his own feet. It also didn't help any that he was going through a growth spurt. He was all lanky arms and legs. He'd be agile if he filled out a little so the workouts were appreciated. Still, moving hurt, so he wasn't in a huge rush as he took his seat under the teacher's scrutinizing gaze.

The class was AP US History and his teacher, Ms. Serket, could give the longest, most boring lectures he'd ever experienced. "Class, I'm assigning a partner project. You and your partner are to give a PowerPoint presentation on one of the US presidents. I expect social, economic, and political stand points under your chosen president and…" Dave was beginning to drown her out and started doodling in his notebook.

He snapped back to attention when he heard his name. "Mr. Strider!"

He looked up and Ms. Serket was standing in front of him with a hat full of folded up pieces of paper. "Yo."

A few people in the class giggled. "Mr. Strider, please stop mumbling to yourself and pull a name from the hat."

Oh shit. When had he started rapping? Dave reached in and churned them around before yanking out a name. It read, 'Karkat Vantas'. Oh hell. He had gotten stuck with the weird kid. Vantas usually kept to himself. He had friends, but he was definitely not a social butterfly. He was also pretty short so he just managed to stay out of everyone's line of sight most of the time.

When people started to shift seats and find their partners, Dave walked to the back of the room and plopped down his stuff before throwing himself in a chair. Karkat jolted and leaned away from him. What the fuck was his deal? Dave leaned farther in on the desk and tried to get a better look at him, but he was pointedly looking away and out the window. This was some Edward-Cullen-Twilight shit that Dave would not abide by. "Yo. You okay?"

Karkat seemed to be breathing kind of heavily as he brought a hand to his mouth. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Dave stood up and the class turned to look at him. "Yo, teach, Vantas isn't feeling well. I'm gonna take him to the nurse."

Ms. Serket looked worried but nodded. Dave touched Karkat's shoulder, but he just jumped up and brushed him off, "Don't touch me!" He stood up and walked out of the classroom, Dave following close behind.

"Hey, what's your deal?" Dave was kind of annoyed. He didn't really want to work with this guy on a weeklong project if he was going to throw a tude, "I was only checkin to make sure you don't blow chunks everywhere."

"Can you just stay a few feet away from me?"

"Why?"

Karkat turned on his heel and Dave stopped walking. This was the first time he'd seen Karkat's face up close. He was relatively attractive, light brown skin and a few freckles here and there. He had dark circles under amber eyes and his messy brown hair curved in to frame his face and stuck out from his head in every direction. He wore a scowl that Dave assumed was almost always permanent. "Listen, I think you need to go to the nurse more than me."

Dave was thrown off. "What? Why?"

"Aren't you hurt?"

"Why would I be?"

"Because…" Karkat stared at the floor confused. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, listen, I'm going to tell you something I haven't told anyone before. You have to keep it a secret. Do you understand?" Karkat looked into Dave's shades, eyes serious and searching.

"Alright. Sure."

Karkat grabbed Dave's hand and quickly pulled him inside the nurse's office. Ms. Maryam was out. Karkat closed the door and took a deep breath before speaking, "So I'm sort of an empath."

Dave stood staring blankly at Karkat as he fidgeted in place He seemed embarrassed for some reason. "Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and admit it. I have no idea what that is."

Karkat sighed. "An empath is a person that is extremely perceptive to other people's emotions and feelings. I'm like a sponge. I just absorb all of it in. The closer people get to me, the stronger signals I get. That's why… I'm sorry I snapped at you in class. But you made contact with me and it kind of hurt so."

"That's kinda weird. You aren't shitting me here? I guess that's why I don't see you hangin out with people all that often. But I don't remember you ever pullin anything like what you just did in history."

Karkat looked irritated. "That's because I've never felt this degree of pain before! Aren't you seriously injured right now? Did you get hit by a bus or something?"

"Oh. I strifed with my Bro last night. He totally kicked my ass."

Karkat looked at Dave like he had just casually confessed to murder, "Why the fuck would he do that? What kind of household are you living in? Aren't you in a lot of pain right now?"

"Not really. I mean, I've been training with him since I can remember. I like sword fighting. It can hurt but it's something I'm used to. Plus, it's fun."

"Well, I'm not used to it! Take better care of yourself!"

Dave couldn't help but crack a smile. Having Karkat all riled up and caring for him was kind of nice. "Are you worried about me?"

The frustrated, red color that crept into Karkat's cheeks was worth the loud string of expletives that nearly deafened him. "You smarmy motherfucker, I am worried that I might not make it through this fucking week if you keep coming in covered in bruises and scratches. What the hell did you even do to your back? Mine's killing me."

"I twisted in a way I shouldn't to block an oncoming attack." Karkat cringed. He was very expressive, every emotion displayed on his face. And Dave didn't particularly care for the one he showed to express pain. He groaned. "Okay, here." Dave pulled Karkat along and sat him down on the edge of one of the beds. He searched through his bag and pulled out a tube of Icy Hot. "Can you take your shirt off for a sec?"

"What?!"

"I'll make your back feel less sore."

Karkat grumbled but did what was asked of him. He had a small frame for a boy and his skin was smooth. Dave's heart rate sped up as he squeezed some of the cream onto his hand and began massaging Karkat's back in the area he was feeling pain. Karkat shivered but soon relaxed into the touch. He breathed out a small sigh and Dave peered over his head to see that his eyes were closed. "You enjoying this?"

Karkat's eyes flew open and his brow furrowed. "I wasn't that into it! It just felt kind of nice. And don't forget that it still hurts when you make physical contact with me."

Dave moved his hands to Karkat's shoulders, an area on his body he knew didn't actually hurt, and continued kneading. "You can admit you like it."

Karkat sputtered, knowing full well that the massaging was now unnecessary. Still he didn't complain. The pleasure was almost masking the pain, "It's okay. It isn't the best massage I've ever received."

"How many other strangers whose emotions you've absorbed gave you back rubs?"

"None. I told you, I've never told anyone I'm an empath before. People wouldn't believe me or think I'm a freak."

"You haven't even told your parents?"

"No. They're recently divorced and really closed off about how much pain they're in. They don't want to talk about their emotions so how awkward would it be if I brought up that I already know how they feel?"

Dave hummed. "Then I guess I'm honored you're trusting me. Does that make me special?" Dave made his tone accusatory.

"It means you put me through so much pain that I wasn't thinking clearly and went and spilled the beans."

"I could make up for that." Dave pulled his hands away and Karkat turned around.

"What are you implying?" Karkat's tone sounded anxious.

"I mean, I could make you feel good-ow!" Karkat smacked Dave on the back of his head and quickly grabbed his own.

"Butter-shitting dick biscuits! That hurt!"

Dave couldn't help but laugh. "I can't believe you forgot that would hurt you too."

"I can't believe you're blatantly hitting on me."

"I was just joking."

Karkat's face fell. "Oh."

Oh hell. "Ah. Sorry. Sometimes I say stupid shit to people I've just met and I forget there are in between steps to forging relationships." Dave scratched the back of his neck.

"Well, I didn't think too much of it anyway so you're safe."

"Well then don't look so dejected." Dave didn't mean to start an argument with Karkat but his demeanor was beginning to grate on his nerves. Being around him sort of threw off his cool. It was like he was experiencing emotional whiplash. Dave tried to change the topic. "So I think this weekend would be a good time to put the project together. You free Saturday? We can do it at my place if you want. My Bro won't be around. He's going to a convention."

"Sure. Saturday at your place. Sounds great." The response was terse. Karkat put his shirt back on and avoided meeting Dave's eyes.

Was he pouting? Oh wow. That was kind of adorable. "You could be a little more enthusiastic."

Karkat stood on his tip toes and yelled in his face. "I'LL SEE YOU SATURDAY, DOUCHEBAG."

He then scurried from the room like a startled rabbit, leaving Dave wondering if his heart rate had sped up from the sudden burst of loud noise or the fact that Karkat's face had come really close to his.

Throughout the rest of the week, Dave had tried to strike up a conversation with Karkat. He knew he hated being around him when he was injured, so the days when he'd had a particularly painful strife the night before Dave would leave him alone. Karkat had begun to grow on him. He liked the constant change of expressions and how passionate his voice was. It felt like emotions constantly flew out of him, like he was filled to the brim with them.

Still, he kind of wished Karkat was in more of his classes. The only other one he shared with him was gym and the one time during the week he had tried to approach him in the class, they were running the mile and some jackass went and twisted their ankle goofing around right in front of him, causing Karkat to kneel down on the floor moments after, swearing. The gym teacher, Mr. Ampora, had asked him what was wrong. Dave had stepped in, seeing Karkat looking a little lost and told him that he wasn't really feeling well and he had already gone to the nurse earlier this week for a stomach bug. The teacher bought it.

As they left for the locker room Karkat whispered a muffled, "Thanks."

Maybe Dave was growing on him too.

When Saturday rolled around, Dave was nervously waiting for Karkat to show. He was kind of excited to see him outside of school. He thought, maybe, he had developed a kind of crush on him. That was probably why the little asshole could pull out so many different emotions. There was also the possibility it was his empath thing, but even when he wasn't around Karkat his feelings remained.

His doorbell rang and he made sure to steady his breathing since he had forgotten himself in his eagerness and had rushed to answer the door. He opened it and smirked down at Karkat who was out of breath himself. "You okay? Have trouble climbing up the stairs?"

"You failed to mention you lived on the top floor of an apartment complex with a broken elevator. Also, I don't think that's the only reason I'm out of breath. What the fuck were you just doing before you opened the door?"

Dave put on his best poker face and lied, "Stretching."

"Yeah, okay. Sure." Karkat pushed his way inside and looked around curiously. "I can tell when you aren't exactly being honest you know. Your poker face means shit to me."

"So you can tell exactly what I'm feeling whenever you want?"

Karkat stared down Dave with a blank expression. "Yes."

"Then what am I feeling right now?"

Karkat scrunched up his face, thinking. "Hungry."

Dave's stomach growled. Shit. He was right. Karkat snorted. "Yeah. Yeah. Real funny. I didn't eat lunch yet. I'm gonna make a peanut butter sandwich. You want one?" Dave shuffled to the kitchen and Karkat followed close behind.

"Sure. Did you decide which star-spangled shithead we're gonna do our PowerPoint on?"

"My idol, Obama."

Karkat stared at him, bewildered. "Why did you choose him?"

"Because his name fits choicely into my raps."

"You rap?"

Dave handed him a sandwich, "Heck yes, I do. Why? You wanna hear one?"

"Nonononono! I think I'm fine with just the sandwich for now. I was never really into rap much."

"Well what kind of music do you like?" Dave asked around a mouthful of white bread and peanut spread, "Do you have an Ipod on you?"

"I do, but I don't think we have similar tastes." Karkat reached into his pocket and pulled out a bundle of wires currently constricting his Ipod. He handed it to Dave.

"Dude…"

"What?"

"These are all love songs."

"Not all of them! There's some Daft Punk in there!"

"Okay, points there, but seriously, how many times can you listen to "Check Yes Juliet" without wanting to claw out your tympanic membrane?"

"My what?"

Dave felt his face heat up. "Sorry. It's just the technical term for eardrum."

Karkat chuckled, "Why would you know something like that?"

Dave ran his fingers through his blonde locks, attempting to shake out some of his nerves. "I may or may not have a small interest in biology. Body parts are kind of cool. Actually, I have a collection of preserved shit in my room if you're interested."

Dave waited to be rejected. Here was a kid who liked listening to love songs. Obviously looking at dead shit wasn't going to peak his interest. "Sure."

"Wait. Really?"

"Yeah, let's go." Karkat finished the last of his sandwich. "I can tell you want to show me."

"Oh. Okay." Dave led the way to his room and watched Karkat as he observed all the oddities occupying the jars on his shelves.

Eventually, Dave's attention trailed off onto Karkat. He traced Karkat's facial features with his gaze, admiring his high cheekbones and how full his lashes were. Even the dark half circles under his eyes were kind of appealing. They made the shade of his irises brighter, a golden honey color. "Um. Dave?"

Dave snapped out of his stupor and tried to casually address Karkat, "Sup?"

His cheeks were tinted rose. "You know, I can feel that right?"

"Feel what?" Realization dawned on him and he quickly slapped his hand to his forehead. Karkat was picking up on his strange crush vibes. "Shit."

"Hey, it's-it's okay. I just didn't know you felt that way. When I got here it felt a little strange. I thought you were hungry and I guess you are… In a way."

"Stop talking. Just stop talking, please." Dave buried his face in his hands. "This can't be happening. It is honestly the most frustrating thing to be around you sometimes. Like, my cool just dissipates instantly."

Dave dared a glance at Karkat. He looked kind of hurt. "I'm sorry it's such a bother to be around me."

"Fuck! No. That is not what I meant. I just wanted to- Okay, you know what? We are gonna redo this whole revelation right the fuck now. Except, this time, I'll be the one to tell you so you don't have to find out with your empath powers. Now stay right the fuck there."

Dave walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He counted to ten and then reopened the door and entered again. "Hey, so I like you."

Karkat looked flabbergasted, like he was still trying to process the events that had led up to this moment. Finally, the beginnings of a smile played at the corners of his lips and it wasn't long before he was laughing hysterically. Dave couldn't help but to admire the rarity of it all. Too bad Karkat's laughter was aimed at him.

"Not cool, bro."

"Sorry! Sorry! That was just the dorkiest thing I've ever seen."

Dave crossed his arms. "You know, you could stop havin a giggle fit and respond."

Karkat straightened up and covered his mouth with a hand, trying to keep his amusement at bay. "Thank you."

Well, this was it. He was getting rejected. At least with the way things were going, he might still be able to stay friends with Karkat.

"Thanks for telling me your feelings, instead of relying on my empath powers. It made me feel… normal."

"Yeah. No problem."

"Also, I sort of like you too." Karkat moved his hand away from his mouth and Dave was pleasantly surprised to see his grin had stuck around.

Dave wanted to kiss him.

"You can kiss me."

"I didn't ask you yet."Karkat rolled his eyes. "You really need to learn some patience and just let me talk about shit before you empathize-er-ate me."

"There's already a word for that. It's "empathize". You didn't have to make one up."

"No no. Trust me empathize-er-ate sounds cooler… Can I kiss you?"

Karkat groaned, "Yes. For the love of God, put your mouth against mine so I don't have to hear you blather about anymore irrelevant- mmph." Dave closed the gap between them and pressed his lips to Karkat's. They were a little chapped from what Dave assumed was a bad habit of lip biting, but they were also warm and soft and attached to Karkat. He only lingered for a moment before he pulled back.

"Wow, I really enjoyed that."

Karkat reached up and pressed a hand to Dave's chest. His other hand rested on his own. "When my parents were married, I could feel their hearts keeping pace with one another. It was like they were on the same wavelength. I think it has something to do with people harboring a great deal of affection for another person because ours are synchronized right now."

Dave slid his hand over Karkat's. "I think I can guarantee they'll probably stay that way."