The others stopped asking the boys about their sleeping arrangements. Whether anyone was fooled by Dave's ruse was debatable. A more likely explanation was that they just didn't care anymore. Everyone was becoming more and more isolated into their own mini-groups. Vriska and Terezi, Rose and Kanaya, Gamzee was on his own; which left Dave, Karkat, and the Mayor to act as companions to each other. The Mayor had little interest in things outside of Can Town, but could be persuaded away from his duties every now and then. He was a hell of a guy and very sociable. Karkat seemed protective and fond of him as well, probably something to do with being a blood player. Karkat had actually been very comforting to Dave when he woke up with nightmares, always rubbing his back and giving sweet reassurances if Dave started crying. There was something about Karkat he always seemed to know exactly how to comfort someone and was always sincere in his talks with Dave. It was nice. The troll was so protective of those he cared for, it's too bad he didn't see himself as someone worth protecting as well.

Today, Dave thought it would be a good idea to introduce the two to an Earthling children's game. One that he had never been able to play with the other kids when he was actually on Earth; but he often played by himself when bro had left the apartment door locked and Dave without a key. It was how he passed the time before Bro arrived home from the few errands he seldom accomplished. Surprisingly, Bro always left chalk outside the door. The activity always brought Dave some peace of mind as a kid. He would draw out the path with the chalk, working to make it perfect, then he would go back and forth on his path until he got bored, moved to a different part of the street outside the complex and draw a new path. He became quite good at it. Created all kinds of twisted pathways, he would see some other kids play on them when he came home from school. He never stopped to talk to them though. It seemed like every time he did, he was met with a strife as soon as he actually went in the apartment.

He wanted to share something with Karkat though, even if it was stupid, even if it didn't have any real value. He had been growing closer to Karkat over the past few months. The bro cuddles becoming an every night thing, Karkat's purring becoming his lullaby with which he was able to sleep peacefully, well most nights. And the Mayor, the Mayor was pretty much up for anything, he was awesome like that. The three of them ended up hanging out together anyway when the Mayor took a break from his duties in Can Town. So Dave prepped a space in one of the many hallways throughout the meteor, making it ridiculously long with an insane number of single squares, forcing whoever attempted it to hop on one foot for nearly 100 ft. Once Dave finished he decided to hop back, test himself and see if he still had his 3rd grade cool-kid skills.

As he was reaching the end (not tripping or losing his balance once) he was greeted with the sight of Karkat and the Mayor. Karkat talking about god knows what and the Mayor just eagerly nodding, while using some of the chalk Dave had left there to draw. Karkat saw Dave hopping towards the end of the drawn path and clapped. "Good job Dave." Karkat had been referring to him with insults less and less. Normally Dave wouldn't think anything of it, except it only happened when they were alone and he still referred to others with those insults. He should ask Karkat about that sometime. However, right now it's time to play some ironic hopscotch. Dave suggested that Karkat attempt the long winding path, but apparently this wasn't a game that had ever been done in Alternia. Karkat wasn't about to attempt the insanely protracted path. "That is entirely too fucking long Dave! Trolls didn't have this stupid bullshit wriggler game and I'm not going to look like a dumbass for your amusement."

"It's not like that dude, it's fun, here." Dave made a much shorter path for the troll to attempt… in the shape of a phallus.

"What the fuck is that?"

"A shorter hopscotch path."

"You know what I mean, it's shaped weird."

"Okay, now you've got me curious now, this is a dong. Part of male human anatomy."

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU SHAPE YOU WRIGGLER PATH LIKE THAT?!"

"Irony, dude. …So, troll anatomy doesn't look like this at all?"

Karkat had a blush growing across his face. "NO! IT DOESN'T!" His nervousness making it harder to control his volume.

"What's it look like then?" Dave offered him a piece of chalk to draw.

"I'M NOT FUCKING DOING THIS."

The Mayor just looked back and forth between the two boys. Unsure of what was going on.

Dave didn't want to start a fight, it was something he was going to ask Karkat later though, in a more private area (last thing he needs is Rose psychoanalyzing his curiosity).

Dave erased and redrew the path to end the discussion. Karkat, placated, attempted the shorter hopscotch obstacle. He succeeded just fine.

"Okay, now take this." Dave handed him a rock. "Wherever is lands, you can't step on that square."

"Okay, whatever, this is a game for wrigglers. I don't even get why we are still playing this shit." Despite his comments, Karkat actually really got into the activity. After he went through the small hopscotch a few times he decided to switch it up and try the long winding path that Dave had first made. The Mayor then took his turn on the small path. He was able to complete the short path a half dozen times before Karkat returned.

The troll completed his attempt and looked at Dave. "You are a fucking sadist with that long line of single squares." Dave smirked

"Gotta take challenges to ironic levels."

"How was that ironic?"

Dave was a little taken aback by the question. "Because it just is."

"No, that wasn't ironic."

"Yes it was."

"Then explain to me how."

"…because shut up that's why."

Karkat let out a toothy grin, Dave was blushing a little. It was rare for the hipster to caught off guard. Karkat couldn't help but think it cute. In a pale way of course, no way would he was flushed for Dave. They were bros, and he felt a strong pale connection. He couldn't possibly feel flushed feelings for Dave, no, not possible.

For Dave's part, he couldn't help but notice how wide Karkat's smile was. He didn't think he had ever seen the troll smile that hard in the ten months they had been stuck on this meteor. Why did he find the troll's smile so endearing? Why did it make him want to try again and again to see if he could coax an even more jubilant reaction from the nubby horned creature in front of him. …It was something Dave would think about later. Right now, it's time for some stupid fun.