A/N: Established relationship + hello dream bubbles my old friend.
Cantarella's a Vocaloid song, it's p rad. Singing is in italics.
Sorry this took me so long to write.
(Posting this before I can be overly critical of it.)
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For someone who was seen as being so robotic, Dirk was almost ironically warm. Or maybe it was dream bubble magic intended to encourage people to cuddle more often. (Karkat could see Feferi doing that. Maybe Nepeta's shipping tendencies were rubbing off on her.)

Either way, the troll was cold, so the two of them were huddled up in a cocoon of blankets, sitting in a pillow fort with an absurdly high ceiling, and watching some human romcoms, as they couldn't find anything else that Karkat hadn't seen a billion times by that point.

He criticized the movies the whole time--as did Dirk, who had the same tendency (which was annoying, but also oddly comforting to see that he wasn't the only one who did that). And despite how often he'd complained about Earth's media in the past, he was actually enjoying himself--Earth movies and Alternian movies weren't THAT different in quality (plus, it was quality time with Dirk, so he was winning either way, though he'd never say that out loud).

The current movie they were watching though was frankly kind of confusing--why was everyone flipping their sh** over this "prom" thing? It only got more bewildering when suddenly everyone looked like they'd stolen (or poorly imitated) Kanaya's fashion sense--tuxedos, glittering dresses...

Dirk nudged his shoulder, and he looked over to see him smiling. "Yo, you look somewhat confused. What's up?"

"How do you know this is confusion? Maybe this is my 'Wow This Movie Is Complete And Utter Bullsh**' face." Karkat retorted, sounding more irritable than he actually felt.

The Strider snorted. "I've seen that face too, and you are not making a 'This is Bullsh**' face right now. What's confusing you?"

"Your culture." Karkat replied snarkily.

He ignored his sarcasm and said, "Not surprising, given this is an Earth movie. What about our culture?"

"Everything." he paused for a few seconds, then added, "Also-what's-prom?"

Dirk smiled a little wider--meaning that he was actually smiling, even by Non-Strider standards--and he asked, "You don't have formal dances on Alternia?"

Karkat looked at a random pillow to the side and said, "I mean--no, we don't really dance...at all. Unless you're on sopor or nobody else is around or some sh**."

"So you lived in a troll version of Footloose, essentially."

He groaned and covered his face with his hand. "Oh dear gog, don't remind me of that movie."

Dirk made that smug Strider face that always meant he was thinking of bad pickup lines, and he asked, "Does this mean I'm your Kevin Baker?"

The troll lightly shoved at his shoulder and said, "Nobody needs or wants that, Dirk, so shut up."

"I can start singing the song, if you want."

"I will hit you."

He raised an eyebrow and started humming, so Karkat continued, "I said stop--don't make me shove a Smuppet down your protein chute,"

"You're into that?"

Karkat facepalmed and sighed exaggeratedly loudly. "I would be yelling at you right now if it wasn't for the fact that you're such a douchewad, I don't even know where to start."

"Good to know you have so much to say about me."

He lobbed a random pillow at him, and Dirk blocked it, laughing. "Fine, fine, I'll try to stop."

He mumbled something under his breath, despite the fact that he knew he was probably smiling too, and Dirk said, "But back to our original topic, I think you're the type of person who would really enjoy prom. Perhaps overhype it a little, but still."

"So...you just dance?"

"That's technically what it is, but from what I understand that's just a part of the experience." He gestured to the tv and said, "As you can see, most people go all-out and rent clothes fit for a wedding--"

"A wedding?"

"...Another topic for another day, apparently. But yeah, people dress up, put on their best bling, and usually bring a date. Take couple photos and make out in the corners of the room and all that biznasty sh**."

Karkat frowned and asked, "Is the sloppy make outs part really necessary?"

"According to them, it is."

He nodded, and there was a brief silence before he asked, "I take it you haven't been to one?"

Dirk shook his head, looking almost...disappointed?
"No, it wouldn't have been possible."

There was another silence, then, "...Can you dance?"

"Why do you ask?"

Karkat coughed, suddenly deciding that the floor looked very interesting today.
"Isn't it f***ing obvious?"

"Hm. I think that's up to your interpretation. Are you asking for a date within a date?"

"Oh my gog, he figured it out! I'm stunned." he exclaimed in mock surprise.

"Aren't you always?" Dirk teased. Before Karkat could reply (other than shoving at his shoulder again), he added, "But no, I don't remember how to waltz."

"Implying you've waltzed before?"

"I've looked up tutorials before, but I haven't actually slowdanced before."

"We could try copying the dancers in the movie," The smaller boy shrugged.

"Then I apologize in advance for stepping on your feet." He then stood up and offered his hand to him, asking, "May I have this dance?"

Karkat took his hand and stood up as well, smiling. "Yes, Stridork, I want to dance with you."

Dirk kept holding his right hand, and he rested his other hand on his middle back--romantic, but respectful.

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, so he put his hand on Dirk's back as well. The Strider seemed somewhat amused, but didn't comment, so he took that as another sign he'd done something well.

"...This is awkward. Now what?" Karkat prompted.

Dirk thought for a second, then said, "Let's go with a sidestep. It's pretty much what it sounds like: you lightly step to the right"--he did so, and it took Karkat a second before he followed--"and then you move your other foot so that you're standing up straight again."

He remembered that one thing the Striders always said, and he realized that it would actually work here.
"I don't think you can stand in a manner that isn't homosexual."
Yes, he'd just made an alien joke. He didn't know whether to be proud or cringing. (It was definitely both.)

"Says the pansexual. But I appreciate the thought." Dammit. "Anyway. Once you've finished stepping to the side, you just repeat that step to the left. Then you're basically just going from side to side. Wanna try putting it all together?"

Karkat moved his hand away from his shoulderblade briefly so that he could poke Dirk's face.

"No, because I think standing here like the couple of awkward corpses that we are would be far more interesting than following through with the pla--"

Dirk papped his cheek, and he hadn't realized he'd been nervous until he felt himself relax a little. He could see a faint trace of orange eyes rolling sarcastically behind his shades as he said,
"Shh, Snarkkat. All you had to say was yes."

"I did say yes," he huffed.

"Mmhmm."

"Just...start leading."

He quickly papped Karkat again, then moved his hand back to his shoulder and stepped to the left. He hurried to look back down at their feet and catch up, but Dirk just continued at a steady pace.

After a couple times of shuffling from side to side (and Karkat stubbing his feet on the other 's toes), he stopped and sighed.
"I'm f***ing something up, what's wrong?"

Dirk stopped as well, but he didn't seem too bothered as he just raised an eyebrow and commented, "Well, not to sound too harsh, but you don't appear to be following an internal rhythm, for one. Second of all, I don't think you're supposed to be stepping down with so much force."

Karkat opened his mouth to argue, but then he realized Dirk was the victim here, so he should probably shut up.
"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Step lightly. Pretend you're walking around 'newborn meowbeasts' if you have to," he added teasingly.

"How the f*** do you expect me to walk around meowbeasts without turning this into one of Aradia and Rose's morbid corpse parties? No-one wants that, Strider. No-one."

"Then step lightly, for the meowbeasts." he repeated, smiling faintly. "Let me put it to you like this. Pretend someone's going to attack you, and you're preparing to dodge to the side."

Karkat raised an eyebrow and said, "Done. Is there a point to this little makeout session? Make-believe. I said make-believe!" he hissed as Dirk started laughing, to the point where he had to let go of him to cover his expression out of politeness.

"I see how it is...Kisskat," he said between snickering.

Karkat's face was bright red again, and he was glad he wasn't worried about his blood anymore--this would've been a disaster otherwise. He halfheartedly hit Dirk's shoulder for the bajillionth time that night, repeating, "That isn't what I meant! It's your f***ing fault for mentioning it earlier, and the phrases are only one word off, so shut up."

He finally sounded calming down, and after one last half-laugh, half-sigh, he commented, "And you call me the dirty one."

"Are we dancing or not?"

"I thought you made it quite clear what's on your mind," he grinned. At Karkat's glare, he put his hands up in surrender and said, "Alright, alright. Shh,"

"I'm watching you." Karkat threatened.

"Mmkay."

Dirk gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then picked their hands back up to the position they were in before.

"As you were saying?"

"Well, before you brought up that interesting little interlude, I was using an evasion technique as an example. You have to be light on your feet in battle, so perhaps using that same mindset would help."

The mutant-blood reminded himself of all of the sparring he'd done over the sweeps and sweeps he'd been alive and then dead, and he imagined turning that into a dance.

"...I think I get it."

"Cool. You lead, and I'll offer pointers."

Karkat bit his inner cheek and gingerly set his foot off to the side, putting more weight on the balls of his feet than on the heel. He moved the other foot, then looked up at Dirk, who nodded in encouragement.

He stepped back to the other side, and they both stayed silent, so he kept going until they'd lapsed into a sort of a swaying motion.

"It still feels weird," Karkat mumbled after a while.

"I wouldn't know. It looks like you're doing it right." Karkat looked up from their feet to give him a look of disbelief, and he added, "I don't really know what I'm doing, remember? This is just a go with the flow thing."

"Yeah, yeah."

He went back to looking at their feet, and Dirk tapped at his fingers with his thumb.

"Hey. You're doing good, you can keep your head up."

"What, you're tired of staring at the top of my head?" He snorted.

"No, but seeing your face is always a good thing."

Karkat smiled and--f***, that was the floor. He was staring at the floor again. This was a bad habit. He made eye contact again, and Dirk just smiled and rested their foreheads together, nearly touching noses.

They stayed like that for a while, gliding back and forth and slowly getting more and more in-sync, until Karkat wasn't even sure who was leading anymore. And that was oddly comforting, knowing that both of them were leading and following at the same time.

At some point, he'd let go of Dirk's hand and started hugging his neck, becoming vaguely aware that he was purring. He heard the blonde make a small hum of contentment, and that brief hum eventually morphed into humming to a specific tune until he was singing in another language under his breath.

"Is that human Japanese?" Karkat asked after what felt like a couple minutes.

"Yup. It's a Vocaloid song that reminds me of a waltz. Cantarella," he explained.

He nodded slightly, then murmured, "You can sing louder if you want."

Dirk raised his eyebrows, looking mildly surprised. "You sure?"

"Mmhmm."

He tilted his head back and forth, as though mentally running through the lyrics, before he started imitating the melody of the violin.

Then, "Mitsumeau sono shisen tojita sekai no naka..."

Their pace subtly changed to match the song, and Karkat couldn't help but smile--damn, the Striders were really dorks. (And if he was being honest with himself, it was kind of adorable.)

"Kizukanai furi wo shite mo yoi wo satoraresou..."

Dirk's volume and the pace both went up a notch, and Karkat carefully took one of the blonde's arms away from his waist so they could hold hands again.
"Yaketsuku kono kokoro; kakushite chikazuite...toiki kanjireba, shibireru hodo...!"
They started dancing across the room, instead of just in circles, and Dirk took the troll's confused grin to mean that he was fine with the spontaneous change of plans.

"Aifureta koigokoro ni, ima wana wo shikakete. Wazukana sukimo nimo ashiato okosanai yo..."

His singing was now filling the room, and they were stumbling and stepping on each-others feet sometimes at the quick waltz, but Dirk didn't seem to mind, and Karkat felt a surge of warmth to think that he was enjoying this as much as he was, to the point of being able to forget about his perfectionist tendencies.

And it was beautifully imperfect.

The dance was imperfect, his singing was imperfect, and honestly, they themselves were painfully imperfect, but everything felt right despite all of that--like it didn't matter in that moment.

The song seemed to be nearing an end, and in the last few dramatic notes, Dirk spun him around before supporting the troll's back and dipping him close to the ground, but halfway through the movement there was a sliding noise and they both wound up on the floor.

It took Karkat a second, but he saw the CD cases on the floor and holy sh** Dirk had actually tripped, he couldn't stop laughing.

"How dare you laugh at your matesprit after he's fallen and can't get up?" The blonde snickered, shades askew.

Karkat snorted, still laughing slightly, and said, "'Cause my matesprit's a Stridork, and he sucks."

"Ouch."

"I wasn't finished,"

"Then do go on, my dearest Knight."

He rolled his eyes, then kissed the Prince's cheek, saying, "I was going to add that you know I love you."

"I know. And I love you too."

Karkat nuzzled his neck lightly, and Dirk started rubbing his horns, even though they both knew he couldn't really feel it.

And they stayed like that, cuddling by the foot of the couch until the world turned dark with sleep.

Maybe the dreambubbles weren't as cold as they seemed.