"So..." Dave begins, skeptically eyeing the packed minivan. "How are the eight of us fitting in there with all the luggage?" Dave, Karkat, John, Dirk, Jake, Rose, Kanaya, and Terezi had been planning this road trip for weeks, but they hadn't anticipated this. In hindsight, it should have occurred to them sooner that a minivan with only seven seats and a full trunk would obviously not occupy all eight of them. The group now stands, surveying the vehicle with puzzled expressions, stuck at an utter loss for how to proceed.
"Well, I do believe Rose and I are sitting up front," Kanaya replies thoughtfully. "I suppose the rest is up to the six of you to decide."
Terezi furrows her eyebrows in Kanaya's general direction. "Why do you get shotgun?"
"Motion sickness," she retorts smugly. "And Rose is driving."
Dirk nudged Jake towards the van's open side door. "We call the middle two seats. The four of you can fight over who sits on the floor."
Dave groans irritably. "Fuck off. No one is sitting on the floor."
Shoving Dave out of the way, Terezi hops in the back and sits on the right side. "Speak for yourself! Two seats left, losers!"
John scrambles in after her and whines, "No one take the middle!"
An agitated huff sounds from the small troll beside Dave. "You're all fucking childish. One of us will have to stay behind. There's no room."
"Guess that leaves the last seat to Dave. Thanks for volunteering to stay behind. Smell ya later, Karkles!" Terezi cackles.
Karkat growls and opens his mouth to snap something back, but a steady hand on his shoulder stops him. He glances up at Dave, his lips curled up in a snarl. "Don't worry," the human assures him. "You aren't staying behind. You can sit on my lap. John will have to switch me seats so you have more room, but it'll be better than the floor." John groans from inside.
The mutant hesitates a moment to consider it as the others situate themselves in the car. "Come on, asshole! We don't have all day!" The teal-blood singsongs, a wide grin plastered on her face. Karkat merely flips her off and motions for Dave to get in before he changes his mind. John shimmies over and Dave takes his spot, allowing Karkat to settle himself on his lap. Once everyone is as comfortable as they can possibly get, the group heads out.
For the first hour or two, their time is mostly spent out on the smooth highway. They eventually exit and stop for lunch at a diner in a small town off the freeway. From there, they vote to travel the backroads for a ways. So, as per the groups request, Rose begins down a little dirt path laced with hills and bumps of all shapes and sizes.
This is where the trouble arises.
Karkat is more than grateful to get out and stretch his legs for a while, but the bouncing of the car makes it difficult to sit still or get comfortable. Every time he manages to balance himself on the blond human's lap, the van would jolt and send him shifting obnoxiously yet again. Little did he know that it was much worse from Dave's perspective.
Dave had always dreamed of getting the chance to be so close to Karkat. In fact, this was like a dream come true. It offered the perfect excuse to hold him close as they traveled to a location unbeknownst to any of them. Now, however, it's a nightmare. With every bump they hit, Karkat wriggles on his lap to reposition himself. Needless to say, he seems to manage to wiggle against his crotch with that plush rump of his every time. Under any other circumstances, he would be thrilled, but it was a little bit difficult to do so when they were in a stuffy car filled with friends and family.
"Karkat,"Dave finally whispers, fear sweeping through him. "You've got to stop moving, man."
"Sorry," Karkat whispers back, though it can hardly be considered a whisper. "I can't."
Another particularly jarring bump sends Karkat backwards onto Dave's already hardening arousal, eliciting a soft moan from his pale lips. The car falls silent and Dave's face heats with embarrassment. The boner he sports finally becomes painfully aware to Karkat as he looks back at the human in bewilderment. Clearing his throat, Dave mutters his apologies and Rose suggests stopping at the nearest motel for the night. The car fills with murmured agreement before silencing once more. They pair off in twos, settling for four single bedded rooms. Naturally Dave and Karkat are put into a room together, which doesn't ease the awkwardness settling between them.
Dave sits on the bed in his boxers and a tee, flipping through static filled channels while Karkat brushes his teeth. The churning in his stomach increases tenfold when Karkat turns out the light and exits the bathroom, opting to collapse into bed beside Dave in his sweater and shorts. The room is quiet, save for the never ending static of the television and an occasional car passing by their room.
Clearing his throat, Dave decides to man up and make the first move. "So..." He mutters nervously, the remote threatening to slip from his sweat soaked hand, "I wanted to apologize again... For earlier I mean... If it'll make you more comfortable, I can sleep on the floor..."
There's a long pause of silence before Karkat boldly asks, "That happens when humans are... Uh... Ready to pail, doesn't it?" When Dave looks over at him, his cheeks are painted red. Rather than try to explain himself and make things worse, he simply nods and looks away again. The silence returns until Karkat asks, "Do you still... You know... Need to...?"
Dave laughs nervously, attempting to play it off as a joke. "Why? Are you offering?" He's met with a tentative nod, causing his heart to jump into his throat. "You're kidding right...?"
Karkat, flushed all the way up to the tips of his ears, groans exasperatedly and sits up, shoving Dave down and straddling him. "I didn't think you were that fucking dense. Yes, idiot. I wouldn't have asked otherwise. Now are we going to play twenty questions all night, or are you going to actually make good use of your mouth for once? After all, it's pretty rude to build me up like that and not deliver, don't you think?" Though he was taken aback, Dave didn't need to be told twice.

And no one in the motel got a wink of sleep. The car ride the next morning was far quieter than their room had been the night before.

~~~

Author's Note

Very sleepy.

~L3X1B1RD~