[Karkat shifting about panicked him for a second, until he realized that the kid wasn't leaving, but repositioning himself to be more comfortable. Gods, what a wreck he was becoming. Was that really what this damn place was doing to him?]

[Gamzee quickly circled his arms around the smaller troll, a little possessively, a little manic. He wasn't. Going. Anywhere. He was going to dig his claws in, as deep as he could, so even if Karkat attempted to leave, the pain would hold him still.]

[Oh, lords, what the fuck was he thinking!?]

[Luckily, his claws hadn't penetrated Karkat's clothes or skin. Gamzee relaxed his hold, if only slightly, letting a breath pass through his teeth. Hopefully his brief tension had gone unnoticed. He took another breath. All right. Think about this for a second. Moirallegiance goes both ways, dipshit. All he was doing was mildly freaking out and asking weird-ass, quasi-existential questions that were probably frying Karkat's pan to match Gamzee's own.]

[The more he wanted to rely on Karkat, be a dependent little sniveling grub, the more it made him feel pathetic, and that made it easier to stow everything away. It helped. He didn't feel so much like a basket case. He'd concentrate on not clinging. On not being such a wiggler.]

Heheh. You got the rightness on in that, motherfucker. Ain't all no fuckin' sense in ponderin' at what nasty noise like that's all is, now.

Gotta just... not think on it.

[Gamzee rested his chin on the top of Karkat's head, arms loosely coiled around him, staring blankly ahead at the network that had still been open on the terminal in front of them, grinning absently.]