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Red alert, red alert.

Dawson was pushed onto the bed before he could resist (God damn Chris was strong), but he quickly grasped his bro's wrist just as his shirt started to lift. "Whoawhoawhoa." His eyes were wide, his brain not quite making sense of the obvious. "Chris, what's goin' on?"

Dawson exhaled a shaky breath and locked up nervously at such contact. Chris could be a d**k, but he'd usually let off once it was clear he was uncomfortable with something. This was something completely different, way too aggressive for Dawson to feel okay with.

"S-Sawry?" he squeaked, unsure of what to say. His mind was spinning, and with Chris pinning him on the bed he couldn't move.

The color flooded his face so quickly it should have been accompanied with a comedic sound. For a few moments one stunned Dawson didn't react, merely staring at Chris in a shameful amount of fear and embarrassment. His grip on Chris' wrists tightened nervously during the brief kiss, the blush now burning up to his ears, the slight bump of his hat being pushed up barely noticed. Only two things were clear enough in the white noise of his head:

1) Kissing apparently felt good regardless of who did it.
2) This was ******** weird as s**t Chris what the hell.

"Chris." His voice was a little higher than usual, and slower too. "I-I'ma need you to t'rewind. Please." Dawson put some pressure until their hands were against Chris' chest. Space and air and God, what just happened.

He took a breath once Chris leaned back. "Bro, yer goin' hare on me," he mumbled, dropping his gaze (the smile was too much right now), his hands still as they were, tight as a lifeline. "I need ya t'drop down to tortoise." Dawson didn't have the strength to push him completely off, but at least Chris was being a little compliant.

A beat later, he unwrapped his fingers and pulled his arms close to his body, uncertain hands holding one another. "S-So. Uh." He picked his head up sheepishly. "I, uh...How long you felt like this?"

The space helped tremendously, even if it pricked his heart to see Chris tense. It took him a moment to remember that conversation, and he winced a little. Chris had said something then, that it wasn't bad she was bi, that he had just understood and accepted it. Now it made more sense. God, and the time he had sent those drunk texts...Dawson pulled his hat down in collected shame.

"God, when m'I gonna stop bein' oblivious t'this s**t..." He gave Chris a downtrodden look. "N' you was hidin' it 'cause...'cause I remind you of them? Those folks in the Belt? Like I woulda just stopped talkin' to ya?" There wasn't accusation in his tone, just a need to understand why this particular secret had to spring up on him like this when Chris could have just said something.

Dawson scratched his chin the same way some people rubbed the backs of their necks. It was true; back then, the idea of same-sex couples did weird him out. It wasn't something that had completely gone away even now, but he had perspective that refined that uncertain shard into something small and almost unnoticeable: very brief awkward blips as opposed to outright stares. Upbringing versus opinion.

Something in him sank at the conditional. You specifically. It was starting to sound like Maebe again all over again. He tried to avoid directing them down that path.

"Yer impor'ant too, man, y'know tha'." He didn't know where Chris had gotten the burst of courage, but he had to be glad it was out in the open. "More impor'ant than some...whatever I said before. S'not changin' nothin'. Jus'..." He gave a weak chuckle. "Jumpin' me n' rippin' my shirt off was kinda a rough way t'start this conversation, don'tcha think?"

"Yeah, maybe in a movie," Dawson replied with a snort. "You seen me be that spontaneous? s**t, you know I'm a man baby by now."

His hands started to fiddle with one another idly. Without preparation and talking it out, he didn't know how to respond. Hell, even with both he probably still wouldn't have, but the ball of nervousness wouldn't have been so bad, he imagined.

"So, what d'you...How you wanna go about this now?" he asked hesitantly. "'Cause we're cool, bro, no mistakin' it. But right now...right now m'not in a good place to approach somethin' like that." And the guilt was clear from his eyes to his words.