[it’s not the first time Ryuji’s expressed a sentiment sort of like this. that feeling that you’re getting bigger, and the room around you is getting smaller, and the more like a burden you feel. he understands. it’s part of what makes asking for comfort or reassurances so hard. and at least in Dave’s case, it’s also not really knowing how or having the experience of asking in the first place.]

[so he’s not entirely sure what to do here. he lowers his head for a moment, thinking. it had been easy last time; he had just insisted that everything was cool and nudged at Ryuji until he finally took a nap, which, uh. well, honestly, that course of action would work here, too.]

[but Dave wants him to fall asleep with a better understanding of where he stood than that. he wants Ryuji to understand he can ask for this sort of thing without wondering if he’s asking for too much, because Dave will never try to be anything other than honest in his answers.]

[what’s the thing Dave would want to hear most right now?]

[he doesn’t mean to keep leaving them sitting there in painfully awkward silences. but maybe it’s happened often enough by now that it’s a bit more clear he’s trying to come up with something completely sincere.]

I think I get how you feel. I want to just say you’re wrong, and that you really don’t have to worry about it, but ... would that help? I’m not lying when I say it.

What if I promised to tell you? I mean. If you ever did ask for too much of me. Not that I actually think you would, I just ... I dunno, you deserve to have the freedom to ask knowing you’re gonna get an honest answer.