we’ve talked about it before.

hey, karkat?

is it cool if we uh, talk about something?

WHAT.

SURE, I GUESS.

okay, you don’t need to look so nervous.

I DON’T LOOK NERVOUS.

WHY WOULD I BE NERVOUS?

OTHER THAN, I DON’T KNOW.  THE FACT THAT WE DON’T TYPICALLY SIT DOWN AND JAM ABOUT OUR FEELINGS, I GUESS.  SO IT MIGHT BE SAFE TO ASSUME THAT IF WE DID IT MIGHT BE ON THE OCCASION THAT SOMETHING WAS AMISS.

COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT YOU LOOK LIKE YOU’RE ABOUT TO SHIT YOUR PANTS.

i do not!

JUST TALK.

I’M NOT NERVOUS IT’S FINE.

okay, well, i’ve just been thinking about that thing you said that one time, about how trolls sometimes have more than one girlfriend or boyfriend in different “quadrants.”

WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO THE “FINGER QUOTES” WHENEVER YOU SAY THAT WORD.

IT’S NOT LIKE QUADRANTS IS A EUPHAMISM.

okay, quadrants.  see, no air quotes that time.

and with human romance, there’s not really “qu-” …quadrants to think about, and most of the time you only date one person at a time

and you’re my first ever alien boyfriend.

first ever boyfriend in general.

actually, the first person i’ve ever gone out with, since i’ve never had a girlfriend either.

and while that doesn’t really have anything to do with anything-

…i just wanted to know if you are interested in anyone else.

OH.

and it’s totally cool if you are!

super cool!

cooler than a polar bear!

I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.

it’s a species of bear that lives-

i’m just saying it’s fine, and that i’m culturally sensitive and all that.

i don’t want to hold you back from reaching your full trolliness potential!

…OH.

OKAY.  WELL.

THANKS.  THAT’S SURPRISINGLY CONSIDERATE OF YOU.

yeah.

haha.

HAHA.

um.

SO.

yeah.

…JOHN?

yeah?

WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO “DA-“

DATE.  WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO DATE ANYONE ELSE, REALLY.

I MEAN, NOT THAT THE ALTERNIAN SYSTEM OF ROMANCE ISN’T STILL VASTLY SUPERIOR IN IT’S ORGANIZATION.

IT’S JUST THAT

I WANT TO BE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE TOO.

AND MAYBE THE IDEA OF HAVING ONE PARTNER DOES ADMITTEDLY APPEAL TO ME A LITTLE.

really?

YEAH.

okay.

awesome.

…high five?