Chapter Text
Karkat scanned the crowd of trolls and humans, searching for Jade. He was excited to see her, and couldn't wait to thank her. If it hadn't have been for her, he probably would have wallowed in self-pity and hate for the three years he was stranded with the insufferable prick, Dave. Admittedly, that insufferable prick was now one of his best friends, but he was an insufferable prick nonetheless.
He scanned the crowd, getting more and more agitated. He'd waited three years and a few deaths for this, he was not prepared to wait any longer.
And then he saw him. In his bright blue pyjamas, with his stupid windsock blowing around him and getting in everyone's way, John Egbert was facing in the completely opposite direction. This was the first time Karkat had laid eyes on the bulge-licking doofus in three whole years and boy was John tall.
"Hey fuckass!" he called. He had used the phrase once around John, and John had latched onto it like the nook-sniffing idiot he was. Of all the creative insults Karkat had used, fuckass was the one John remembered and used in their three year journey. John turned around, all dorky smiles and glasses and Karkat almost melted.
"Karkat," John greeted warmly. John still had those goofy buckteeth and the nerdy glasses, and Karkat could not believe how fit John had gotten. Gone was the baby fat, and the chubby cheeks. The human ritual called 'puberty' had clearly served John well.
Karkat looked away, unable to look at John properly. What was this? Was Karkat getting embarrassed? He was all flustered, struggling to keep his cool. What was he doing?
Jade. Karkat was after Jade. Karkat looked back at John, a hopeful look across his face.
"Have you seen Jade?" he asked, almost smiling. "I need to tell that dork that I think I fucking love her."
Karkat didn't notice John's crushing despair as he said those words, too excited at the thought of seeing her.
"Uh, she's over with Rose," John mumbled.
Of course she was over with Rose, on the other fucking side of the meteor. Karkat groaned, letting out a long string of highly creative phrases. They must have walked right past each other without even noticing the other. Karkat stomped off, shaking his head.