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"What do you mean you don't care?"
Graphite had no idea how he had ended up on this conversation, but he wanted out. This was not how he planned to spend his evening. He didn't need to question everything he knew. He was supposed to be normal. Well, whatever normal was for a bugster, he supposed.
Parad had come to their little hideout and starting talking about gender. He had overheard something and it had sent him down a bit of a rabbit hole about humans and their gender identities. That was fine. Parad was always intrigued by humans and their ways of life. But then he started saying that they also had genders like humans and that was where things got weird.
As far as Graphite knew, he didn't have a gender. Didn't think any bugster did. Gender was for humans. They just kind of took on some of those characteristics because of the fact their hosts were human. And yet, Parad was contradicting everything he had believed.
"Gender is a human thing. Why would I care about it?" Graphite said, crossing his arms.
"But... but we have genders. Don't you feel like a guy?" Parad gave him a very confused look.
"What is a guy supposed to feel like? I don't feel that connected to anything masculine, if that's what you're asking. Everyone just refers to me that way, so I went with it." Graphite defended. "Are you sure you're not the weirdo here?"
Parad firmly shook his head. "I'm not. I've talked to other bugsters before and they've all been connected to gender. You're the weirdo here."
Graphite didn't know what to do with this information. How was he the oddball here? He thought it would be Parad. That made more sense. Parad was weird. But somehow he was normal about this aspect? Graphite didn't understand what was going on.
"Could it be because my host is a different gender than the character I was based on?" Graphite offered as an explanation. Maybe that was all it was.
Parad shook his head. "I don't think so. No other bugster had that issue."
Curses. That was he only hope to explain this. Graphite was out of answers. Just what was wrong with him then? He didn't like the thought that something wasn't right about him. He hadn't really cared until now. But now he wanted an explanation. Wanted to know the reason for this.
"I... it doesn't matter, does it?" Graphite tried to brush off the issue. He didn't need Parad to know how anxious he was becoming at the thought that something might be wrong with him.
"But, it does. Right? You should have a gender." Parad wasn't dropping the issue..
"I don't see how we're going to solve the issue. Just leave it. It doesn't matter."
"Let's ask Kuroto."
That was the last person Graphite wanted to listen to about this. But, Parad kind of had a point. Kuroto might know.
That was how Graphite found himself being dragged to go talk to Kuroto. Parad was the one who explained the situation and asked for his thoughts on the situation.
"That's interesting..." Kuroto said after Parad finished. "You truly don't feel a connection to any sort of gender?"
Graphite shook his head. "Never have."
"That's strange... you would think you would. Especially since that is the most common thing bugsters inherit from their host." Kuroto tapped his finger to his chin.
"I'm not human, so why do I need a gender?" Graphite stated.
"Oh. Perhaps... your disconnect from any sense of humanity is the cause." Kuroto perked up. "You don't like human terms."
"I'm just me, terms or not."
"So, no gender."
"Correct."
"I suppose it can't be that strange on the grand scheme of things." Kuroto shrugged. "I don't think it matters."
"Finally. See Parad? It doesn't matter." Graphite was glad there was some answer.
It still was strange being told he was the weird one, but at least he had an idea as to why. He just didn't connect to any sense of humanity like most bugsters did.
It still bothered him a bit. There wasn't much he could do about it, though. This was just how things were and had been. He just needed to get used to the feeling again. It wasn't like his gender was ever going to come up in a conversation again. No one else ever needed to know.