You, John Egbert, were in love. Not the love like you felt for Nic Cage, which was more of an admiration kind of love, or like how you loved Dave with all of the brotastic love you could muster.
No. You were in a head over heels, Hallmark movie special kind of love. With a troll. The short angry troll who had yelled that his name was Karkat Vantas and that he wished you would kindly fuck off now.
You don't know when you started falling for him, despite adamantly stating that you weren't a homo. But you knew whenever you saw him, your heart leaped to your throat and your stomach did a gymnastics routine in the confines of your abdomen.
And he didn't feel the same. He hated you, felt nothing but "black feelings" for you, which he had told you time and time again. He wanted you as a kismesis or whatever it was. The name wasn't important. What was, however, was that he felt the exact opposite of what you felt for him.
Sure, it hurt. Sure you wanted nothing more than to be held lovingly as uncharacteristic sweet nothings were whispered into your ear by him. But what you got were threats of violence and mean words thrown like daggers into your heart.
But it was better than nothing, right?
A/N: Part 1 of 8... Now to type the rest...