Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The gentle hum of the car as its wheels skated across the road was the only thing that could distract Red from the lights of the approaching town in the distance.  The window was fogged with his breath as his head rested against it, his cerulean eyes half closed and a single glistening tear slipping down his light-colored cheek.  This didn’t go unnoticed by his brother, Green, who sat beside him in the back.

“Hey,” the older blonde said as he placed a hand on his little brother’s shoulder, “maybe it won’t be so bad this time.  You never know what could happen.”

Red was silent for a few moments before replying.  “We’ve moved to three states in a matter of five months.  And that’s just this year.  How is this place going to have a different school than the others?”

Green couldn’t answer.  He and his parents only wanted the best for Red, and the two of them had been in a total of eight schools because of the younger blonde’s reputation.  They had only been in the last one for an astounding three days before they had to move states again.

“I’ve tried to be different.  I really have.  It’s just not working.  No one likes me for it and they never will,” Red continued.  “Not to mention that I’m all over Facebook as the laughing stock of the internet.  At least one person here is bound to know and then spread the word.”

“But honey,” his mother began from the passenger seat in front of her son, “this time we’re much farther away.  It’s highly doubtful that anyone would have connections here.”

“I’d like to believe that.”

His mom sighed and focused on the road ahead once more.

***

The family of four piled out of the car once it had pulled into their new driveway.  Red grabbed his backpack from the floor of where he sat and looked up at his house.  It looked nice, he had to admit, with two stories, glorious white and beige walls, clean windows, and a well-kept front garden.  He then glanced behind him to check out the neighborhood.  The other houses looked fairly similar to his, and all seemed to be well-maintained aside from the odd one or two that had filthy windows and gardens overgrown with weeds.  The street that he now resided on was dimly lit by the lamp posts along the pavement, creating an eerie feel about whatever might lay hidden in the shadows. 

Red hated the dark.

He shivered as the night air nipped at his exposed arms, his t-shirt not doing much to protect him from the cold.  It was much chillier here than where he last lived.  His parents ushered him and Green inside, and just as Red expected, the place was completely empty.  Directly in front of him was a carpeted staircase that led upstairs, to his left was the room that he guessed the living room would become, and in the doorless doorway to his right was the kitchen.

“Okay, you boys go upstairs and decide which room you want to sleep in while your dad and I have a look at the rest of the house.  The removal truck should be here with all our things soon,” Red’s mom said, watching her husband dump a load of large suitcases on the wooden floor.

“Come on, little bro,” Green said, smiling as he pulled on Red’s wrist to go upstairs. 

The second floor consisted of a long hallway with four doors on each side.  At the end was a single square window to allow light in, although the switch on the wall was necessary to see at night, so Red flipped it.  Green ran all the way to the back, wanting to check out the last rooms first while Red stayed behind and inspected the first door to his left.  It was just a simple storage room – empty, of course.  He closed the white-painted door and went for the first door on the right side.  He wasn’t surprised to find another empty space, devoid of any furniture.  It was the same with all of them, save for two which were bathrooms.  Both of them were styled with a single toilet and sink, and along one wall was a bath and shower in one.

Cool, at least I get to lie down while having a shower, Red thought, giggling to himself.

“Hey, Red, do you want to sleep in the same room as me or the room next door?” Green called out from the end of the hallway.  Red walked out of the bathroom and saw his brother half leaning out of the last room on the right.

“I’ll be fine with my own room, thanks,” Red replied, smiling.

“You sure?  There’s enough space in here for two beds.”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright then.  I’ve picked this one.  The room right next door is just as big, and it’s just a short trip if you ever need anything.”

“Thanks, Green.”

Green disappeared into his new room, probably to unpack his bag, so Red decided to do the same.  He closed the door behind him and knelt down on the carpet, removing his backpack from his shoulders.  He unzipped the biggest pocket, but paused and looked up before taking anything out.  His room had just one window on the wall on front of him, which overlooked the trees and the roof of one of his neighbors.  His eyes scanned the rest of the walls and his wardrobe.  This in question was set into the wall to the left of the bedroom door and had a single sliding mirror door.  Red decided that he wanted his bed below the window and facing his mirror, so that way he could see his whole room at once without worry.

He glanced back down at his backpack and took out the first thing, which was carefully packed deliberately on the top so it wouldn’t get squished.  He hugged it tenderly with a cheerful smile on his face – there was no way his teddy bear was going anywhere without him.  Its fur was incredibly soft and fluffy, and its glass eyes had a soft blue color to them.  Around its neck was a sweet little red ribbon with a bow on the back, and along the front in white text it said, “My name is Muffin”.  Red gently placed Muffin on the ground beside him and continued to unpack his belongings, which consisted mostly of things one wouldn’t expect a fifteen year-old boy to have.

He finally got down to the last item: his crescent moon nightlight.  He made his way over to the plug socket on the wall and slotted the electrical object in, making it light up with a soft yellow color.  He grinned with satisfaction and skipped down the hallway, heading down the stairs to check if the furniture had arrived yet.

Chapter Text

“Done!” Red said triumphantly, placing the last of his picture books on the shelf.  Everything of his was now in his room. 

He gave a big yawn and collapsed onto his bed, burying his head into his pillow to shut out the morning sun, unthankful for the short amount of sleep he got last night.  It was a long drive and took almost a whole day, but he was just grateful that he could finally relax and catch a few winks.

“Red!  Would you come downstairs please?” his mom called.

Red groggily opened one eye and groaned as he got up.  On top of being tired, it just has to be Monday today, he thought.  After making it to the door, he leaned out and called back.  “Yeah?”

“Green really wants to have a look around the area and he asked if you wanted to go with him!”

Red sighed.  “I don’t see why not!”

“Alright sweetie!  He’s leaving now, so you’d better hurry up and get down here!”

The blonde teenager went back inside to change his shirt quickly.  He took off his plain white t-shirt and replaced it with a light red long-sleeved undershirt and fiery red t-shirt.  He didn’t bother getting out of his dark brown jeans.  He went over to the door and closed it behind him.  He tiredly hopped down the stairs, made his way over to the front door and reached for his sneakers on the shoe rack.  They were a simple white color with black laces – nothing special. 

“Ready to go, lil’ bro?” Green said happily, leaning against the open door frame.  He had on white jeans and a green long-sleeved hoodie.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Red replied, finishing the last lace of his shoe.  He stood back up and followed his brother out of the house and into the sun.

***

Green and Red found themselves at the local park after about an hour.  So far they’d met some of the friendly adults who lived in their area and even a few children, but they hadn’t seen anyone from the high school yet.  Red kicked a small pebble along the pavement as he walked, keeping his hands behind his back.  He sighed when he kicked the pebble too far out of the way and tried to focus on something else. 

“Hey, Red,” Green said, stopping and tapping his brother on the shoulder, “I think they might be from the school.”  Red’s gaze followed the direction that Green’s finger was pointing to, and from what Red could see, there were three boys and a girl, all seeming to be around their age.  “Come on, we might as well make some friends before enrolling next week.  That way we won’t be alone.”

Red’s social anxiety alarms immediately began blaring inside his brain, and the idea of approaching other teenagers as himself terrified him without a doubt.  It had never worked before, so why should it have any reason to work now?

“Uh, no thanks.  You go ahead,” he said with a nervous laugh.

Green scoffed.  “Don’t be ridiculous.  Okay then, how about this: I’ll go over and say hi and see what they’re like.  If I think that they’re not friend-worthy material, then you don’t have to meet them.  Alright?”

Red glanced in the teenagers’ direction; they looked friendly from this distance at least.  He sighed and looked back to Green.  “Alright.”

“Cool!  See ya in a bit.”

Red watched his older brother head towards the group, silently praying that he could finally have some friends for once.

Green walked up behind one of the guys, waving his left hand in the air for a friendly greeting.  They each turned around and smiled, and after a few more seconds, they began shaking hands.

Okay, so far so good, Red thought.  Green was talking to them for several minutes, and occasionally the strangers’ faces changed from cheerful, to interested, to pitiful, and then back to interested again.  It was then that Green turned around and pointed at Red, and for a split second, the young blonde had a mini heart attack upon being the centre of attention, even if he was out of earshot.  However, the teenagers smiled and waved at him, to which he shyly returned the gestures.  Green then turned back to them and motioned for them to follow him, and as soon as Red saw this, he frantically began looking left and right for a place to hide.  Heck, he’d even take the trash can if he had to.  But alas, running away would be rude, and he hadn’t even met them yet, so he stayed where he was.  He tucked his hands behind his back again and timidly kicked his left foot back and forth. 

Green was the first to get to Red.  “It’s okay, they’re really nice.  I promise,” he said, one hand on his brother’s shoulder.  Red nodded and looked to Green’s new friends.

“Hiya, Red!  I’m Zelda,” the girl said, holding out her hand for Red to shake.  Red hesitantly accepted before returning his hand to its place behind his back.  He noticed that all of them had eyes just as blue as his and his brother’s, and two of the three guys also had short blonde hair.  Zelda’s hair was a strawberry blonde, and hung down to meet the middle of her back.  She wore a soft pink, long-sleeved crop top and white short shorts with frayed edges.  Her face was touched with just a little eyeshadow and lipstick, which Red approved of.  He didn’t like girls who caked their faces in makeup.

“Nice to meet you, Red.  I’m Vio,” said one of the guys.  Vio seemed to constantly hold a straight face, but not one that felt stern, disapproving or judgmental.  It instead gave him an intelligent aura, and judging from the history book in his arms and the way he dressed, he was definitely the smart type.  On his torso he wore a simple, purple, buttoned-up shirt with rolled up sleeves and a neatly folded collar, which suited him very well.  On his legs he just wore plain blue denim jeans.

“’Sup.  I’m Shadow, Vio’s brother,” the second boy said.  Already Red could tell that Shadow was the punk type, complete with pierced ears and dark purple hair.  He wore a black hoodie with ripped short sleeves and a white undershirt that had a skull or something on it in black – Red couldn’t tell considering his hoodie was zipped up halfway.  His jeans were black and torn in several places, and a silver chain hung from the left front pocket to one of the belt straps.  On his right wrist was a black spiked wristband, and sitting atop his head was a plain black beanie.

“Blue,” the last guy said abruptly, catching Red’s attention.  His tone of voice was gruff and nonchalant at the same time; definitely the kind of guy who wouldn’t care even if the world burned.  He was leaning against the tree that they were standing next to with his hands casually resting behind his head.  He had an unamused expression upon his face and his eyebrows were furrowed slightly in annoyance and anger.  He was wearing a blue singlet that showed off a toned torso and muscular arms, and a silver dog tag hung around his neck.  He too wore plain blue denim jeans, except they were a tad lighter in color than Vio’s.

“Uhm, hi, everyone…” Red said at last.

“Aww, no need to be shy!” Zelda replied sweetly.

“Uh, sorry, but…I just need to ask something…  Are you all related?”

“No, I’m not, but those guys are.  The Hemswick brothers are what we call them at school.”

“Oh, okay!” 

Green smiled upon seeing Red’s cheery side finally show.  “So, since we’re new, would you guys mind showing us around the neighborhood?” he asked.

“Not at all!” Shadow replied.

“Would you like to see some of the school?” Vio asked.

“Yeah, sure!  You up for it, Red?”

The younger blonde nodded excitedly.  His confidence levels had risen beyond what he’d originally expected.

“Ugh, come on!  It’s our last week of the break and we already have to go back to that hellhole?!” Blue cried, irritated.

Red giggled and began following his new friends to the school. 

***

Green instantly fired up a conversation with Zelda and Vio and Shadow began conversing next to them, so that just left Blue and Red to continue walking in awkward silence.  Red rubbed his arm as he tried to think of things to say; it was a whole lot more difficult when the person you wanted to talk to looked like he was about to clock someone in the head with an anvil, throw them into a tank full of piranhas and then finish them off by dumping the tank with lava. 

“So, um, what’s the school like?” Red asked quietly.

“Boring,” Blue replied.

Red’s hands were already sweaty and shaking.  Something about Blue made him more nervous than ever, yet he didn’t understand why.  “A-and what subjects do you do?”

“English, math, the usual.”

Silence made itself known for another minute.  This wasn’t going the way Red had imagined it.  “My family and I have moved to so many places now.  I’m hoping that this’ll be the last.  I mean, this is the first time in ages that I’ve actually had real friends.”  Red waited for Blue to respond, but when he didn’t, the younger boy decided to change the subject.  “I’ve always enjoyed going to forests and national parks and stuff.  I know this might sound weird, but I feel like I have a special connection with animals – I’ve hand-fed wild deer, tended to sick birds, became friends with butterflies, and other kinds of things like that.  I guess it’s in my nature to relish in the outdoors, forgive the pun.”  Red giggled at his own humor.  “But there’s also the fact that-”

“Oh my god, shut the fuck up!  You’re already annoying as shit!” Blue yelled, fists clenched and teeth grinding together.

Red shrank back and clammed up immediately, tears stinging at his eyes.  Did Blue not like to talk about nature and animals?  Red didn’t understand what he’d said to him to make him so angry.  He focused his gaze on the ground in front of him and clutched his torso, trying his hardest not to cry.  He’d already done too much of that.

Green paused his conversation with Zelda to look back at his little brother.  He immediately noticed that Red was upset no matter how much the younger boy tried to hide it.  “Oh my gosh, Red, are you okay?” he asked, making everyone stop to look at him.

“I’m fine,” Red replied, the waver in his voice clear as a bell.  He avoided all eye contact with his brother and refused to look anywhere other than the ground.

“Uh, okay then.  Here, walk up front with me and Zelda.  We’re almost at the school, too.”

Red knew that Green knew better than to pressure him, and he was glad he could avoid explaining himself.  Green wrapped a gentle and comforting arm around his brother and Zelda did her best to lighten the mood.  While she was talking, Red risked a glance behind him to look at Blue.  The older teenager had his arms crossed and his angry gaze directed at the road to their right.  Red sighed and looked ahead again.  What if the other students were like that too?  Maybe he really hadn’t finally found his happy place after all.

Chapter Text

“Well, here we are!” Zelda announced, opening her arms out to motion to the large school in front of them.

“Wow, it sure looks nice…” Red said in awe.

“Yeah, definitely.  I hope the inside looks just as good,” Green added.

“It sure does,” Vio answered.

“I honestly don’t give a fuck.  It’s a damn school, who cares,” Blue scoffed.  Red could only hope that Blue was just moodier than usual today and this wasn’t how he always was.

The school was fairly tall considering it was only two stories.  Leading up to the front doors were several sets of red-tinted concrete stairs that were kept clear of dirt and leaves.  A single tree on either side of the stairs helped to make the school stand out, and there were plenty of nearby ramps that had more skateboards going up and down it rather than wheelchairs, according to Shadow.

“I don’t think we’re allowed inside, but I’m sure we can show you the grounds,” Zelda suggested.

She led them all past the gates and to the left where a path to the sports field was.  Upon coming to the vast open space, to their immediate left was the sports shed that held all kinds of equipment, and a little further beyond it was the outdoors basketball court.  The sports field itself was neatly outlined with a row of trees that led into a dense forest.

“Hey, what’s that over there in the distance?” Red asked, pointing to an incredibly tall and old-looking structure that sat quite a way into the forest.

“Ah, that’s just an old radio tower.  It isn’t used anymore, of course, and people stay away from it because it’s gradually falling apart with age.  They say it won’t be long before it collapses completely,” Vio explained.

“Oh.  Poor radio tower.”

Blue rolled his eyes.

“Come on, we can still look through some windows.  There are plenty of classrooms to see,” Vio continued.

***

The group stopped at a large building situated to the right of the school entrance.

“And here is my personal favourite…” Vio began.

“The library…”

“The library!”

Red giggled at Blue finishing in unison with Vio.  The older teenager was clearly unimpressed and too used to his brother’s interests.

“What?  Reading’s healthy for you,” the purple-clad teenager stated.

“The school leaves the library open for students over the break, but only during regular school hours, which is the usual nine to three.  It’s just in case people like Vio want to study before the holidays are over,” Zelda said.

“And return overdue books, which I desperately need to do,” Vio replied, bringing his history book out from under his right arm.

“Ugh, fine.  Let’s just get this bullshit over with.  I wanna go home,” Blue commented.

“Alright then,” Green concluded.

Vio headed in first and opened the two large, glass double-doors.  Shadow closely followed with Green and Red, and of course Blue held up the rear.

Red’s eyes practically sparkled at the sight before him.  Shelves and shelves of books filled the entire room, save for the reception desk and places to sit down and work.  The place was overridden with a musty smell of inked pages that made any avid reader experience episodes of novel nostalgia. 

“What kind of genres do they have?” Red asked excitedly, gingerly bobbing up and down on his toes with his hands clasped together.

“Everything from fiction to non-fiction.  It’s not all just a bunch of textbooks you know,” Vio replied, slipping his history book into the ‘returns’ slot at the desk.

The younger blonde squealed and ran off to the sign that read ‘fiction’, soon disappearing behind one of the library’s many large shelves.

Red’s finger ran along the mass row of spines, looking for a title that caught his interest.  While he usually picked up books with bright colors and happy stories, he always enjoyed a more serious and advanced novel every now and then.  He doubted that a school would have a collection similar to his own at home.

“Ooh!” Red exclaimed quietly, slipping out a title called, ‘Mystery of Majora’s Mask’.  However, upon seeing the cover that donned a colorful but creepy-looking heart-shaped mask, it sent chills up his spine and he decided to put it back.  “Looks like I’m back to square one…”

“Find anything interesting?” said a sudden voice to his left, making him jump.  “Gah, who am I kidding.  Books are never interesting.”

“Oh, hi, Blue.  You startled me!”

“Yeah, I can see that.  So?  You gonna answer or what?”

Red looked to the book that he just put back and pulled it out again to show the older boy.  “I thought it would be interesting, but I think it’d be a little too creepy for me.”

“Oh, I’ve read that.  Vio recommended it to me and paid me fifty bucks to read the whole thing.  To be honest, it was kinda boring and could’ve been better.  You don’t even see Majora’s Mask until the end which totally sucked because he sounded like such a badass.  But even then his ass got handed to him.”

“Oh, okay.”  Red once again placed the book back into its place on the shelf.  “So how come you’re here?  Like, talking to me, I mean.  I thought I would’ve been the last person you’d come to for a chat.”

“You are, but Zelda went off with Green and I’d rather talk to the devil than listen to those two lovebirds talk for an hour.  Shadow’s with Vio and there’s no way in heaven or hell I’m gonna stay with that smart-mouth bookworm in a fucking library.  So that just left you.”

Red cast his gaze down at his feet.  “O-oh.”  An awkward silence ensued as he couldn’t think of anything to say again, and he felt himself getting anxious and sweaty with Blue just standing there with his arms folded.

The older teenager sighed and spoke at last, much to Red’s relief.  “Listen, I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier.  And don’t take that lightly; it isn’t every day that I apologize.  I’m just in a pissy mood today.”

“Well, if that’s all, then I’m okay with it,” Red replied with a smile, finally gaining the courage to look Blue in the eye.  The burly teen seemed to flinch a little, but quickly regained his composure.

“I’m gonna go home if all you’re gonna do is sit here and read and be boring.  See ya later.”

Blue turned to go, but Red caught his arm first and opened his mouth to speak.  Nothing came out however, and he began to get all flustered again as he could do nothing but stare straight at Blue with an awkward expression.  Come on, Red!  Think!  Appeal to him!  Say something that won’t make him hate you! his inner voice screamed.  “U-um, I just…  I-I’m not going to read.  There probably isn’t anything here that I’ll like anyway,” he said at last with a nervous laugh, letting go of Blue’s arm.

“O-kaay…?”  Blue paused for a moment.  “Wait, weren’t you all excited about finding a good book a little while ago?  Besides, you’ve only found that dumb Majora’s Mask so far.  You’ve barely scratched the surface.”

Red was now really regretting not letting Blue leave.  “Uh…  Hey!  Is there a local gym around here or something?  You…look like you work out.”  Blue blinked a few times.  You idiot, Red!  Those are the kinds of things a girl would say!  Someone please kill me now… Red’s thoughts yelled at him again.

Blue cleared his throat and answered.  If he wasn’t weirded out by Red before, then he certainly was now.  “Y-yeah, there’s one not far from the park.  I go there whenever I have nothing to do.  I sometimes even work part-time there to earn some dough.”

“I thought so.  I look like a twig compared to you.  I’m way too unfit.”

“Eh, I’m sure you aren’t that bad.”

“Oh, I most certainly am.  I’d probably exercise if I had the time, but I’ve spent too much of it moving houses, and when I’m not doing that, I’m usually getting beat up, and gyms are always occupied by those jerks anyway.”

“Wait, beat up?”

“Yeah.”  Red slid down to the floor and hugged his knees.  All trace of happiness was now gone from his eyes.  “You’ve probably already noticed that I’m not exactly one of the cool kids.  I don’t seem to fit in anywhere.”  Red sighed, tears stinging at his eyes.  “I wish I never told her…”

“Told wh-”

“Hey, you ready to go?  Vio wants to show us some more stuff,” Green said out of the blue, popping his read round the corner.

“Oh, hey, Green,” Red greeted solemnly.

“You okay, lil’ bro?”

“Not really.”

“…Bad memories?”

Red nodded.

“Well, we can go home, if you want.”

“No, it’s fine.  I’m fine.”  Red stood up without another word and went straight to the exit where the other three were waiting.  He moved in front of Vio and asked where they were going next.

“Well, actually, it’s about lunchtime now, so Shadow and I were thinking of heading down to the café to pick some food up,” Vio began.

“Then we’ll come back here and we’ll all eat on the front lawn, kind of like a picnic.  You guys just tell us what you feel like eating and we’ll get it for ya,” Shadow finished.

“Sounds good!” Red agreed. 

***

The young blonde picked at blades of grass as he sat waiting for his friends’ return.  Green and Zelda were sitting in the shade of one of the trees, and from the way his older brother was looking at her, Red felt like he shouldn’t disturb them.  He did feel a little lonely, though.  Blue had disappeared when Red wasn’t looking, and so he was left with no one to talk to.  A tiny spider scurried through the spikes of green going to who knows where.  Red got down on his stomach to watch the miniscule arachnid closer.  He was okay with spiders as long as they weren’t any bigger than his pinky nail.  He plucked a blade of grass and began poking at the spider, making it change directions.  It soon ended up on the piece of grass itself, and Red lifted it up into the air to get a better look at the confused bug.  Whenever it ran towards his fingers, he switched sides until the spider just promptly dropped off.  Red blew at the grass to watch it flutter away, and that’s when he caught sight of Blue.

The older teenager was leaning against the railings of one of the concrete ramps that led to a smaller entrance to the school next to the library.  His back was facing Red and both his arms and his legs were crossed.

Red pondered on whether or not to bother him, but seeing Zelda and Green made him envious, so he made his way over to Blue.  He stood underneath the railings and called up to the silent teenager.

“Hey, Blue!  Green and Zelda are talking and your brothers haven’t come back yet, so I just wanted to come see how you were doing.”

“Can’t you tell when a guy wants his alone time?” Blue replied harshly.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to disturb you.  I just thought you looked lonesome by yourself.”  Red latched onto the metal bars and pulled himself up to Blue’s level.

“Hah, you don’t know me at all.  I’d rather be alone than hang out with my idiot brothers, a female friend who I rarely talk to and two people who I only just met today.  Now get lost.”

“But the whole point of hanging out is to get to know each other so you won’t end up feeling like you have to be alone!  I haven’t had any friends in a long time, and it’s a really nice feeling to be able to be social again.”

Blue pushed himself away from the railing and turned to Red, almost launching his forehead at the other’s in his anger.  “You know what?  Scratch me being sorry.  You’re still annoying as shit.  Now, I’m only gonna say this once more: GET.  LOST.”  He sharply pointed back to where Red had come from and then turned to walk away.

“Well, you said that you were in a pretty bad mood today!  Maybe there’s something I can do to cheer you up?  How about-”

“I SAID GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!” Blue turned back to Red as quick as lighting and thrusted a fist straight for the younger boy’s face.  On instinct, Red yelped with terror and shielded himself with his arms, all too familiar with this kind of behaviour.  However, no impact came.  Red risked a glance at Blue in pure fear, his hands trembling fiercely.  Blue was able to stop himself from punching Red, but only by a millisecond.  He lowered his arm and sighed, but his rage-induced expression remained.

“B-Blue…?” Red stuttered, slowly backing up.  Pools of water began collecting at his eyelids.

“Just…stay away from me…before you end up getting hurt.”  With that, Blue turned again and left, this time without Red stopping him.

***

“Bon appetite!” Shadow cried, lifting the bags of food in the air in triumph with a massive grin on his face.  Green inhaled deeply through his nose to take in the scent of freshly baked goods, Blue finally returned to the others upon hearing the arrival of food, and Zelda stayed calm even though she was starving.  Red however wasn’t so enthusiastic.  He stayed sitting on the grass, his fringe encasing his eyes in shadow so that he could avoid looking at Blue at all costs.  Green sat down next to him and handed him his bag of food.  The others soon sat down in a sloppy circle and began chowing down on their lunch.  About halfway through eating, Green’s phone buzzed in his pocket, indicating that he’d received a text message.  He pulled it out, tapped in his passcode and read it in his head.  He sighed then spoke loud enough so the whole group could hear him.

“Sorry, guys.  Parents want us to help move the furniture around.  I don’t think we’ll be able to come hang out again after that, at least for today, anyway.”

“Aww man.  Now?” Shadow asked.

“Now.”

“I guess we’ll see you two later, then,” Zelda said.

Green looked over to Red and saw than the younger blonde hadn’t touched his food at all.

“Aren’t you going to eat that, Red?” he asked.

“I’m not hungry…” Red replied, staying focused on the ground in front of him.

“Well, more for me then!” Shadow cried.  Green turned his head at the purple-haired boy.  His face was not amused.  “Uh, never mind.”

Red’s brother looked back and picked up the bag.  “Alright then.  We’ll just take it home and then you can have it later, okay?”  Green stood up, about to put his phone away when he remembered something.  “Oh, I should probably get all your numbers, huh?”

“Shoot, I forgot about that.  Good call, Green,” Vio said.

“I’ll pass.  No point in giving mine when you two meatheads will,” Blue implied, motioning to his brothers.

Once they had each been added as contacts in both Green and Red’s phones (except for Blue), Red got up and followed his brother out of the school grounds.

***

Green opened the door and let his parents know that he and Red were home.  While Green placed Red’s uneaten lunch on the kitchen counter, Red moved into the living room where his father was trying to push the sofa into place.

“Ah, Red, mind giving me a hand here?” he asked.  Red walked up behind the sofa and pushed with all his might.  It would have been easier had the floor been wooden and not carpeted.  “So, how was your day?”

“It was great!” Green butted in, rushing over and making the push a whole lot easier.  “We met some guys from the school and they showed us round, then we had lunch and now we’re back here.  To put it briefly, anyway.”

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Green and Red’s mother said as she entered with a smile on her face and a large box in her arms.  Red could only assume it was the TV.

“Okay, boys, I think the sofa looks good there,” their dad announced.

“Phew, that means that someone can help me hook this up.  I’m awful with electronics,” their mom requested as she began unpacking the piece of entertainment.

Green dived straight into the box to fish out the necessary cables required to connect the TV to everything it needed in order to work.

“Here, Red,” Green instructed, plucking a long black cable out and handing it to his brother, “can you plug this into the socket on the wall over there?”

Red took the offered cable and did as told. 

As he stood back and watched his brother work his magic, he told his mom he was going to get something to eat and headed into the kitchen to grab the bag of food that Vio and Shadow had graciously bought for him.  Red was the kind of person who was too nice for his own good, and he didn’t want his new friends to have wasted their money. 

He opened the brown paper bag on his way up the stairs to his room, taking out a blueberry muffin and shoving half of it in his mouth.  While he chewed, he gazed down at the baked goodness and couldn’t help but think of Blue.  The older boy was right when he said that they’d only met today and had no reason to act like they knew each other, and even though Red desperately wanted to make as many friends as possible, Blue had now downright terrified him.  Already there was someone in this area who couldn’t stand being around him, and who knows what would happen if Blue found out why Red was bullied so much.  Would Blue become his newest bully…?

And yet…there was something else that Red couldn’t stop thinking about.  A twisted version of confusion and comfort that wormed its way around his mind and gripped his emotions with no hint of letting go. 

Blue didn’t want to hurt him.  Red could see it in his eyes.  He’d stopped himself from beating Red with his fist and even told him to stay away to avoid conflict like that again.  The only thing that the young blonde wanted to know was why Blue was so aggressive with him.  He didn’t know what happened behind the scenes at Blue’s home with his brothers, but Red was sure that Blue would have shown some sort of heated argument in public.  It seemed like Blue purposefully directed all his anger at Red, but for what reason?  Green had told his brother that he was a very likeable person, so he saw no reason for anyone to snap at him.  Not even his bullies acted like that towards him.  All of them jested and sneered, circling him like vultures and laughing like hyenas.  They got amusement out of tormenting him, but they weren’t ever angry.  There wasn’t a reason to be.

Red sat down on his bed, his blueberry muffin finished.  He then took out the next item which was a small bottle of apple juice.  He popped the cap off and downed about a third of it, feeling more thirsty than hungry.  He licked his lips and sealed the bottle, taking out a pink-frosted doughnut with strawberry jam-filled insides.  He moaned in delight as the sweetness hit his taste buds, savoring the delectable flavor as much as he could.  Even if there was nothing else to enjoy about his new home, at least it had probably the best café in the world.

He wondered if Blue was thinking about earlier.  He probably was, and this thought alone inclined Red to want to talk to Blue more.  He was by far the most intriguing person Red had ever met, and he had a suspicion that the older teenager had something to hide, or maybe he was just conflicted with himself and needed help.  What if they were more alike than Red realized?  Either way, he was determined to get to know Blue no matter how stubborn he may be.

***

Red flopped down onto his bed with sleepy eyes.  He had barely been able to concentrate on the taste of his dinner because of the accidental nap he’d taken beforehand.  But that wasn’t the only reason his mind was elsewhere that night.  In his nap, he’d had a rather peculiar dream about Blue.  One that sparked new feelings about the teenager and made Red nervous to approach him.  Even thinking about talking to Blue again made him anxious, and he was frightened of it.  He didn’t exactly remember the details of what his mind conjured up, but he just remembered seeing Blue hovering above him with a scowl on his face.  Red couldn’t tell if it was an angry scowl or a protective scowl, but due to Blue’s recent behaviour, the former was probably most likely.  However, the young boy just couldn’t put his finger on what it made him feel.  He didn’t know how he should feel nor what he should do to put it at ease.  He was scared, confused, relaxed, anxious, skittish, repulsed, content…  He slammed his face into the pillow with a load groan; all these thoughts were giving him a headache.  It was like his brain shut down on him and he wasn’t able to think clearly anymore. 

Instead, he turned his head so he could focus on the warm glow of his nightlight.  It was a present from Green for his fifth birthday, and ever since then the nightlight’s alluring yellow color reminded Red of how glad he was to have his brother.  Green made him feel warm and safe, just like the nightlight.  Although, Red couldn’t help but feel guilty.  He knew that Green had worked hard his whole life to make sure that Red was happy, and yet the younger blonde still gave him trouble sometimes.  Green knew Red right down to his core; he knew exactly how to handle certain emotions and knew just what to do to keep Red from breaking down, and Red felt awful for it.  How was he supposed to be a good little brother when he couldn’t do anything for Green that was special?  Brothers are supposed to be there for each other no matter the situation, but never has Green needed Red for anything.  It’s always been Green who has stood up for him, been there when Red needed a shoulder to cry on. 

Why does Green bother with me?  I must be the biggest mistake to have ever existed, and he keeps burdening himself with my problems.  I should be the one to be there for myself, not him.  He’s done way too much already, Red argued with himself.  He couldn’t let go of the fact that he felt like he was weighing Green down, and that only made himself feel worse.

It was time to take matters into his own hands and confront himself, and he would do that by confronting Blue.  He’d prove to Green that he didn’t constantly need to be looked after.

Red smiled and gently closed his eyes, softly drifting off into undisturbed sleep.

Chapter Text

Red’s cheeks were tinted pink with embarrassment and difficulty breathing as he lay there hyperventilating helplessly on the ground.  Tears poured from his eyes as wicked laughter filled his ears.

“Crybaby!” said a familiar voice.  “Rattle-loving loser!”

“STOP!  PLEASE!”  Red’s desperate cries fell on deaf ears as the figures of Shadow, Zelda and Vio loomed high above him, laughing to no end with their hurtful insults.

“Oh, Red, you should know how these things work by now.  You can’t trust anyone these days, even if it is your special someone, as I’m sure you know,” Zelda spoke, her tone of voice soft yet hateful.

“Ha!  Talk about pathetic.  What kind of guy is into teddy bears and flowers?  You should just do us all a favor and –” Shadow began.

“Don’t you dare talk to my brother like that!”

“Green!” Red cried, relieved to see his older brother come and stand between him and his new “friends”.

“Red is special and unique!  He’s one of the nicest people in the world and has more common sense than all of you sick bastards!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, my friend,” Vio said.

Green’s vicious snarl turned to a look of shock, horror and regret all in one.  Blood began pouring out of his mouth and his now lifeless body collapsed right in front of Red.  In his place stood Shadow, a bloody knife in hand.

“NOOO!” Red screamed, but before he could rush over to his brother, Vio kicked the corpse away and the three circled Red.

“Poor Red, all alone again…” Zelda started.

“…With no one to comfort him…” Shadow continued, maliciously licking the blood from the knife with a sick grin when Red looked at him.

“Just like what she did a while ago…” Vio finished.

“No…  NO!  I DON’T WANNA BE ALONE!”  Red gripped his hair with both hands and squeezed his eyes shut.  “SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!”  He let out a piercing scream in an attempt to block out the horrendous laughter that the three caused.  Red didn’t care if he made himself deaf; he just wanted it all to end.  But when his lungs finally gave out and requested a large intake of air, everything was silent.  He took a moment to catch his breath before he finally dared to open his eyes.

Everywhere around him was pure white and held a soft glow to it.  At last, his bullies had vanished, but now he had no idea where he was.

“Red,” said a deep voice from behind him.

Red turned sharply around from his place on the floor and gazed upon the sight of Blue standing several meters away.  His face was blank but somewhat comforting, probably due to the heavenly light that surrounded the two teenagers.

“Blue…?” Red whispered.

“You have to wake up, Red.  Stop imagining things.”

Now Red was utterly confused.  “W-what?  What am I imagining?”

“Wake up.”

“No, wait!  Please tell me what I’m imagining!”

“Wake up, Red!”  The voice was now more alert and concerned and didn’t sound like Blue anymore.

The older teenager vanished and Red’s eyes shot open to see a worried Green kneeling beside his bed, gently shaking his shoulder.  “Are you okay, lil’ bro?”

“G…Green…?” Red replied, panting and sweating slightly.  He looked over to his window; sunlight had barely made itself known, so it must have been very early in the morning.  His clock confirmed that with its digital numbers showing three-thirty-four a.m. 

“I heard you screaming from my room.  Were you having a nightmare?”

“I…I think so.”

“Is there anything that you wanna talk to me about?”

Red was silent for a few moments.  “Green…  Zelda and the others…  They’re not going to…make fun of me, are they…?”

Green climbed onto Red’s bed and scooped his little brother into his arms.

“No, Red.  Of course not.  If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t forget that you can talk to them about it too.”

“I know, but what if-”

“No what ifs, okay?  They’re not Cynthia.  They won’t sell you out just because you have different and unique interests.  I was talking to Zelda yesterday about what kind of other students go to the school, and she said you have nothing to worry about.  We can go sit with her and the others at their table at lunch, and many of the other people are really friendly, I promise.  Besides, we’ll be there to make sure that no one bothers you, alright?”

Red managed a small smile.  “Okay.”

“Well, try and get some sleep.  Do you want me to stay with you?”

Even though Red had promised himself that he wouldn’t let himself be babied, he was still a little shaken from his nightmare and really wanted comfort.  “Yes please.”

“Alright then.”  Green lightly kissed him on the forehead and scooted under the covers.  “Goodnight, lil’ bro.  See you in the morning.”

“’Night, Green.”

***

When Red opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that Green was already wide awake and sitting upright, glancing down at his phone.  Red yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes of sleep.

“Morning, Red!” Green said.  “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Mmhmm…  Morning…” Red replied tiredly, giving another yawn and a stretch of his arms. 

“My phone woke me up with a text from Zelda.  She asked if we’d like to meet her and the others at the café at nine today.  Feel up for it?”

Red’s eyes shot open and he suddenly felt full of energy.  “Is everyone coming?”

“Yep, all of them.”

“Then sure!”  If going out again meant that he could talk to Blue about yesterday, then he was definitely going.

“Sweet!  I’ll leave you to get ready then.  See ya downstairs!”

Green left Red’s room and headed next door to his own from the sound of his thumping feet.  Red excitedly hopped down from his bed and flew over to his wardrobe, grabbing a pair of dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a red hoodie.  He rolled the sleeves of his hoodie up and left it unzipped so he wouldn’t get too hot.  He then quickly brushed his hair back to its usual fluffiness and dashed into the bathroom to clean his teeth and do his business.  He was both nervous and excited to see Blue again, curious to know how the older teenager would act today.

Red arrived at the bottom of the stairs and found Green already prepared to leave.  Since they would be having breakfast at the café, there was no need to eat before leaving.

“I’ve already told mom and dad, so we’re good to go,” Green said.

The two grinned at each other and left the house.

***

Upon arriving at the café, they found Blue and Zelda already sitting at a table outdoors.  Zelda waved warmly at them as they approached, but Blue did nothing.

“Glad to see you guys could make it!” Zelda greeted.

“Hey, Zel!  Where’s Vio and Shadow?” Green replied.

“Oh, I’m not sure, but they’ll be here eventually.”

“Shad and Vi are like two peas in a pod.  They’ll both wait for each other no matter how long they take to get ready,” Blue added. 

“Oh, okay,” Red said.

A waitress soon arrived with Zelda’s morning coffee and asked the boys what they would like. 

“You do pancakes, right?” Green questioned.

“We do indeed,” the waitress answered.

“I’ll have a small stack with syrup, then.  What about you, Red?”

“Hmm, I guess I could go with some waffles.  Ooh!  And a strawberry shake,” Red replied, his stomach grumbling in anticipation.

The waitress scribbled down the orders and left.

“Hey, guys!” came a voice from not too far away.

“It’s about time!” Blue cried.

Shadow and Vio took their seats at the table.

“Sorry we’re late.  I can’t help taking long showers,” Shadow apologized, rubbing the back of his head.

“Oh, it’s no problem, although the waitress did just leave with our orders,” Zelda stated.

Shadow groaned.

“Come on, let’s go order at the counter,” Vio suggested.

“Wait, aren’t you going to order anything, Blue?” Red asked the older teenager as Vio and Shadow got up, completely forgetting that Blue tried to hit him yesterday.

“Nah.  I already ate,” Blue replied, keeping his gaze away from Red.

“Okay.”  Red looked to Blue’s brothers and saw that they were exchanging glances, but as soon as they caught Red looking at them, they disappeared inside the café.  Huh, that was weird, Red thought.  Maybe they were just confused because Blue tried to – oh, yeah.  He almost hit me.  Red looked at Blue and began getting anxious again.  Now that he remembered what happened at the school, he suddenly didn’t feel like talking to him.  That was probably why Shadow and Vio acted strangely just then.  They didn’t think that Red would openly talk to him.

Red fiddled with the table number while he waited, noticing that Green was preoccupied with his phone and Zelda was having a moment with her coffee, but she too soon had to check her phone.  Red pondered on saying something to Blue to start conversation, but it was way too quiet and he didn’t want to embarrass himself.

After several more minutes, Blue’s brothers soon came back.  Shadow had bought three doughnuts and Vio decided to get a bagel to chew on while he waited for his toasted sandwich.

“I tried to tell Shadow that he couldn’t have doughnuts for breakfast, but as usual he wouldn’t listen,” Vio said.

“Aww, fum omm.  Moughmuts are goob!” Shadow protested with his mouth full of doughnut.

Red giggled, earning a quick glance from Blue.  He then let out an excited gasp as his waffles and strawberry shake approached.  Elegant wisps of steam rose from the plate and sent an enticing smell in Red’s direction, making him practically drool.  His breakfast was placed down in front of him and he instantly dug in.

“Eeep!  Hot!” he cried, fanning the inside of his mouth with his hand.

“Duh.  It’s just been cooked, dumbass,” Blue said, still not looking at him.

“Maybe it’s best that you let it cool down first,” Vio suggested, taking another bite of his bagel.

Red took ahold of the straw in his drink and gulped the shake down for a few seconds.  Green’s pancakes were then brought out with glorious golden syrup dribbling down the sides.  He scooped some of it up with his finger and popped it in his mouth.

“Taste good?” Red asked.

“Yup,” Green answered, scooping up more of the syrup.

“Keep that up and your pancakes will eventually be syrup-less,” Zelda giggled.

“Heh, old habit of mine.”  No one said anything for a few moments, so Green decided to start a different subject.  “So what do you guys wanna be when you’re older?”

“Ah, that question, huh?” Shadow said, chuckling.  “I wanna be a pro skateboarder.  This here’s my baby.”  Shadow lifted up a black skateboard from his right to show Green.

“You have a skateboard?  I didn’t even notice,” Green said, laughing nervously.

“As for me, I actually don’t know.  People have told me to be a scientist, but that’s not really my thing,” Vio said.

“Really?  So what is?” Red asked, finally able to take a small bite out of his waffle.

“I’ve been thinking more along the lines of being an archeologist, perhaps.  Maybe even a biologist, both land and marine.”

“Ooh!  Sounds fun!” 

“What about you, Zelda?” Green asked.

Zelda finished taking another sip of her coffee before answering.  “I want to be a photographer.  So far I’ve been getting A’s in my photography class, so I’m hoping that’ll get me somewhere.  I’ll have to show you guys some of my pictures sometime!”

“Yes please!  I’m sure you’re amazing at it,” Green complimented, making Zelda blush slightly. 

“I’ve decided that I really want to illustrate children’s books.  I haven’t really shown my drawings to anyone, but even if I’m not that good, I’m sure they’ll pass for a kid’s picture book,” Red said.

“Really?  You never told me you liked drawing…” Green said, tilting his head at his younger brother.

Red giggled sheepishly and apologetically.  “Well, what about you?  You didn’t know that I liked drawing, and I still don’t know what you want to do when you’re older.  So that makes us even, I guess.”

Green hesitated, taking a while to think about his answer.  “I…actually have no idea what I want to do or be.  I don’t really think I have any talents and nothing interests me anyways.  I guess I just haven’t had the time to think about it.”

Red’s happy expression faded instantly.  Green didn’t know what he wanted to do for a living because he’d been spending too much time looking after Red.  The young blonde almost brought himself to tears on the spot purely because it was his fault that Green’s life wasn’t heading anywhere.  Red could end up with his dream job, but what about his brother?  Green would have to find some kind of side-job just to earn money.  He would never be happy unless Red ended his life of babysitting.

“What about a psychologist?” Red said softly.

“Huh?” Green questioned.

“You know, a psychologist?  You’re really good at talking and listening; you’ve always helped me with my problems just by doing that.  I think that’d be a great start for you.”

“Yeah, but that’s only because I know you so well.  I don’t think I’d be able to do that for strangers…  Besides, becoming a psychologist requires undertaking a psychology course, and I don’t think I have the patience nor knowledge.”

“Oh…” Red sighed.

“Uh, but thanks for the suggestion anyway.  I know you’ll be able to help me in the future.”  Green smiled warmly.

Red’s mood soon brightened up after hearing that.  He’d do anything to be helpful to his brother.

The young blonde cleared his throat and anxiously turned to Blue, who had still not said anything about what he wanted to do.  “Um, do you have any plans for your future, Blue?”

Blue remained silent.

Red knew better by now than to press Blue further, so he turned his attention back to his waffles.  Green could be heard talking to the others, but Red didn’t feel like listening.  He ate slowly, eventually letting his waffles go cold, but he didn’t much care.  He finished his food and drank the last of his shake, noticing that Green, Zelda, Vio and Shadow had begun to form a tiny circle on the table that Red was gradually getting pushed out of.  They were far too immersed in their conversation to include him, it seemed. 

Well, better try and talk to him now than never, he thought, glancing over at Blue.  Now was the perfect opportunity while his brother and friends were distracted.  “Hey, Blue?”

Blue gave no hint that he’d heard Red at all.

“Listen, I just wanted to talk about yesterday.  I’m…sorry that I made you angry.  I’m still kinda getting used to interacting with new people.”

“Do you remember what I told you yesterday?” Blue said at last, finally looking Red in the eye.

“Um…”

“I told you to stay away from me, and that includes talking to me.  Ev-er.” 

Red took in a small but sharp intake of breath, about ready to give in when he remembered his personal vow.  “No,” he stated simply yet boldly, putting on his best serious face.

“What?” Blue replied dangerously.

“I said no.  I’m not going leave you by yourself, and I’m certainly not going to stop talking to you.”

“And why not?” Blue growled, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

“Because that’s not what friends do.”

“Okay, I’m gonna make something clear here: WE.  ARE.  NOT.  FRIENDS.”

Blue leaned forward with an angry snarl fixed on his face, but Red wouldn’t let himself be intimidated by it and didn’t budge.

“Stop that.”

“Stop what, you twat?”

“Stop acting so tough constantly!  People care about you, you know.  I know that deep down you have a soft center.  Don’t be afraid to let it show from time to time.”

Blue burst into laughter unexpectedly, making Red jump.  He looked over to Green and the others and was surprised that none of them were giving Blue strange looks.

Blue spoke again once his laughing fit calmed down enough.  “You honestly think I’m compassionate?  You’re an even bigger idiot than I thought!  I don’t give a shit about other people, and they certainly don’t give a shit about me.”

“I do.”

“I…what?”

“I care about you.  And I know you care about me, too!  If you didn’t, you would’ve flat out punched me yesterday, but you stopped yourself before you could.  Even telling me to stay away is a sign that you care, because you’re afraid that you’ll lash out again and do something that you’ll regret, right?”

Blue did nothing but glare at him.

Red lowered his voice.  “It’s…the first time that someone’s been angry with me.  But I know what hiding behind a mask feels like.  I do it all the time with my brother.  That’s how I know that you don’t really mean to be mean.”

Blue still didn’t do anything, and Red was beginning to panic in case he’s said something wrong.  However, in an instant, Blue drew his face right up to Red’s and gripped the collar of his shirt.

Blue’s voice was menacingly deep and threatening.  “Now, you get something straight, alright?  You don’t know a thing about me, got it?  Not a single damned thing!”

Red gulped and nodded, and Blue finally let go.  He then abruptly got up and started heading down the street in a huff.

“Blue?  Blue, wait!” Red called and got up to go after him, catching the attention of the others at last.

“Red?  What’s wrong?” Green said, making Red stop.

“I…I don’t know.  I tried talking to Blue but I think I made him angry again,” the young and confused boy replied, watching as Blue disappeared amongst the pedestrians.

“Oh, don’t worry about him too much,” Vio reassured.  “I’m sure he’ll come around eventually.”

“Uh, yeah, what Vio said.  Come and sit back down, okay?” Green said.

Red sighed and sank back down in his seat.  Oh, Blue…

***

That evening, Red sat on his bed with an A4 art book sitting in his lap and a large pencil case resting next to him on his left.  His left hand had been hovering above the blank page for a while, pondering on what to draw.  He didn’t feel like scribbling or creating more cartoons, and he didn’t have any wild animals sitting in front of him to sketch.  He tapped the blunt end of the pencil against his chin and looked up at the ceiling in thought.  Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he began sliding the pencil gracefully across the paper, roughly outlining what he wanted to put down.  Every so often he would rotate the book to get a better angle, and after about half an hour, he was finally satisfied with the overall shape.  He began on the official outline of the drawing and went over it several times, each layer coming out bolder than the last.  He then fished out his eraser from his pencil case and removed any unnecessary lines.  Placing the rubber down, he then used his pinky finger to soften the outline for the coloring step.  He wanted to try a different technique this time, and he loved improvising when it came to art.

He brought his whole pencil case onto his lap so he could find the colors he wanted easier.  He ended up taking out several shades of blue, yellow, orange, brownish-red, beige, black, and silver.  However, just as he was about to begin, Green knocked on the door and told him it was time for bed.

Red sighed and placed his drawing equipment to one side, tying a rubber band around his selected pencils so he wouldn’t lose them or forget which ones to use.

“’Night, Red!” Green called through the door.

“’Night, Green!” Red called back, turning off his lamp so that the nightlight could have its turn.  He fell back onto his pillow and closed his eyes, happy with the start of his drawing.

He couldn’t wait to show Blue tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Beep!  Beep!  Beep!  Bee-

Red reached over and turned off his morning alarm that had so rudely interrupted his coloring session.  He had woken early that morning, a couple of hours before his alarm, so he decided to spend that time finishing his drawing that he started last night.  He was currently using one of his blue pencils to ever-so-carefully fill in the details of the eyes of his subject.  Once that was done, he moved onto the background which required the brownish-red pencil.  It was the last thing he needed to color before adding his unique flair to the drawing.  While he swiftly but cautiously brushed the pencil from side to side, he heard Green yawn and walk past his door on the way to get breakfast.

Wow, he’s up earlier than usual, Red thought to himself.  Since they weren’t in school yet, they usually slept in even after their alarms went off.  But then again, so am I!  Red giggled and continued coloring.  “Annnd…done!” he said out loud.  He’d finished the background and it was now time to add the flair.  “I hope this doesn’t turn out to be ugly…”  He grabbed his normal drawing pencil and filled in the areas that he wanted.  He shaded them extra carefully, using his pinky finger every now and then to blend the harsh lines.  Once he was done, he leaned back to get a good look at his work.  “Huh, not bad!”  He grinned in delight and put his drawing utensils away, but kept the book out.

Stepping off his bed to get dressed, he glanced at the clock.

“Yipes!  That took me almost two hours…?”  He shook his head and walked over to his wardrobe, grabbing a red t-shirt and black jeans.  He then traversed downstairs with his art book and found Green hastily shoving his feet into his sneakers.  “Morning, big brother!” Red greeted happily.

“Oh, morning, Red!” Green replied, pausing for a short moment to smile and wave.

“I drew a picture of Blue.  Do you wanna see?” Red asked, holding his book up with the drawing facing his chest.

“Uh, maybe later, okay?  I’m almost late.”

Rid tilted his head.  “Late for what?”

“I asked Zelda out and she said yes!”  Green had the biggest grin donning his face right now.

“Wow, really?  That was fast!  Congrats!”

“Thanks, lil’ bro!  I’ll see you this afternoon!”

“Sure thing.  Have fun!”

With that, Green left the house.

It suddenly felt very quiet.

***

Red sipped at his glass of water while he sat at the kitchen table.  His parents still weren’t up yet, and without Green around, he had no one to talk to until he went and found Blue.  He had to admit that he was kind of envious of Green now.  He and Zelda were so perfect for each other, and that made Red wish that he could find his soul mate.  Alas, he would never find them, because he was too busy trying to fit in.  His first – and probably last – breakup had been heart-shattering, and goodness knows he didn’t want to go through that again.

He downed the last of his water and headed out, making sure to leave a note for his parents on the fridge first.  The sun was shining gorgeously today, putting a smile on Red’s face as he walked.  He didn’t mind if it took him a while to find Blue.

He decided to check out the park first, thinking that Blue would maybe be outside exercising or something.  If he was outside at all.

The park was very quiet in the mornings, save for a few adults who were either taking a morning jog or were on their way to work.  Red glanced around at each of the trees and benches but found no Blue.

Up ahead was the small playground that usually had a group of children running around it during the middle of the day, and to the right up the back was a brick public toilet.  It looked poorly maintained and no one probably used it anymore.  It sat right up against the trees that led into the forest behind it, so it was absolutely covered in leaves, but behind it was probably a good spot to be alone.  Red walked over and brushed his fingers against the brick walls, but as soon as he walked past the doors his hand flew to his nose to block out the awful stench.  No wonder it looked unused.

He made his way around to the back, hoping to find Blue, but there was no temperamental teenager in sight, although he was correct in the fact that it provided a great alone-time spot.  The trees made for great cover and no one wanted to go near the smell.

Red left the abandoned toilets and began heading in the direction of the café.  Maybe Blue would be having breakfast there like yest-

“OOF!”  Upon reaching the center of the park, he felt a great thud on his back, making him lurch forward and almost fall flat on his face.  He turned around to see someone he didn’t recognize, but from the look of him, he was someone from the school.  “Ow!  That hurt!  What was that for?” Red asked innocently, rubbing his back.

“Aww, you don’t know?” said another male voice from behind him.

Red turned around again after hearing more than one pair of footsteps approach, and before he knew it, he was surrounded by a group of boys that all looked older than him.

Red’s hands began trembling and his eyes were wide with horror.  Please…  No… he thought.

“So, you’re the new kid in town, huh?  The Toddler Teenager!” one of them taunted, using Red’s infamous Facebook nickname that every one of his bullies used.

Red gulped.  “U-uh, s-sorry, you must be m-mistaken…”

The group broke out into hysterics.

“You fucking shithead.  We’d know you from anywhere, so don’t play dumb with us.”

“Where’s your fucktard of a brother, huh?”

“Looks like he ain’t around protect wittle baby-boo here!”

Red whimpered and began tearing up.

“Aww, is the baby gonna cry?”

One of them took notice of the book in Red’s clutches and pointed it out.  Red closed it completely and hugged it to his torso as tight as he could.

“Hey, don’t be like that!  We wanna see your baby scribbles!”

“No!  Stay away from me!” Red cried, tears now streaming down his face.

“Nuh-uh!  You’re being a very naughty toddler.”

“And everyone knows that naughty kids need to be punished.”

“No, please!” Red cried again, trying to make himself as small as possible when they closed in on him.

The teenager directly behind him grabbed his shirt and launched him forward at his other attackers who responded by slamming him back.  They did this back and forth, pulling at his shirt, pushing him around the group, until they eventually got a hold of both of his arms.  Red dropped his book and the burliest boy there proceeded to stomp on it repeatedly.  Red looked on with horror, trying desperately to get them to stop, but the boy’s only answer was coming up, grabbing both of Red’s shoulders and kneeing him in the stomach.  Red doubled over and collapsed to the ground in pain while the group merely laughed. 

“Oh dear, I don’t think he’s learned his lesson yet.  He’s still throwing a temper tantrum!” one of them said, motioning to Red’s constant bawling.  The teenager then promptly kicked him repeatedly, causing a chain reaction in the group until they were all kicking him, over and over.

“Had enough yet?  You little piece of-”

“HEY!” cried a voice that made everyone stop.  Relief flooded through Red as he recognized who it was.  “Why don’t you leave him alone and back the fuck off?!”

“Why would you care?  This little dipshit is fucking pathetic.”

The person cracked his knuckles, and apparently that was all it took to force the boys to leave, grumbling to themselves.

“Shadow!” Red sobbed, tears of joy now flowing from his eyes upon seeing his rescuer.

“Holy shit, Red, are you okay?” Shadow asked, running up to the young blonde on the ground.

Red wiped away his tears and choked back another sob while Shadow helped him up.  “Kinda.  Everywhere hurts,” he said with a small smile.  “Thank you so much, Shadow.”

“Hey, no problem.  Those bastards should leave you alone now.  They know not to mess with me.  Heck, I got suspended once for bashing one of their heads in with my skateboard!” Shadow said with pride.

Red giggled and his crying finally ceased.  “Just…don’t tell my brother about this, okay?”

“Why not?  Shouldn’t he know that you’re getting beat up?  If you were Vio I’d definitely want to know.”

“I’m fed up with moving all the time.  I want to be able to push through the bullying for once, and besides, I have you guys now.”  Red smiled warmly.  “If Green were to find out, he’d insist on doing something and go all worry-wart on me.”

“Yeah, true.  Alright, I won’t tell him.”

“Thanks, Shadow!  I owe you one.”

“Nah, you don’t owe me anything.”

Red wrapped his arms around Shadow for a quick hug.  Shadow returned the gesture, and once they pulled away, he ruffled Red’s hair. 

The young blonde suddenly gasped and turned around, desperately looking around.  “My art book!” he cried, his eyes eventually settling on it.

“Oh, hang on, I got it for ya,” Shadow said, walking over and picking it up.  The cover had been completely ripped off the rings that held the pages together, and the first couple were crumpled and ripped.  “Sorry about the damage…”

Red didn’t care about that, however.  He frantically flipped it open until his drawing of Blue was present.  “Phew…  It’s okay.  As long as this still lives,” Red replied, smiling in relief that his picture was unharmed.

“Can I see?” Shadow asked.  Red turned the book around so the purple-haired teenager could get a look, and his eyes instantly widened.  “Okay, I don’t get why you think you’re bad at drawing, because that right there is freaking amazing!”

“You really think so?”

“Of course!”

“Thanks!  I’m going to show it Blue.  Speaking of, have you seen him at all today?  So far I haven’t found him.”

“Uhm, sorry, no.  Not since this morning, anyway.”

“Okay.  Well, you’re his brother though, so any ideas on where he might be?”

Shadow seemed to hesitate and cleared his throat.  “Um, well…”

Red tilted his head.  Why was Shadow taking so long to answer?  Is he hiding something? he thought.

“Ah!  I might know where he is,” Shadow said at last, catching Red off guard.

“Really?”

Shadow nodded.  “This’ll probably sound a little odd for someone like him, but sometimes he hangs around the school when it’s quiet.”

Red was a little skeptical.  “The school…?”

“Like I said, odd.  But it’s at the field by the basketball court.  People over the break usually use the local park for outdoors stuff, and anyone who goes to the school is only in the library.  Therefore, perfect place for Blue to chill.”

“Well, if you put it like that, I guess it makes sense.  Thanks again!  I’ll go check it out.”

“Happy to help.  Well, I gotta get back to Vio, so I’ll see you later, alligator.”

Red giggled as he turned and walked off.  “Alright.  Toodle-loo, kangaroo!” he called after him.

“Haven’t heard that one before!  Nice!” Shadow called back.

“Bye!”

“See ya!”

***

Red finally arrived at the school, still clutching his now damaged art book to his chest.  The way there had been daunting, for he was terrified that those boys would return as soon as Shadow left.  However, he’d been left alone, and now all he had to do was find Blue. 

No one was around, just like Shadow had said, and Red felt a lot more comfortable when it was quiet.  The exact reason why Blue was probably here too.

He made his way down past the side of the school and came out to the field.  The large space was filled with the smell of freshly cut grass, which meant that the groundskeeper for the school must have just mowed it.  He didn’t particularly like the smell, but it didn’t bother him too much either, so he simply put up with it.

Looking to his left, he saw the sports shed, but no basketball court.

Uh…  Where did the others say it was? Red asked himself.  He couldn’t see the large rectangular slab of painted concrete anywhere, but that didn’t mean that he would give up.  He started walking forwards out onto the field, kicking up small clumps of grass every now and then.  He remembered collecting piles of them and stacking them into one giant pile at his first school with Green, then the two would run and jump into it, at least until a teacher caught them doing it and told them to stop.

Red chuckled at the memory and randomly wondered if he could get Blue to do something just as silly.  Probably not.

He sighed and spun around in a bored circle, letting his arms hang loose and flail around as he rotated.  He then proceeded to swing them back and forth as he continued walking, but stopped when he finally caught a glimpse of the basketball court not too far away behind the sports shed.  All he had to do in the beginning was just walk forward enough so he could see.

Red slammed his palm onto his face as he headed towards it, not bothering to check if Blue was there first. 

He never really examined the court closely when he was being shown around the school grounds, so it was his first time noticing that it was surrounded by a concrete wall low enough to sit on, which was exactly where he found Blue.  His back was facing Red, but the young blonde could just about see that Blue was casually tossing an orange basketball lazily in the air.  To the right of him was a single tree that provided enough shade for about four people, depending on the angle of the sun.  He was still wearing the same outfit as always, except he wore a deep blue jacket over the top of his singlet this time.

Red took a deep breath and approached him, and once he was within earshot, he spoke.  “H-hey, Blue!”

Blue sighed and turned to look at him, tucking the basketball under his right arm.  “You sure are persistent, I’ll give you that.”

“Um, mind if I sit next to you?”

Blue rolled his eyes in exasperation and slightly flicked his head at the space to his left, indicating that Red could indeed sit down.  “What do you want?” he asked as if Red was someone who went knocking on everyone’s door trying to sell stuff.

Red brought his art book out in front of him but kept it closed.  “I…drew a picture for you.  Do you want to see?”

The older teenager sighed yet again.  “Sure, why not.”

Red grinned and quickly flipped through his book until he found his drawing.  When he turned it towards Blue, Red’s heart fluttered upon seeing the older blonde’s facial response to the drawing.

“Damn, when you said that you drew a picture for me, I didn’t expect that you would actually draw a picture of me!” Blue mused with wide and clearly impressed eyes.  “You even did this without reference too?!”

Red nodded excitedly.  “Well, yeah.  Your image of you kinda just stuck in my head, and if I didn’t get this down I don’t think I would’ve been able to sleep last night.”

“I seriously don’t get how people can draw so well.  Even if I tried, my drawings would end up looking like the pencil just randomly exploded on the page.”

Red giggled heartily.  He was really beginning to enjoy Blue’s company. 

And…was Blue leaning just that little bit closer to him…?

“You’re…really talented, Red.” 

That was the first time Blue threw a genuine and caring smile at the younger boy.

***

“I didn’t know you played basketball,” Red commented, watching as Blue began tossing the ball in the air again.

“I don’t.  I just found this lying around while I was bored,” Blue replied, keeping his eyes focused on the round object.  Red tilted his head when Blue stopped, a sly smirk appearing on his face.  “You said that you wanted to start working out, right?  What if we just have a little one on one, right here?”

“But that’s no fair!  You’d easily beat me!” Red pouted.

“Come on.  I promise I’ll go easy on you.”

“Liar.”  Red’s pout turned into a cheeky smile.

Blue chuckled.  “Yeah, I know.”  However, his smile soon faded upon noticing a small bruise on Red’s right cheek that had previously been hidden by his long sideburns.

“Blue?  What’s wrong?” Red asked, starting to get worried.

“Red…  Did something happen earlier?”  Blue lightly touched the discolored patch of skin, making Red flinch at the tender contact.

“I-I, uh…  N-nothing bad happened!  I just…ran into a pole, is all.”

Blue wasn’t buying it.  “And yet you call me a liar.  Did you really just use the oldest excuse in the book?”

 “Look, it’s nothing, okay?  Really, I’m fine.”  Red crossed his arms tightly over his torso and turned away, suddenly finding the grass very interesting.

Red really didn’t need to be reminded that there was no way for him to escape his internet attackers.  Just when he thought he’d found the perfect place to live, they had to show up and bring his depression levels back to their peak.  Just a short while ago he’d discovered that he’d become somewhat of a meme, which was why he was so widely known.  Not everyone across the whole of America could possibly all be friends.  Still, he couldn’t help the few tears that refused to stay contained flow down his cheeks. 

He leaned backwards a little to straighten his back, which meant that he had to move his hands to the concrete to support his weight.  His right hand accidentally landed upon Blue’s, forgetting how close they were sitting next to each other.

“Oh, sorry,” Red apologized, scooting a little farther away so his hand would have more room.  He didn’t dare to look at Blue while crying, but a sniff eventually made itself known, alerting Blue to Red’s upset mood.

“Red, look at me,” Blue ordered.  When Red refused, he tried again.  “I said look at me, Red!”

Red flinched at Blue’s harsh tone of voice, but turned around anyway.  He wiped away his tears and sniveled again.  “Yes, Blue…?”

“Listen, I’m not any good at the whole “making people feel better” thing, but I should probably tell you this anyway.”

Red’s crying stopped.  He had expected Blue to have a lot of secrets hidden beneath his ferocious exterior, and for him, telling Red about just one of them was a huge milestone. 

“The, uh, the reason that I get so snappy and cranky most of the time is…is…”  Blue rubbed the back of his head anxiously, an expression Red had never seen on his face before.  “…On top of having severe anger issues, I have bipolar disorder.  One second I’ll be all cool with everything, then the next, the smallest thing will piss me off and I won’t be able to control my anger.  I’ll go all Hulk Smash on everything.”

Red wasn’t sure whether to giggle to feel sorry. 

“Well, that, and I have OCD…”

“OCD?  That isn’t so bad.  It just means you’re neat and organized!”

“Uh, not if you can’t sleep at night without knowing that all your clothes are neatly folded and are either put away or hung up!”

“Oh.  Well, I guess if you put it that way…”

“…I’m fucking sick of this shit.”

Red was slightly confused.  At least now he knew why Blue got so worked up over nothing.  “Sick of what, exactly?”

“This!  Life!” Blue cried, throwing his arms up in the air in exaggeration.  “Life fucking sucks!  I have probably the worst personality to ever exist and my family can’t even afford therapy sessions for me!”  He brought his arms back down and clenched the edges of the wall.  “You’re lucky.  You don’t have anything to worry about.  Heck, you don’t have to worry about fucking hurting others!”  He looked to the ground, breathing heavily through his nose.

Red stayed silent for a moment.  Was that really how he felt?  Like he was just a walking bomb that hurt everyone close to him?

“I may not have to worry about hurting others,” Red began, placing a gentle hand on Blue’s shoulder, “but I do have to worry about others hurting me.”

Blue looked at him, his miffed expression replaced by that of confusion and concern.

“I get bullied and beat up, remember?  That’s what happened to me earlier…”

Neither of them spoke for a few seconds.  Blue had completely calmed down by now and was gazing at Red with an apologetic look in his eyes.

Red had barely realized how late it was getting with the sun beginning to turn the sky pink and orange.  He couldn’t help but notice how the setting sun highlighted Blue’s sharp facial structure, and the way the light made his hair glow was positively alluring.  Even his eyes were charmingly hypnotic as the sun’s rays hit those captivating cerulean orbs just right…

“Uh, Red?” Blue said abruptly, waving his hand in front of the younger boy’s face.

Red blinked and snapped back into reality, trying to fight back an embarrassed blush.  “Uhm…”  How long had he been staring at Blue?!  And just why was he staring at Blue?!  He really hoped that he wasn’t making a face while doing it…

As if by some uncanny miracle to save him from the awkwardness, Red’s phone buzzed in his pocket.  A message from Green was telling him to come home for dinner.

“Oh, uh, Green wants me home, so I’d better get going,” he announced, getting up and rubbing the back of his head nervously.  “S-see you later, Blue!”  He picked up his art book and hurriedly turned to leave, but Blue caught his arm.

“Wait.”

Red slowly turned back to face him.  “Uh, yeah?  What is it?”

“Give me your phone.”

Red was hesitant at first, but he eventually gave it to the older boy.  Blue brought out his own and fiddled with both of them for about a minute, then handed Red’s back.

Red glanced the screen and had to stop himself from squealing with joy.  “You gave me your number!” he cried happily.

“Yeah, but don’t you dare tell anyone.  Got it?”

Red giggled.  “Sure thing, Blue.”

“Alright.  Now go on, get outta here.”

The younger blonde turned and took a few steps, but stopped in his tracks and paused.  Before Blue even knew it, Red had wrapped his arms around the older teenager and was clinging to him in an instant.  Too shocked to do anything, Blue just stood there.

“Bye, Blue, and thanks,” Red said softly before letting go and running up and out of the school grounds, grinning as if he’d just won the lottery.

***

Red’s nose was hit with a delicious-smelling aroma the second he opened the front door.  Whatever his mom was cooking tonight, he could tell it was going to be good.

Without wasting a second, he threw off his shoes and dashed upstairs to his bedroom, saying a quick “hi” to Green and his parents on his way there.  He closed the door behind him and got comfortable on his bed, immediately taking out his phone.  He opened his text messages, selected his newest contact, and began typing his message.

‘Hey Blue, I was wondering if u would like to meet again tomorrow.  Is that ok with u?’

Red added a smiley emoji at the end of his message and hit ‘send’.

“Red!  Dinner’s ready!” Red’s mom called.

The young blonde sighed and hefted himself off the bed.

Please reply soon…

Chapter Text

“Come on, big brother!  You’ve barely said anything about it!  I wanna know!” Red whined as he sat at the kitchen table.

“Yeah, but I know that if I do tell you everything, you’ll be on and on about it for days!” Green replied from the kitchen counter, waiting for four slices of toast to pop.

Red huffed and drummed his fingernails on the wood.  A sly smile soon spread across his lips, knowing that his next question would really test Green’s limits.  “…Did you guys kiss?” he said bluntly.

Green’s cheeks exploded with pink as he blushed furiously, frantically waving his arms at Red.  “What?  No!  Are you serious?!  Not on the first date!”

The younger teenager broke into laughter and had to rest his head on the table amidst his hysterics.

“And this is exactly why I don’t tell you anything.”  Green flinched when his toast popped next to him.  “Ugh, really?!  Every time!” he complained, referring to the fact that, no matter how many times you ate toast, no one was prepared for the moment the bread finished browning.  He smeared butter over the hot and crusty bread and sat down next to his brother, handing two slices to him as he did so.

“So is there really nothing that you wanna tell me?”  Red put on his puppy eyes.  “I always tell you everything!”

Green groaned.  His brother had a pretty good point.  “Fine, I’ll tell you just one thing about our date, okay?”

“Yay!”

“…We sat on the roof of her house and watched the sunset…” he said quietly.

“AWW!”  Red was a sucker for cute things, and hearing his brother do something romantically cliché was just adorable.

Green couldn’t resist a smile.  “Yeah, yeah, don’t make such a big deal out of it.”  The two continued to munch on their breakfast in silence until Green asked his brother something.  “Well, I told you something about my date with Zelda, now you have to tell me where you disappeared off to yesterday.”

Red almost choked on his toast.  He had to remind himself not to tell Green about the bullies.  “Oh, I went to spend the day with Blue.  I found him at the school, of all places!” he giggled.

“So what did you guys do?  Just chat?”

“Yup.”  He suddenly remembered the text message he sent Blue last night and checked his phone.  Yay!  He replied! his thoughts shouted happily as he read the message.

‘Yeah, whatevs.  Meet me at the park at noon, and don’t make me wait.’

Red quickly tapped a reply of his own.  ‘Ok!  See u there!’  He looked at the top of his screen to check the time and saw that he had about three hours.  He decided that he’d spend one hour getting ready and lounging around if any time was left before leaving.

He scoffed down the rest of his toast and headed upstairs to get out of his pajamas.

***

There weren’t many pedestrians out in the streets that morning – not that Red was complaining.  It was nice and quiet, save for the cars that drove by occasionally, and walking around was easy without having to move out of people’s way.  The sun was shining brightly and gave off just the right amount of warmth, and a cool breeze helped to balance the temperature of the sweet-smelling air.

Feeling a little thirsty and with still plenty of time before he met up with Blue, he decided to pop round to the café and get something to drink.

The delicious aroma of breakfast and coffee wafted from around the corner that Red was approaching, causing his mouth to water tremendously.  Perhaps taking a morning trip here every day wouldn’t be so bad, especially if he was greeted by such an enticing scent each time. 

He began weaving his way around each of the outdoor tables to get to the café entrance itself, but a familiar voice stopped him.

“Red!  Over here!”

Red turned around to see Zelda at one of the tables, a cup of coffee in her hands as usual.  “Oh, hi, Zelda!” he greeted with a smile.

The blonde girl beckoned him to come and sit with her, and Red happily complied.  “I have to say that I didn’t expect to see you here this morning,” she spoke.

“Yeah, I’m going to be meeting Blue at the park later.  Since I have some spare time, I decided to come to the café for a little something,” Red replied, placing his elbows on the tabletop and resting his head in his hands.  “Although, I’m not sure what I feel like having.”

“Is Green with you?”

“No, he’s still at home.”  Red paused for a moment before letting out a huge gasp.  “Tell me everything about yesterday!” he cried with a huge smile on his face, excitedly placing his hands on the table and leaning forward slightly.

“You’re asking me?  Didn’t Green say anything?  I thought that he’d be the type of person to go on and on about it.”

Red sighed.  “No, it’s more like the other way around.  I’d be the one to go on and on about it,” he replied with a small giggle.

“Oh boy, well at least that explains it.  Hmm, let’s see…  He started by taking me for a small walk in the park…”

“That must have been very easy.”

Zelda blinked.  “…Did you just-?”

“I did!”

The two broke into laughter at Red’s little pun.  Once they calmed down, Zelda continued.  “After that we went and got some ice cream here, talked a bit, then I took him to my house.  We played a few board games – I won almost all of them – and then we just sat on the roof until the sun went down.”

“Sitting on the roof was the only thing that Green told me.  But I’m glad to hear you had a nice time!”

“Aww, thank you, Red.  Your brother is absolutely amazing.  You’re very lucky to have him.”

Red nodded.  “Yeah, I am.  I don’t know where I’d be without him.”

“He talked a lot about you.  It’s obvious that he’s totally devoted to caring for you.”

Red folded his arms on the wooden surface and focused his gaze on it.  “It’s been like that his whole life.  He doesn’t care what happens to him or what he has to go through as long as I’m happy.”  He looked back up and put on his best serious face that was still cute no matter what.  “But I don’t want him to do that anymore!  I’m older now; I wanna take care of myself for once.  Just…don’t tell him that, okay?  I want to prove to him that I can do things on my own.”

“Alright, Red.  I won’t tell him.”  She placed a gentle hand over his.  “But just know that he really, really doesn’t mind looking after you.  He enjoys it, actually, because he gets to spend a lot of special time with you.  He said that people often told him that they were jealous of the strong bond that you two have, so just be careful from here on out, okay?  Know a good thing when you’ve got it, and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise,” she finished with a warm smile.

Red returned the smile with shiny tears collecting at his eyes.  “Thanks, Zelda.”  He wiped the corners of his eyes and let out a sniff.  “Aww man, you’re getting me all emotional now!” he giggled.

Zelda chuckled.  “Sorry.  Need a tissue?”

“Yes please.”

Zelda reached into her handbag and pulled one out, handing it to the sensitive boy.  “I seriously need to stop being the most poetic and sappy girl in the history of, like, ever.”

Red laughed heartily.  “No, it’s fine.  I really appreciate it.”  He finished with the tissue and placed it in his pocket.

The kind-hearted girl took a sip of her coffee – talking to Red must have made her forget it was getting cold.  “So you mentioned that you were meeting Blue later.  Are you two getting along alright?”

The blonde boy nodded excitedly at the mention of his second-favorite person.  “Mmhmm!  I know that he can get a little angry at times, but I think I can work around his mood swings now.”  He noticed Zelda go a little wide-eyed for a moment.  Was it unusual for Blue to be calmed down by someone else?

“Ah, well, as long as everything’s okay with you guys.”  She took a large gulp of her morning goodness before continuing.  “Oh, do you still want something from here?”

Red practically jumped in his seat; his mouth suddenly felt incredibly dry.  “Ah, yes!  I completely forgot!  Let me just…  Oh no…”  Red frantically patted the pockets of his jeans for his wallet.  “Ugh, I left my wallet at home!” he whined, his forehead falling onto the table.

“Aww, that’s okay!  I can buy you something.”

“Really?  You don’t have to…”

“No, I insist!  What would you like?”

Red chuckled in defeat.  “Okay, okay.  Hmm…  I think I’ll go for…” he drummed his fingers on the wood and looked upwards in thought.  “Ooh!  Do they have pineapple juice?”

Zelda nodded.  “Yup!  Wait right here.”

Red watched her delicate figure disappear into the café until she was hidden by a window pane.  He looked around himself while he waited, taking particular notice of the way the street had suddenly filled with people.

Despite that he was known here and would most likely be picked on at school when he started, he finally felt at peace.  His social anxiety was slipping away thanks to his new friends, and even just having friends alone was enough to make him feel content with living here.  He had people on his side for once that weren’t adults or his brother.  Zelda was possibly the nicest girl he had ever met, and he was thankful that Green got to be her boyfriend.  He didn’t know too much about Vio and Shadow yet, but he already had huge amounts of respect for both of them.  Yesterday had proved that Shadow was selfless enough to come to Red’s aid when he was being picked on, and Vio’s vibe just felt completely calm and collected.  He felt like he could easily go to the knowledgeable teen for answers if he ever needed to, and Vio would most likely be more than happy to help.  Then there was Blue.

Red had mixed feelings about the older blonde – Blue was indeed extremely intimidating and clearly had the strength to knock someone out cold with just a mere punch, but that wasn’t enough to keep Red away.  Blue had a soft side deep down in there somewhere, and Red just had to find it.  He’d been so close to completely figuring Blue out yesterday when they spoke, and he was hoping that today he could finally hear everything that Blue had bottled up inside.  The older teenager was someone who definitely needed someone to not just talk to, but to understand him as well.  Red was certain that he was that someone that Blue needed, because he was willing to understand and listen.  He would do what Green had done for him his whole life, and maybe, just maybe, Blue would become a better person.

“Here you go, Red!” Zelda said suddenly, making Red jump.  He really needed to stop daydreaming for so long.

“Thanks, Zelda!  I’ll try and pay you back soon,” he replied, instantly removing the cap of his juice and taking a large gulp.

“Nah, you don’t need to pay me back.  It’s only a couple of bucks, no biggie.”

“Okay then.  Well, I’d better head to the park.  It was nice talking to you!”

“I have to get going too.  Take care!”  She gave him a quick hug to which he returned and headed down the street.

“Bye!” Red called after her.

***

The park was pretty much devoid of people, more or less.  The only exceptions were the parents who had brought their kids here to the playground for the morning.  There were about six or so little children running about; two were on the see-saw and the remaining four were repeatedly going up and down the slide.  That left the swings completely unused, so it would make for a perfect time-killer.  Red walked over and sat on the left which wasn’t the one for infants.  Using his feet, he pushed himself back as high as he could go, right up until he was on his toes, and then let the swing carry him forward.  He bent his legs and swung them back to create momentum, and when he was moving forward again, he leaned backwards to keep the swing propelled.  He repeated this process over and over, just keeping a steady and gentle swing going. 

He really enjoyed swing sets because he could relax and have fun at the same time.  He always focused on the sky and never looked at the ground while he swung, because the breeze that swept through his hair and brushed past his face created the illusion of flying, which was something he often dreamed about.  He closed his eyes and allowed the sensation of motion to take over his mind, and soon he was gliding above a sun-filled valley with glistening waterfalls that sparkled in the rays of light.  The surrounding plants and trees were a glorious green, and a single rainbow that shone with radiance arched gracefully over the valley.  Red dipped underneath it and then rose way, way above the last waterfall and continued his ascent.  From there he entered a vast open field, and situated at the back was a magnificent castle.  It had tall pointed towers and well-structured walls, and on some of its main rooms were beautiful stained-glass windows.  Knights stood guard along the walls that protected the castle and by the front drawbridge too.  Red wondered what kind of royalty lived there – perhaps a great and prosperous king whose rule over his kingdom was fair?  Or maybe a beautiful princess who was loved by all?  If so, what kind of men were the royal guards like?  Red liked to think that they were tall and muscular, strapped head to toe in silver-colored armor.  He tried to picture himself as a knight, but just couldn’t see him fighting foes in all that heavy gear.  Ooh!  What if he was a hero chosen by the princess or king?  He would wear a glorious garb that would be recognized by all and fight with an enchanted and magical sword to cut down all those who threatened the kingdom.  Why, he may even-

“Arrr!  You are crossing my seas and must walk the plank!” cried a little voice to Red’s right, snapping him out of his daydream.  The blonde teenager turned to look and slowed down his swinging to see a small boy dressed in a cute pirate’s outfit.  He even had a plastic cutlass and fake eyepatch to match.

Red smiled and hopped off the swing; if there was one thing he loved, it was children.  He cleared his throat and put on his best pirate accent.  “Yarr!  Ye will have t’ catch me first!  Ha harr!”  Red turned from the pirate boy and ran towards the middle of the playground, grabbing a small stick on his way.  He then leaped up onto the climbing ropes and aimed his stick down.

“You have nowhere to run!  Give up now, pirate!” the boy cried, pointing his plastic cutlass up at Red.

“Never!  The seas and all its treasure shall be mine!”  Red slowly swung his “sword” down at the little pirate so he could have enough reaction time to swat it away.  The cutlass hit the ropes that Red was hanging from, and he dramatically fell onto the ground as if they’d been cut.  “Yarr, ye sure are a clever little sea ‘roach!” he exclaimed from his position on his back.  Before the boy could do anything, Red sprung up from the ground and faced his opponent head-on.  “Now let’s settle this once and for all!  Winner gets all the sea’s treasure!”

All around them the playground had become a large and fearsome ship, rocking and swaying violently in the unforgiving waves that had formerly been the park.  Dark clouds swirled overhead and thunder roared and crashed everywhere.  Rain pelted down on the two pirates, soaking them to the brim.  Both of the captains’ crew members were fiercely fighting one another, the clashing of metal sounding all around them.

“Yaahh!” 

The pirate boy rushed at Red, waving his cutlass in the air with unexpected speed for a small child.  Red could have easily blocked each of them, but allowed himself to take a hit every now and then with a dramatic cry.  He ran towards the towering mast and hid behind it while he regained lost energy.  When he looked back at where the enemy captain was, he was nowhere to be seen.  A loud yell sounded from behind Red and was struck across the legs.  He cried out in pain and stepped away from the mast.

“No!  How is it that ye be so good?!” Red asserted as he was backed against the wooden railings.  Panting heavily, he looked behind him to see the thrashing dark ocean below.  He was overjoyed to see the triumphant little smile on the boy’s face, but he kept a stern and frightened expression nonetheless.

“To David Jones’s Locker with you!” the pirate yelled. 

Red had to hold in a snicker when the child said “David”.  He should have expected the boy to mispronounce “Davy”. 

The little pirate swung his blade one last time and hit Red directly in the stomach.  The blonde teenager dropped his stick and clutched his torso as if he was really gashed.  He let out a few wails and cries of pain before collapsing onto the slippery deck and playing dead.  He heard the little boy shout in victory before the voice of his mom was known.

“Tommy!  Time to go home!”  The ship and thunderous clouds vanished in an instant and the playground and park returned.

“Awww!” Tommy groaned.

Red opened his eyes and watched the little pirate run off to his parent.  He figured that this was his cue to get up and find somewhere to sit and wait for Blue.  He noticed that all of the children had gone home now too, which was probably why Tommy chose to play with Red, so the park was now almost completely empty.  He gingerly rubbed his right arm where a particularly hard blow was dealt from the boy’s plastic cutlass.  For a kid, he definitely has some strength in him, he thought.  He noticed a wooden bench on the far right of the park by some trees which he thought would be the perfect place.  It was nicely shaded and away from the busier part of the road.  He made his way toward it with a huge smile on his face – there was something about playing with kids and letting them win that was so amusing.  Children like Tommy were definitely fun to roleplay with because of the creativity housed within them.  Red always enjoyed picturing the scene in his mind to add to the atmosphere and drama.  Oh my gosh, I SO have to make a children’s book out of a pirate story!  He silently squealed in excitement at the thought, telling himself that he’d begin on ideas once he got home.  What would he call it?  The Adventures of Captain Cutlass?  Nah, that’s too cliché, Red thought to himself.  Hmm, maybe if I call it-

“Yo, piss-bag!” shouted a voice from behind him.

Red groaned out loud and turned to face the teenagers who had undoubtedly come to pick on him again.  Don’t worry yourself, Red.  Blue will be here any second now, he reassured himself.  He sighed and spoke up.  “Do you really have nothing better to do?”

“Did we say you could fucking speak?”

“Listen up.  We weren’t gonna bother with you today, you little shit, but one of our friends wanted to say hi.”

Red was thoroughly confused.  He knew from experience that whenever someone wanted to say “hi” to him, it was usually through a knuckle sandwich.  However, when two of the guys stepped aside and revealed a feminine figure with delicate curves, brunette hair with bleached tips, fair skin without any hints of flaws, emerald green eyes and delicately applied makeup, Red could only stand there in horror and disbelief at who he was seeing.  His hands began trembling and he froze up completely; the only part of him that moved were his lips that were still only able to stutter the girl’s name that barely came out as a whisper.

“C-Cynthia…?”

Chapter Text

Please…  Please for the love of god, don’t let this be real…  Red’s consistent sobbing and short wails were the only sounds he could make while he hugged his knees and buried his face in his arms behind the park’s toilets.  Tears soaked themselves into the sleeves of his hoodie while he cried his broken heart out.  His glass globe, one that had once contained a happy and innocent soul, had finally been dropped onto solid ground, shattering into a million pieces after being shaken so many times for the amusement of others.  The cogs that kept him going no longer played music; only a monotone hum was left of what used to be a cheerful melody that put a smile on anyone’s face.

Why was she here…?  Why was she here…?  Why was she here…?

This can’t be happening…  Just when he thought he’d finally escaped her, his family had to move to the one place that she, for some reason, had moved to as well.  The one person who had ruined his life forever had just made it even worse.  Why did he even bother trying anymore?  Why did he even believe for a second that his life could possibly turn around?  Why was his life so worthless?!  No matter what he did or what little help he got, whenever something good happened to him, the bullet just had to ricochet and plow straight through the very core of his sanity.  He truly didn’t feel worth anything anymore.  If there was anything that could make him feel like living another second, then he’d-

“Geeze, finally!  I’ve been waiting for almost a fucking hour, and then where do I find you?  Fucking hiding behind…  Holy shit…” 

Red’s breath hitched upon hearing Blue’s voice; he really didn’t need to be seen like this. 

The older blonde’s feet pounded on the ground as he raced to Red’s side.  “Red, are you okay?!  Who the fuck did this to you?!  Fucking tell me, dammit!”

No amount of shaking Red’s shoulder made him look up.  He kept his tear-soaked face hidden from Blue’s view.  However, he couldn’t hold back a helpless whimper.  “Blue…”

“Red…?”

The young blonde no longer cared.  His heart was scattered over a hundred places right now, and he really needed someone to pick up the pieces for him.  Letting out a loud wail, he launched himself onto Blue, wrapped his arms around the older teenager’s neck and buried his face against the broad chest.  His fists grabbed clumps of cerulean clothing that clung to Blue’s back, and said male complied by snaking his arms around the trembling boy and placing one hand amongst the golden locks of hair.

“Red…  What happened to you?” Blue said again, his voice settling down to a much smoother tone that resonated amazingly in Red’s ear.  Just listening to the other blonde speak was all Red needed to help calm his breathing.  Blue then started gently stroking Red’s head as soon as his sobbing picked up again, and the sorrow that had swelled up inside began melting away in an instant.  “It’s okay, Red.  I’m here.” 

There it was.  There was the soft side that Blue kept hidden away.  Red knew that the tough teenager had a caring personality to him, one that didn’t want to see others hurt, but his wall of pride was constantly in the way and prevented him from letting others in.  Now Red had knocked it down, and though it was inevitable that it would be rebuilt, it would have gained a gate that let only one person in: Red.

The younger blonde’s sobbing and crying had ceased, leaving only sniffles behind.  “Blue…  Thank you…” he whispered.

“…For what?” Blue replied, confusion evident in his voice.

“For being here.”  Red snuggled even closer to Blue and inhaled deeply, breathing in the older boy’s scent.  His body felt like a living blanket – warm and safe, kind of like Red’s nightlight, but with an added fondness that couldn’t be found within the electrical appliance.  The blanket had more to offer; it was soft, enveloping, and made him feel nice.  He felt at ease in Blue’s embrace for some unknown reason, but he didn’t question it.  He wanted to stay like this and never move.

“Uh, you’re welcome…”

***

Using the palm of his hand, Red wiped away the remaining tear stains on his cheek and made himself comfortable.

“You good now?” Blue asked, gingerly rubbing Red’s back.

Red nodded. 

“Now tell me what happened.”

“I…I was waiting for you by the playground when this kid came up to me, wanting to play pirates.”

“…If you tell me that you got beat up by a kid-”

Red chuckled.  “I’m not finished, Blue.”  He cleared his throat before continuing.  “I played with him until he had to go home, and by then there was no one left in the park but me.  I decided to go and sit on a bench and wait for you there, b-but before I could…”  Red tried desperately to choke back the sobs that threatened to rise again. 

“Shh, you’re only telling me what happened.  It’s just words,” Blue said, trying to reassure him.

The upset teenager swallowed the lump in his throat and breathed deeply again.  “The guys that beat me up yesterday came back to me again.  I was prepared to handle them this time, but…but…”  Red’s sensitivity levels just wouldn’t settle down, and Blue pulled him into a hug as he began letting tears flow again.  “C-Cynthia was with them…”

“Cynthia?  You mean that bitch that moved here a month before the break?  How do you know her?”

“…She’s…m-my ex-girlfriend…” Red replied through his wavering voice.

“RED,” Blue began.  “WHAT.  THE.  ACTUAL.  FUCK.”

The younger blonde took a few deep breaths to clear his mind and calm his nerves.  Once he felt he was capable of speaking, he opened his mouth and began his story.  “It was at my first highschool.  As a freshman, I guess that gave me the advantage of observation.  I was shy and didn’t want to talk to people at first, and I was lucky that I didn’t.  I saw within just a few days how different I was, and even though Green tried to help me get used to the school, I just kept to myself all the time, and people left me alone.  But when I first saw Cynthia…  Gosh, I thought she was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.  She looked like a really kind person, and I eventually found the courage to talk to her.  She was nice to me and became my first friend, and I was over the moon when I asked her out and she said yes.  I was mellow for a while so that she could get used to me on our dates, and when I got to the point where I wanted to be myself around her, I just let it out little by little.  I gradually revealed my inner child, but I started noticing that she began acting weird around me.  I guessed that she didn’t like the real me, and it probably went a little too far on her standards.  She dumped me the next day…”

“That fucking bitch…”

“And that’s not the worst of it.  What comes next is the reason why my family has had to move so many times…

“I remember at the end of school one day, I saw Cynthia around the back talking to a group of her friends, both guys and girls.  I approached her and asked if I could talk to her in private about our breakup.  I expected her to agree and just follow me around the corner, but she just…laughed at me…  I didn’t know why and I just stood there as she and her friends kept laughing.  It was…  It was then that her guy friends started insulting me until they knocked me to the ground.  T-they kicked me, punched me; gave me bruises all over.  I could do nothing but lay there and cry…”  Red couldn’t help himself and broke down into tears, soaking blue’s clothes as he rested his head against the older teenager.

“Shh…” Blue cooed as he held Red tightly. 

“Cynthia c-came up to me when they stopped.  She knelt down and told me to me face that she was planning on beating me up from the very beginning.  She faked everything…” he continued in between sobs and whimpers.  “She then said that breaking up with me was one of the things she wanted to do when I asked her out, and when I showed her that I was different and a total child inside, it gave her the perfect reason to bully me even more.  She then just took a picture on her phone right then and there of me laying helpless on the floor. 

“When I got home and told Green and my parents everything, they did their best to consult the school’s principle and do something about it, but even if Cynthia and her friends got expelled, it was too late.  The picture she took had already spread around Facebook, and that’s how my internet fame started…  No matter what schools we moved to, there was always someone there who knew me, and we couldn’t stay long because of it.  This has been my life ever since then, and to be honest, I really want it all to just end…”  Red decided he was finished and did nothing more than cry.

It’d been so long since he’d told someone what happened, and he was glad that that someone got to be Blue.  He was able to just pour out all of his bottled-up sadness right then, and Blue was there to help dry it out.

“Holy shit…” Blue commented.  “Red…I’m so sorry.  I had no idea…”

The young blonde sniffed.  “It’s okay.  I’ve been needing to tell someone for a while.”

“Yeah…  I know from experience that it’s good to just let things out.  Do you feel better now?”

Red nodded.  “A little…”

Blue cleared this throat.  “Well, uh…  Wanna go get some ice cream or some shit?”

He didn’t know why, but just that one sentence made Red burst into a fit of laughter.  “Just a simple walk would be nice, thanks,” he giggled, knowing that Blue’s wall of pride was slowly returning.

“Alright.  Here, let me help you up.”  Blue stood up and gently grabbed Red by the arms, pulling him to his feet.  “So where exactly do you wanna walk?”

“Just…away from people.”

Blue smirked.  “Away from people, huh?  I think I know a place.”

“The school?” Red asked innocently.

“What?  Fuck no!  Do you really think that I wanna walk around the school?  I go to the basketball court so sit and think, not go for a leisurely stroll.”

Red laughed, his sadness already fading.  “Okay, okay.  Where is it you wanna take me then?”

Blue smiled, put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and flicked his head to the right in the direction of the forest.  “A special place where no one goes.”

Red’s mind tried to process what Blue meant.  Sure, the forest would be a place away from people, but surely they still went in there anyway…right?  Unless…

“Ooh!  Are you gonna show me the radio tower?” Red gasped.

Blue chuckled and started walking.  “Come on, it’s this way.”

***

The young cerulean-eyed blonde kicked up freshly-fallen leaves as he walked alongside Blue, holding his arms out in the air happily.  He hummed a cheerful tune from one of his favorite songs, not daring to actually sing the words when someone was around, especially Blue.  He never sang in front of people even though he thought he was good, but then again, he wasn’t sure if he was tone-deaf or not.  He still liked to sing when he was alone though. 

He was glad to be able to take a walk somewhere natural for once; all of the moving didn’t allow much time for sight-seeing.  The shining sunrays filtered in through the dense treetops, creating a gorgeously alluring atmosphere and lighting the forest floor in seas of gold.  The same image just couldn’t be replicated in urban areas.  

He giggled when he began jumping up and down to crunch old leaves and twigs, enjoying the satisfying sound they–

Red stopped upon the uneasy feeling of eyes boring into his skull.  Oh no… He wasn’t annoying Blue, was he?  To make sure, he cast a quick look at the older teenager, only to see him flick his eyes away and turn his head in the other direction as soon as the two made eye-contact. 

Was he…staring at me?  Why isn’t he saying anything?! his panicked thoughts fretted.  The last thing he wanted was for Blue to get angry with him and leave.  “Um, Blue?” he began.

“Ye-ah?”  Blue jolted as soon as the voice-crack left his mouth, so he cleared his throat and tried again.  “Y-yeah?”

Red couldn’t resist a small giggle.  A voice-crack coming from big bad Blue was so unlike him, and Red found it totally cute.  “Sorry.  I know I’m probably getting on your nerves…  That’s why you were staring, right?  So if anything I’m doing is annoying you-”

“That’s not why I was staring!” Blue yelled suddenly.  “Uh, I mean…  Y-you’re not annoying me, it’s just…  I-I’m just making sure that you don’t do anything stupid.  Alright?”

“Oh…  Okay.”  Well, that was weird, he thought.  He could have sworn he saw Blue’s cheeks turn a little pink.  “How much farther to the tower?”

“We’ve only been walking for a few minutes, Red.  It’s still quite a trek to get there.  Don’t forget that it’s past the school, and we entered from the park.”

“Ah, right.”

Silence enveloped the two once again, suddenly making the leaves beneath their moving feet incredibly loud and irritating.  Red’s gaze fell to Blue’s hand that hung not too far from the younger boy’s own, and he suddenly felt the urge to hold it.  Would Blue mind if he did…?

However, as he slowly reached out to do so, Blue’s voice made him retract his hand like a cat’s claws and hide it behind his back.

“Do you like it here so far?  I mean, apart from the fact that your ex is here?” the older teenager asked.

“Uh, yeah, apart from that.  Everyone else is so nice and the streets are clean and pretty to look at.  My house is really cozy and my favorite by far.  The school already looks great from the outside, so I can’t wait to see it inside.  So yeah…  I guess I do like it here.  I didn’t at first, but now that I’ve been here for…four days now I think?  I feel like I finally have a permanent place to stay,” Red replied with a smile.

“That’s good.”

Red tucked both of his hands behind him.  “Um, Blue?”

“Yeah?”

“Do…do you…like me?” Red asked quietly.

Blue didn’t seem to hear him.  “Come again?”

“Do you like me, Blue?” he replied a little louder this time.

Blue’s cheeks flared up with dark pink almost immediately and he stopped in his tracks.  “W-what?  No!  W-well, I-mean, sure you’re…but…I don’t-!”

Red couldn’t believe his ears.  Blue didn’t like him?  Salty tears stung at his eyes and he was tempted to just run home.  “O-oh, so you don’t like me at all…  I-I’m sorry for being such a bother then…  I was j-just hoping that I c-could…be your friend…”  His voice began to waver and a few droplets of water escaped his eyes.  “I guess not though.  B-but that’s okay.  I still like you no matter what.  I-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up.  You meant that if I liked you as a friend?”

Red wiped his eyes and struggled to look at Blue.  “Yeah, w-why else would I ask you that?”

Blue blinked several times.  “…Well this is awkward.”

“I don’t get it.  I’m really confused,” Red stated, tilting his head and looking up at the older boy innocently.

“Uh, never mind.  Forget what I just said, okay?”

The younger blonde’s sparkling cerulean eyes lit up immediately.  “Wait, so you do like me?” he asked with a hopeful grin, bringing his hands to his chin and clasping them together.

“Of course I do, Red.  If I didn’t, then we wouldn’t be here, would we?”

“Yay!” Red, squealed, launching himself at Blue to give him a hug.  “Blue likes me!”  He was happy as long as Blue was his friend.

Blue pushed him away a little to look at him.  “I’m sorry for making you cry.  I didn’t mean to.  I thought you meant something else,” he said, drying Red’s eyes.

The young teenager giggled.  “That’s okay, Blue.  It’s not your fault.”

“Heh.  Let’s go, we still have a radio tower to get to.”

***

Red let out a gasp of awe once they arrived at the old structure.  The trees looked like ants compared to it, stretching way up into the sky.  However, he could see why people stayed away from it.  It was almost completely covered in rust and there were a few metal bars scattered along the ground that had fallen from it.

“All that talk about the tower collapsing is bullshit.  Yeah, it may be falling apart with age, but we could easily climb this with no problems at all,” Blue said.

Red’s previous thoughts about it had just been thrown out the window.  The tower was actually climbable?  “Really?  So can we climb it now?”

“You really wanna climb that high only to climb back down almost immediately after?”

“Well, uh…no.”

“Thought so.”

Red tilted his head back to gaze at the top – or at least tried to.  From there, it was impossible to see past halfway.  “But then…why don’t people still come if it won’t be falling any time soon?”

“Well, aside from the fact that there’s rumors that people believe and it is breaking which makes them paranoid, there’s a – actually, no.  I probably shouldn’t tell you,” he answered with a sly grin.

Red groaned.  “Aww, why not?  I wanna know!”

“It’ll scare you…”  Blue’s tone of voice was low and mischievous.

“Scare me…?” Red asked, confused.  He then gasped before continuing.  “IS THERE A SERIAL KILLER AROUND HERE?!”  He clutched his head with his hands and his eyes went wide with terror.

Blue broke into a series of hysterics.  “Of course not!  I wouldn’t bring you here if that was the case.  No way do I want to get you killed.”  His laughing stopped immediately, his face going straight, and he seemed to take a moment to think about what he said.  He then shook his head and continued speaking.  “But seriously though, if I tell you, you’ll have nightmares.”

Red folded his arms and looked at the ground.  “I already have nightmares…”

“Really?  You?  What kind of morbid things would a person like you dream about?”

Red did nothing but look at Blue with sorrow in his eyes, and the older teen immediately got the message.
“Oh, right.  Bullying.”

“Yeah.”

Blue stepped forward and willingly wrapped his arms around the younger male.  “Hey, come on, we didn’t come here to be sad.  We still have a few hours left of daylight, so is there anything else you wanna do?”

“Actually, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get home.  I…need to tell Green about…you know…”

“Okay.  I’ll walk you there.”  Blue released Red and began to lead him away from the tower.

“Thanks,” Red replied with a smile.

***

Blue and Red stood outside of the younger boy’s house.  Just as Red was about to walk down the driveway to the front door, Blue grabbed his arm and turned him back around.

“Hey…  Call me in an hour or so, okay?” the older male asked.

Red nodded and said goodbye.

Upon opening the front door, Red caught sight of his dad at the table, his mom in the kitchen, and Green in the living room watching TV.  He closed the door behind him which caught his brother’s attention, so said teenager turned around on the sofa.

“Hey, Red!  How was your day with Blue?” he asked happily.  However, Red didn’t return the smile.

He’d been able to tell Blue everything about his past and let out his bottled-up sadness, but that sadness had come from just that.  The past.  Now he needed to vent on the present, and Green was the only one who was able to help and understand him this time.  Green was the only one who knew just as well as Red how bad things were.  Green was the only one who could do something about it.

Red stood there with his head down and arms limp at his sides.  Water began flooding in the corners of his eyes, and he knew that Green didn’t like it one bit.

“Red, are you okay?”

Why was it always that holding back unhappiness was easy until someone asked what was wrong?  Red couldn’t stand it any longer and he let out a loud wail, covering his face with his hands and falling onto his knees.  Green was at his side and had his arms wrapped around his brother in an instant.  Their parents also came to Red’s side to see what the fuss was about.

“Shh, Red.  What’s wrong?  Did something happen?” Green cooed softly.

“It’s okay, sweetie.  You can tell us,” his mom reassured, gently stroking her younger son’s back.

Red clutched a fistful of Green’s clothing while he wept.  “I-I was…a-at the p-park…” he began, but his sobbing intervened.

“Just take a few deep breaths in and out,” Green suggested.

Red did as asked and took a moment to calm down.  He was actually surprised that he wished it was Blue comforting him and not Green.  Why did someone who he only knew for a few days make him feel better than his brother who he’d known his whole life?  “Green, there are people who know me here…”

“What?!” Green exclaimed.  “Still?!”

Red nodded.  “And…that’s n-not the worst of it…”  He felt Green tense up as he braced himself for the bad news.  “C-Cynthia moved here…”

“Oh my god…”

Red’s mom and dad leaned forward to embrace their sons in a big family hug.  All of them knew how bad this was, and with Red being at the center of it, something had to be done.

“I don’t wanna stay here anymore!” Red cried, giving Green a vice-like grip something fierce.

“It’s okay, lil’ bro.  I promise nothing’s going to happen to you anymore.  I’ll confront Cynthia myself and tell her to back off or there be trouble that’ll involve the police.  And don’t tell me not to do it because it’s fine, okay?”

“Thank you…” Red sobbed.

“Don’t worry about a thing.  I’ll always be here for you, and so will Zelda, Vio and Shadow…and Blue.”

Red smiled up at him through his tears.  “I know…”

“Good.” 

“We’ll get started on making your favorite dinner, okay, honey?” Red’s mom said.

“Okay,” Red replied.

The two brothers’ parents got up and made their way into the kitchen while Green helped Red to his feet. 

“I finally got the internet working today, so how about we head into your room and watch some funny cat videos?” Green proposed.

Red’s sobs immediately transitioned to happy giggles in a heartbeat; Green always knew how to make him laugh.  “I’d like that.”

Green grinned and led his little brother upstairs.

*** 

Red’s mouth and stomach were hurting from smiling and laughing so much.  He’d lost count of how many videos he and Green watched for the past couple of hours – it was just cats at first, but then it moved on to all sorts of animals doing hilarious things.  His favorite so far was of a small dog flopping its way down the stairs.

“Green!  Would you mind lending a hand?!” their mom suddenly called from downstairs.

Green sighed and got off the bed.  “I bet you five bucks I’m supposed to set the table.  I’ll see you in a bit.  Keep watching videos if you want,” Green said, ruffling Red’s hair.

“Okay,” Red replied, waiting for Green to close the door behind him.  Once it was just the young teen, Red closed the laptop lid and fished around in his bed sheets for his phone.  When he found it, he opened up his contacts and dialed Blue’s number.  He’d almost forgotten that Blue asked to call him.

Within a few seconds, the older teenager picked up.  “Hello?” he said.

“Hey, Blue.  You said to call, so…I’m calling,” Red greeted.

“How’re you holding up?”

“Alright, I guess.  I told Green and my parents about Cynthia.  I kinda broke down once I got in, but Green cheered me up with some funny videos.”

“You have internet already?  Damn.”

Red chuckled.  “Really?  I mention that I broke down as soon as I went in and the first thing you’re interested in is that I have internet?”

“What can I say?  Wi-fi’s the best.  But yeah, I expected you to cry when you got home.  It can’t be easy.”

Red sighed and fell back onto his pillow.  “It isn’t.”

“Ah, well.  At least I know you’re oka-”

“Um, can we spend the day together tomorrow?  I think a whole day rather than just an hour or so will be better for me.”

“Of course.  If it makes you feel better, I’m up for it.”

Wow, Blue didn’t even hesitate, Red thought.  “Thanks.  I could really use a stress-free day for once.  Green said that he’s gonna make sure Cynthia doesn’t bother me anymore, so I just hope she won’t try anything with him.”

“The only reason Cynthia targets you is because you’re weak and vulnerable.  Uh, no offense.”

“None taken.”

“All I’m saying is don’t worry about your brother.  That bitch can’t and won’t do a thing to him.”

“Thanks again Blue.  Oh, and before I head down for dinner, what time and place tomorrow?”

“Uh…  How about I just come by your place at around nine and wait outside until you’re ready?”

“Sure thing.  Heaps better than the park.”

“Definitely.  Well, see you then, Red.”

“Bye, Blue!”  Red tapped the ‘end call’ button and headed downstairs.

He could only hope that tomorrow would go smoothly.

Chapter Text

Red sat at the kitchen table with Muffin held close to his body.  He was still in his bunny-printed pajamas and his eyes were half-lidded from tiredness.  Letting out a small yawn, he sloppily picked up the spoon in front of him and slowly ate his cereal.

“Didn’t get much sleep last night?” Green asked, sitting down beside him.

Red shook his head.  “I kept having nightmares again…”

Green sighed.  “And I bet I know what about.”

“Do you really think Cynthia will leave me alone?  Please be honest.”

Green took a few moments to reply.  Red knew that his brother often lied to him to save his feelings.  “I…really don’t know.  I mean, with her, who knows.  She either will or she won’t.  But even so, I’m not allowing her to lay a single finger on you ever again.”

Red managed a small and sleepy smile and continued eating.  “By the way, what time is it?  I think I slept in this morning.”

Green pulled his phone out from his front pocket.  “Uh…  Eight thirty-two.  That’s kind of early, actually.”

The younger blonde almost choked on his breakfast.  It was almost nine already?!  “Oh shoot!  I’m gonna be late!”  His body suddenly worked on overdrive and he ate as much cereal as he could before gulping the rest of the milk down from the bowl.

“Late for what?” Green asked, slightly surprised.

“I’m spending the day with Blue again!  He’ll be here at nine!” Red responded, both panicked and excited at the same time.  He got up from his chair and was about to race back upstairs to get dressed, but Green beat him to it and stopped him.

“Just wait a moment, Red,” he began, gently but firmly holding his little brother’s shoulders.  “Are you sure that…Blue can keep you safe?”

Red smiled warmly and placed his hands over Green’s after tucking his bear underneath one arm.  “Of course I’m sure.  Don’t worry about me, Green.  What happened to me yesterday went down before Blue arrived, so it wasn’t his fault.”

The older blonde sighed in defeat and let Red go.  “Alright.  If you think that you’ll be fine.  Just promise to call me if something goes wrong, okay?  Even if it’s minor.”

Red giggled.  “Sure thing, big brother!”  With that, Red headed upstairs and into his room.

The first thing he did was place Muffin back on his unmade bed.  He then opened up his wardrobe and trailed his gaze along the plethora of things he could wear.  But first though, he decided to pull open his window and test the air to see how cold or warm it was today.  He stuck his arm out and held it there for a few seconds.  Hmm, it’s a little warm, and it’ll probably get warmer later.  Better wear something cool, he concluded.  He turned back to his rack of clothing and pulled out some crimson shorts and a deep red and gray-blue tartan flannel t-shirt that hugged his body.  He buttoned it up all the way, including the collar, and then slipped on his shorts that came to the middle of his thighs.  He looked himself over, happy that his arms and legs would be able to breathe, and headed back downstairs to put his shoes on.  They were simple white and red high-top sneakers with silver-colored laces.

“Warm today?” Green asked from the sofa in the living room.

“Yeah.  I hope it doesn’t get too hot.  I wish the weather wouldn’t be so irregular lately,” Red replied, standing up and looking over at the clock.  It was roughly five minutes past, and hopefully Blue wasn’t late, knowing him and what he was like.  He jumped up after lacing his shoes and skipped over to the window to check for his older friend.  Sure enough, Blue was casually leaning against one of the lamp posts by the driveway.  He was staring out at the road with a tired and angry expression, most likely regretting agreeing to come out so early in the morning.

Red’s heart began pounding in his chest and he felt himself begin to heat up – why was he so anxious all of a sudden?  Whatever the case, he said his goodbyes to Green (who graciously gave him some spending money just in case) and skipped over to the door, throwing it open and flying down the driveway to crash straight into Blue.  He flung his arms around the older male happily.

“Hi, Blue!” he greeted cheerfully.

“Hey…Red…  Can’t…breathe…” Blue said, his voice barely a whisper as his lungs struggled to function with Red’s death-grip.

“Oh, sorry!”  Red stepped back and grinned up at him.  “I hope you aren’t going to be too grumpy this morning.”

“I will admit that I’m a little tired and cranky, but I’ve already had some coffee so I should be good in a few,” Blue replied.  He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning Red up and down for a brief second.  He then directed his gaze elsewhere and crossed his arms.  “…You look good.”

Red squealed like a schoolgirl internally, but kept his excitement levels down on the outside so that it didn’t look like he was overreacting.  He quickly glanced down at what he was wearing, a small blush rising to his cheeks.

“Thanks, Blue!  You too!” he giggled, taking note of how handsome Blue’s sleeveless leather jacket made him look.  It was dark blue in coloration, and because of the weather, he left it undone which showed a simple white singlet underneath.  On his legs he wore navy blue skinny jeans and had plain black sneakers on.  “So what do you wanna do first?”

“Well, you know, yesterday I wasn’t kidding when I suggested getting some ice cream.  I’ve had a serious craving for it lately.”

“Cool!  I’m up for it!  You lead the way since I don’t know where to go for some.”

“No prob.  It’s not that far from the café, actually.  Come on.”

Blue headed off in the general direction of the food haven, Red following close behind.

***

The two teenage boys stood amongst the small crowd of people that gathered around the varied display of delicious-looking ice creams.  Red usually just got either vanilla or strawberry, but the amount of colors and fancy names that his eyes feasted on made his taste buds positively drool with anticipation.  Heck, the shop even had a variety of cones to choose from!  Should he get boysenberry, caramel swirl, fudge marble, mint chocolate chip, or cotton candy?  And as if choosing the flavor wasn’t hard enough, he couldn’t settle on either a normal cone, a chocolate coated one, one covered with macadamia nuts, or another with rainbow sprinkles.

“Aww, dammit.  They’re out of rocky road,” Blue said beside him.

“Was that what you wanted?” Red asked.

“Yeah.  It’s the only one I like, actually.  Everything else either doesn’t agree with me or is too bland.”

“Oh, well, how about I get something and then you can have a taste if you want?”

Blue pondered this for a moment.  “Yeah, sure.  Whatever.  Pick what you like.”

Red grinned and looked back to the scrumptious selection.

“Hmm, I think I’ll have…” he began to the young lady serving him next.  “I’ll have two scoops of caramel swirl with a chocolate-covered cone, please!”  The woman gladly gave him what he wanted, and in turn, he paid the small amount for it with the money Green had given him.  He thanked her and left the shop with Blue in toll.  Once back outside, they found somewhere secluded and away from people’s eyes to sit.

The young blonde took a generous lick of his cold treat and let out a pleased moan.  “Mmm, this is really good!  Wanna try some?” he said to Blue.

“Uh, sure I guess.  I mean, it’s caramel, so it can’t be that bad,” Blue responded, hesitantly taking a hold of the cone.  His hand fell gently on top of Red’s since he didn’t let go, and the younger blonde’s fingers tingled at the contact.  He watched as Blue took a much smaller lick of the ice cream than Red had, and he let the flavor sit in his mouth before commenting on it.  “Eh, could be better.”

“Ah well, at least you tried it and didn’t hate it.”

Blue’s hand retracted from the cone and, for some unknown reason, Red wished it didn’t.  He brought the ice cream back up to his mouth with slight disappointment and began to gradually devour sections of it, having to trace his tongue along the edge of the cone every so often so that it didn’t drip onto his hands.  The ice cream was truly delicious, the flavor practically exploding onto his tongue with every taste. 

When he was about halfway through, he suddenly realized that he’d been eating in silence, and Blue was probably bored out of his mind.  Before he said anything though, he gave a quick side glance to see the older teenager’s reaction and-

Oh gosh…  He’s staring at me again…  Why does he keep doing that?! he thought, albeit slightly more panicky than the last time he caught Blue doing it.  Even though it was for a split second, Blue looked as if he was in a trance watching Red eat.  His gaze was focused solely on the ice cream, and he had an unknown look in his eyes that gave the young blonde nervous butterflies in his stomach.  Red wondered whether Blue wanted more of the ice cream, but judging from Blue’s previous behavior around him lately, he decided otherwise.  The older boy was now making him feel slightly uneasy, and he desperately wanted to say something to relive himself of the awkwardness.

“So…  What do you want to do next?” he asked sheepishly.

“H-huh?  Wha?” Blue stuttered, blinking several times and failing to hold back the pink tint to his cheeks.  His eyebrows furrowed immediately and he looked away.  Did Red do something to make him angry?  “I don’t know.  There isn’t much to do in this place.  We could go to the park, I guess.”  He shifted about uncomfortably in his seat – maybe Red shouldn’t have interrupted him.  He had seemed to enjoy watching Red eat his ice cream after all, but then again, who does that?  And with that particular look on their face, too?

“Um, yeah, I suppose.  Could we go on the swings?”

“Sure thing, Red.”

The younger blue-eyed boy looked down at his ice cream, unable to get through to the last bit without demolishing the cone.  Feeling slightly guilty for making Blue somewhat upset (even though he still didn’t know why) and that he didn’t get to have rocky road, he held the cone in front of the angered male and smiled apologetically.  “Want the cone?”

Blue sighed and a smile of his own returned to his face.  “Why the heck not,” he replied, accepting the offered treat and taking a large bite out of the chocolate.  The two got up from their seats and took off in the direction of the park.

***

With the swing set in sight, Red raced over and hopped into the suspended seat immediately. 

“Blue, would you mind pushing me?” he asked as Blue came over.

“What are you, five?” the older teen retorted.

However, Red only giggled and played along.  “Yes!”  He was, after all, a child on the inside.

Blue rolled his eyes but failed to hide a small smile as he made his way behind Red.  He positioned himself and gave the younger boy a few gentle pushes at first to get him going.  He then pushed the swing harder to send Red at satisfactory heights, and said teen began whooping and laughing as he was sent backwards and forwards through the air.

“Okay, okay, you’re perfectly able to swing yourself now.  I wanna have a turn,” Blue grumbled, walking over to the swing next to Red.  He was soon swinging at the same momentum as the younger blonde with just one big push of his legs, if not much higher and faster.  “Huh.  It’s been a while since I’ve swung before.”

Red gasped.  “Seriously?  But it’s so much fun!”

“It’s relaxing,” Blue continued, “but there’s usually too many people and not enough quiet.”

“That’s understandable.”

Silence endured. 

Red gazed out over the rest of the park; it was still the morning, so not too many people were out.  There weren’t any signs of Cynthia or the other bullies yet, which he was thankful for.

“Hyup!” Blue exclaimed suddenly, followed by a loud thud. 

Red looked over in his direction and saw than the older blonde had taken a leap of faith from the swing – a pretty far one, from the looks of it.  Impressive.

“I’m already bored, sooo…  Wanna do something else?” he asked, placing his hands in the pockets of his jacket and switching his weight onto one leg.

“Aww, okay,” Red replied, not daring to jump off like Blue had.  The last time he tried, his arm ended up getting caught behind the chain and he landed painfully on his back.

He waited until he slowed down enough to hop off.  He then ran back over to Blue and stood in front of him, beaming like a child who’d just gotten a gold star.

“I feel like going to the school to just mess around for a bit.  How about you?” Blue asked.

“We won’t get in trouble, will we?”

“Nah, not if we don’t get caught.  Come on.”

“Yeah…  If…”

***

The two arrived at the empty and silent school and immediately headed round to the back, but not before cutting through the sports field first. 

“So what sort of things are you planning on us doing?” Red asked diffidently as they traversed along the clump-covered grass.

Blue let out a mischievous laugh.  “You’ll see.”

Red sighed and kept following Blue, anxious to know what the older blonde was thinking.

The sky overhead was cloudless and the sun beamed down on the two teenagers; Red was definitely glad that he didn’t wear warm clothing.  That didn’t stop him from feeling hot though.

“I just hope that there’s shade where we’re going,” he said, fanning himself with his hand.

“Don’t worry, there will be.”

Once across the field, they came to what Red guessed was an out-of-bounds area.  It was fenced off from the rest of the school, and probably for good reason.  Inside, Red could see a small white building with dirt and grime dripping down the walls.  It had a single teal door with a rusty padlock keeping it shut, and surrounding the building were piles and piles of old junk – metal scraps, old equipment, litter…  The place was just full of garbage and unusable items.

Blue marched over to the fence and placed his hands and feet on the links, hoisting himself up and over.  When he touched down on the other side, he beckoned Red to follow.

“Are you sure about this?” Red asked.

“Of course I’m sure.  Now get your ass over here, I ain’t got all day,” Blue replied.

The young blonde took a deep breath and copied the older teenager’s path.  It took him a little longer and he struggled with the small footholds, but he managed to get himself over the top nonetheless.

“Check out all this crap,” Blue remarked, walking over to one of the junk piles and pulling out an old broken computer and monitor.  The screen of the monitor was smashed to pieces and the computer looked as if a cannonball was shot straight through the middle, making the insides a cavernous jungle of chips and wires.

“And we’re supposed to do what with all of it, exactly…?” Red questioned again, awkwardly standing by the metal fence with his hands behind his back.  He was still a little anxious of getting caught.

“Come on, you’re supposed to have a creative mind!” Blue stated.

“Huh?  I’m not following.”

“Just because it’s junk doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything with it,” he finished with a sly smile.

The older teenager made his way over to another pile and began rummaging through it, plucking out many different items. 

Oh!  Is he going to make something? Red asked himself.  Now that he thought about it, they could probably make a whole bunch of things out of whatever they could find here.

“Dammit, nothing useful,” Blue muttered.  He sighed and stood up.  “I was hoping to find something that I could be productive with, but nada.”

Red glanced around him at the many different objects.  He noticed one pile at the back that was larger than all of them, and one particular item caught his eye and gave him a small fit of giggles.  Blue threw him an odd look as he walked past, but Red just told him to wait and see.

The younger boy knelt down at the base of the pile and picked up a pair of broken glasses.  He then grabbed a pretty battered-up magazine (goodness knows what it was doing there) and ripped out a picture of some dorky-looking eyes.  He held them up to the frames of the glasses and slipped them over his face.  For a final touch, he spotted a clip-on bow amongst a discarded pencil case and slipped it into his hair.  He stood up, turned to face Blue and, with a bizarre accent, said, “Am I a pretty girl?”

In an instant, Blue dropped to the ground and clutched his stomach in hysterics, kicking his legs about as he lay on his back.  “Oh my god, Red!” he cried through bursts of laughter.

Red joined in by giggling, removing his accessories as he did so.  “I’m glad you found that funny, otherwise that would’ve been really awkward,” he said, rubbing the back of his head with a wide grin spread across his face.

Once Blue had calmed down, he got back up and began rummaging through another pile.  “Okay, okay, my turn,” he said with another laugh.

However, Red had other ideas.  He had to move quick or his plan wouldn’t work.  Making his way over to a spot near the filthy building, he found an old bendy ruler that was covered in pencil markings and dirt from its time outside.  He looked back to Blue and saw that the burly teenager was still occupied, thankfully.  Hiding the ruler behind his back, he walked over to his best friend and put on his best innocent face.

“Find anything for your comedy stand-up?” he joked.

Blue sighed in defeat.  “Nah, not in this part.  Maybe there’s something over- PPHHFFTT!”  He was unable to finish his sentence due to a sudden mouthful of dirty ruler.

“Hah!  Gotcha!” Red cried happily.

Blue backed up and began spitting and wiping his mouth.  “Oh, now you’re gonna get it,” he said darkly, smirking.  “Come here, you little-!”

“No!” the younger blonde exclaimed, laughing as he tried to swat Blue away with the ruler.  He managed to get a good slap across the arm, but other than that, he wasn’t hitting Blue at all.  The older male managed to snatch the ruler and throw it across the area, making it land on the roof of the small building.  However, Red could tell from Blue’s malicious expression that he wasn’t done yet.  Seeing no other option, Red ran off in a fit of giggles and shouts of protest as Blue chased after him, trying to latch onto any one of Red’s limbs.  The younger boy knew that Blue wasn’t trying to hurt him though; it was just friendly rough-housing. 

After about ten seconds of aimlessly running around trying to lose Blue, Red finally lost and was brought to the ground by the muscular teenager.  Blue pinned Red’s wrists to the ground and hovered over him, straddling his waist whilst the smaller blonde tried to get over his giggling fit.

“Hah, that’ll teach you not to mess with me,” Blue jeered, lowing his voice.

“Okay, I accept defeat!” Red replied, still giggling slightly.  His breathing was all over the place as he tried to regain his energy, and he gazed up at Blue with nothing but pure joy in his eyes.  However, Blue’s showed something totally different.  His eyes were half-lidded and his whole face was relaxed, aside from the furtive smirk that donned his lips.  Red’s smile faded as he suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable and unused to this strange display of behavior from the older boy, and it scared him.  Blue’s face was dangerously close to Red’s; he could feel the other’s hot breath against his already burning cheek.

“Uh, Blue?” Red asked timidly.

In an instant Blue snapped out of his trance, blinking several times as his brows furrowed immensely.  He sprung backwards and he was on his feet in less than a second, dusting himself off and crossing his arms with a scowl on his face.

“Get up.  It’s high time we get the fuck outta here,” Blue spat viciously. 

Red stood up slowly, confusion and hurt evident on his features.  Why the sudden and unnecessary anger?  Uh oh, his bipolar disorder must be kicking in… he thought.  Come on, think of something to cheer him up!  Red skipped in front of Blue and stopped him from walking over to the fence.  “Oh, but I’m sure we can stay a little longer!  Uh, look!”  He picked up two pencils tied together with string and held them to his head like antennas.  “There’s still a bunch of wacky stuff to goof around with!”  He tossed the pencils aside.  “And maybe we could build little bases or something and-”

“STOP BEING SO FUCKING CUTE!”

Red had barely any time to respond before Blue’s lips pressed hard against his.  His wrists squirmed in the older boy’s grip, struggling to pry himself away from the wall of the school that Blue had so suddenly pinned him to.  He was in a hurricane of emotions, unsure of what to think about the situation.  Sure, he liked Blue, but did he really like him this much? 

No…  This…  This is wrong!  I’m into girls, aren’t I…? he asked himself, arguing with his own thoughts.  However, it didn’t work. Red soon became lost in the bliss of being kissed by Blue, and he no longer cared about the circumstances.  His eyes fluttered shut as his confused teenage hormones took over, and he finally allowed his body to relax.  Blue let go of Red’s wrists, which eventually found and weaved their way around Blue’s neck.  The older boy then brought Red closer by wrapping his arms around Red’s waist and pulling him forward.  At that moment, the world around them faded away and it was just the two of them, relishing in the passion, heat, and longing that they now shared.

The kiss was gentle and their lips danced with one another, slowly but eagerly.  They kept at a steady pace, neither one moving their tongues into play.  Red could even feel Blue’s shyness as he tenderly caressed Red’s back, almost as if asking if he was frightened or nervous in any way.

On that note, Blue pulled apart, much to Red’s disappointment.  He blinked several times before backing away several steps, a slight panicked expression on his face.

“I…I…  No, this…  Red, I…  Shit, what the FUCK was I THINKING?  You had a fucking girlfriend, you’re not into…just…  FUCK!”  Blue gripped his hair in frustration and squeezed his eyes shut to avoid looking at Red at all costs.

A vice-like grip began squeezing at Red’s heart, tears threatening to sting at his eyes.  Blue couldn’t just leave him after that…  He just couldn’t!

“Blue…” Red began softly.

Blue turned and faced his back towards Red with his palms pressing against his forehead.  “This is so fucking wrong!  Why the fuck did I even…  I’ve just made myself into the biggest fucking jerk of all time; you don’t deserve to be disgusted like that!”

“Blue, look at me…”

The older boy clammed up and shuddered, clutching his torso with his arms.  He slowly turned his head around to look at Red whose eyes were now pouring with water.

“Please don’t be like that…”  He stepped over and gently grabbed Blue’s right arm, his voice wavering all over the place.  “I’ve been hurt by others far too much in the past.  People have left me feeling numb and helpless, especially Cynthia, and ever since she betrayed me, all I could think about was how I could never love again.”  Red took a moment to sniff and blink water out of his eyes before continuing.  “Blue, you’ve made me happier than I’ve ever been before, even more so than Green, and that’s saying a lot.”  He shut his eyes for a moment, took a few deep breaths, and then raised his voice.  “I don’t care if we’re both guys!”  The young blonde began sobbing profusely and latched onto Blue’s back like a bear trap.  “I love you so much, Blue!”  He paused for a few seconds, soon lowering his voice to a whisper.  “Please don’t leave me…” he finished with closed eyes, his head resting against Blue’s shoulder.

Blue was frozen for a moment, but soon turned back around to face Red and wrapped one arm around him.  His left hand came up to cup the younger boy’s cheek, and with his thumb he wiped away the wet trail.  “Red…” he said sincerely.  The way Red’s name left Blue’s mouth made the younger boy positively melt.  Blue leaned forward and captured him in another kiss.  Even though it was only for a few seconds, that single gesture sent sparks flying in every direction in Red’s body like fireworks on New Year’s Eve.  The warmth from Blue’s closeness was overwhelming; every touch that was made felt meant-to-be.  They were two jigsaw pieces that had the absolute wrong colors and pictures to be part of the same puzzle, yet they fit together beyond perfectly.

Blue rested his forehead against Red’s and smiled, closing his eyes in content.  “…I love you too.”

Chapter Text

Red loved Blue.  That was all the young blonde could think about as he lay in bed the next morning, glorious golden sunrays filtering in and lighting up the room with a gorgeous glow.  All of that anxiousness, all of that attachment…  He’d had a crush on Blue without even realizing it.  Every single thought of the older boy that now ran through his mind made him feel positively giddy, and he’d catch himself giggling randomly every now and then.  His head was just buzzing of what could possibly be in store for him, and the more he wanted to see Blue again, the more restless he got to do so. 

It was all he could think about.

Not long after Blue had confessed, the two left the school and headed for the radio tower once again.  Even though neither had said a word the entire trip, Red’s hand refused to let go of Blue’s, and he had snuggled up close to the older teenager as they walked.  When they reached the old structure, they still had exchanged no words; they only sat down underneath it with Blue’s arms wrapped lovingly around the younger boy.  Peace was all Red could feel at that moment, and he no longer cared that his life would most likely be hell with Cynthia and the other bullies around.  Blue’s presence alone was enough to make him feel truly safe, and if putting up with the torment meant that he could be with him, then he’d gladly take it head on.  Red had even begun to notice things about Blue that he hadn’t noticed before: what he smelled like, the pace of his breath and heartbeat, that one strand of hair that refused to sit neatly with the rest of his golden locks, the way his mesmerizing cerulean eyes revealed every single thing that he was feeling…  It was just all so much to take in at once, and Red loved it.  He loved the way Blue’s arms kept him warm, how his eyes told him there was nothing to worry about, and the way his lips felt against his own, slightly chapped but oh so entrancing, and he wanted to feel them again, and again, and again.  He wanted to do everything with the older boy, but first he’d have to-

Beep!  Beep!  Beep!  Beep!  Beep!

Red jolted in bed from the sudden blaring of the alarm clock, ridding him of all his previous thoughts.  He wasn’t even aware that he had awoken before it was set to go off.  Reaching over, he silenced the alarm, sat up amidst the mass of sheets, and gave a large stretch.

The second he let his arms drop back down, realization hit him like a cannonball through his torso.  What would he tell Green?  He didn’t last night just for unwanted attention’s sake.  Would his brother even tolerate the fact that he was now bisexual?  Not even just that, but the fact that Red actually kissed another guy, and they hadn’t even been on a date yet!  Green said to never kiss on the first date, but Blue had jumped the gun and just gone for it before they even had a chance to, so it technically wasn’t Red’s fault, right?  But still, the young blonde was still petrified of what his older brother, the one he’d looked up to all his life, would think of it.  Maybe it was just best not to tell him…?  At least not yet?

---

“Morning, Red!” Green greeted from the kitchen table once Red made himself known on the stairway.

“Oh, morning, Green,” Red replied, walking over to his brother.  He wanted to tell him.  He really wanted to, but he just couldn’t.  He wanted to scream out to the world that he was in love with Blue and Blue was in love with him, but the tiny voice in the back of his mind told him no.  Something was giving him this gut feeling that Green wouldn’t approve and would go stir-crazy-protective mode on him, so he kept his mouth shut even though his heart begged him to open it and just let the words pour out like water from a waterfall.

He sat down next to his brother with no expression on his face whatsoever, causing Green to throw him a concerned look.

“Are…you alright, Red?” he asked, obviously referring to what happened the other day.

Red was more than alright.  If anything, he was the happiest person alive right now – he just didn’t know what to do with his brother about it.  “Yeah, I’m fine.  I didn’t get much sleep last night.  There was too much on my mind.”  There was truth in his words.  The amount of times he’d replayed what happened at the school kept him from drifting off last night.

“Too much on your mind?  Like what?  Is there anything you want to tell me?”

Oh, you have NO idea, Red thought, wishing that everything would stop tempting him to spill the beans.  “Blue,” he simply stated.

“What about Blue?”

Red honestly felt like slamming his head down on the table, and he almost let out an annoyed groan.  Whenever he didn’t want to tell his brother something, Green just had to keep asking questions.  “I just…can’t stop thinking about him.  That’s all.”  Red hoped that just the subtle truths would keep him from blowing his top.

“Well, considering you came home yesterday with a huge smile on your face, I’m assuming that you had a good time.  I hope he’s treating you well,” Green said.

“Oh trust me, he is.  He always manages to make everything better…”  He rested his head in his hands and let out a dreamy sigh. 

That probably wasn’t the best thing to say and do in front of Green.

The older blonde hesitated before replying, and a scowl appeared on his face.  “Well, he hasn’t known you for your whole life, so don’t go to him for all of your problems, okay?!” he snapped, his unexpected harsh and loud tone of voice making Red flinch. 

Red’s eyes widened and he pulled his arms close to his torso in fright.  Green had just snapped at him…  Why…?  He’d never, never raised his voice at Red before, not even a little bit, and the shock of it immediately brought tears stinging at Red’s eyes.

The older blonde seemed to recoil slightly, realizing what he’d just said.  “…Red, you know I didn’t…” he began, lowering his voice with a panicked expression.  

“I’m just gonna…go outside…” Red uttered quietly, getting up from the table to head out the door.

“No, Red, wait!  I-I’m sorry!  I don’t know what came over me!” Green cried, but his words fell on deaf ears and Red was out the door before the older boy could do anything.

---

Red kept his gaze down on the wrinkled pavement and his arms folded across his chest as he walked to an unknown destination, tears silently sliding down his cheeks with the occasional sniff every now and then.  Was it his fault that Green was angry?  No one had ever been angry at him aside from Blue when they first met, and that was because the burly teenager thought he was annoying.  Was Red starting to get on Green’s nerves now too?  It just seemed too impossible to be true, but if it was, then what if Green got angrier and angrier by the day?  Red wouldn’t be capable of living with that!

Maybe I said too much about Blue…? he wondered.  In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense that Green was probably just jealous.  His brother was most likely so used to spending time with him that the idea of Red being with someone else constantly just didn’t sit well with Green.

All of a sudden, the young blonde was hoisted up in the air from behind and spun around by two strong and familiar arms.

“How’s my beautiful boyfriend, eh?” Blue said, a playful smirk on his lips.  However, it soon faded and his expression turned to concern upon seeing Red’s upset state.  “Hey, what’s wrong?  I swear if some fucker did something to you again-”

“No, nothing like that.  And hi, Blue,” Red replied, sniffling.  While he would have liked to address the fact that Blue called him beautiful and giggle like an idiot because of it, he just really wanted a hug at the moment.  “I’m really glad to see you.”  He smiled through his tears and wrapped his arms around Blue’s neck, pulling their bodies close.

“Okay, so if someone wasn’t bothering you, then why are you crying?” Blue asked, pulling away from the hug to wipe some of Red’s tears.

“I’m worried that Green’s changing…  He got kind of mad at me this morning and I don’t know why…”

“He got mad at you?  Isn’t that my job?”

Again, the simplest of things said by Blue made Red’s happiness reappear in an instant.  He had no idea how the older boy did it.  “Yeah, I suppose,” he replied, letting out the giggle he wanted utilize a minute ago.

“That’s unlike him though, isn’t it?”

Red nodded.  “All I said before he did was that you always seem to make everything better…  I really wanted to tell him about us, but now I’m not so sure I should…”

Blue pulled him back into a hug.  “Probably for the best.  I know what being an overprotective brother can feel like.  Just give it time.”

“You?  Overprotective of your brothers?” Red scoffed with a smirk as they pulled apart.

“Well, uh, sometimes.  But you get the point.”

“Yeah, I know.  Still, the way Green acted this morning just…”  Red didn’t want to finish the sentence lest he start crying again.

Blue gave him a quick and tender kiss and gently ran the back of his hand along Red’s cheek.  “I’d say just try to forget about it, but I know that you won’t be able to.  So is there anything you want to do that’ll take your mind off of it for a while?”

Aside from Blue, there was only one other thing that could guarantee him a distraction.  He smiled up at his boyfriend with an almost cheeky expression.

---

Red flicked the thin edge of the paper with the tip of his finger, eager to continue on with the action that was taking place.  Blue had his strong arms wrapped around the boy’s torso while he lay against him, book in hand. 

“I’m actually surprised you agreed to this,” Red commented, his eyes flying over each word on the page.

“Well, if it’ll cheer you up and I at least get to cuddle you, then I’ll put up with it,” Blue replied, his hands snaking ever-so-slowly over Red’s body to explore.  The younger blonde wondered if Blue would actually try to lift up his shirt, provoking a small blush to appear on his cheeks.  He sincerely hoped that his boyfriend wouldn’t try anything, especially in public, even if it was just the library. 

Red let out a sigh as his thoughts distracted him from the story and he had to read a small section over again.

“You okay?” Blue asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Red replied.  Blue had obviously mistaken the small exhale for a sad sigh.

“…Alright then.  If you say so.”  The older blonde shifted to rest his chin on Red’s shoulder.  “So.  The Mystery of Majora’s Mask, eh?”

Red shivered unintentionally, Blue’s hot breath tickling the skin of his neck when he spoke.  “Uh, yeah.  It’s actually not as bad as you say.  I’m enjoying it so far, and it’s not as scary as I thought either.”

“Mmhmm…”

Red felt Blue press his nose into the crook of his collarbone.  “Um, what are you doing?” the younger blonde asked, turning his head slightly.

“Just keep reading…” Blue replied, taking a large inhale through his nostrils.

“How can I when you’re distracting me?”  He felt his boyfriend smirk against his skin.

“Then I guess I’ll just have to take advantage of the situation then.” 

Before Red could protest, Blue’s lips pressed themselves onto the younger’s exposed neck and made him flinch at the contact.  Red let out a small gasp as Blue’s arms tightened around his body and the lips on his neck parted to release a wet tongue.  As the invading muscle danced over his throat, Red shuddered again and instinctively wanted to cringe and pull his shoulder up.  He’d never understood why people enjoyed love bites – it was just the neck, not the lips or the groin.  However, something about having an actual mouth on the skin of his throat made him ten times more sensitive, and it was…unusually pleasurable.

The younger blonde sighed and gave in, tilting his head to the side to give Blue more room while he explored.  Red could feel his face heat up as Blue moved to a certain spot nearer the back; the skin was a little tenderer near his shoulders.  He did his best to keep quiet, pushing back the small moans that threatened to escape and the temptation to shrug, but once the resistance became futile, he ushered Blue to stop.

“Not that I don’t mind this or anything, but…”

Blue let out a disheartened sigh.  He had obviously been enjoying himself.  

“…But if we’re going to continue, then can we please do this, you know, elsewhere?” Red pleaded, placing a bookmark in the novel and turning around to face his bored boyfriend.

Blue cast his eyes down for a moment, pondering his answer and lightly caressing Red’s back with a few fingers.  When he looked back up, he grinned.  “Sure thing.  Basketball court?”

Red shook his head and stood up.  “No, too open.”

“I know a secluded spot behind it.” 

Red threw him a disbelieving look.

“Relax, we won’t be seen,” he laughed, grabbing his boyfriend’s hand before he had a chance to reply and dragged him out of the library.

The two made their way around the side of the school and down to the field.  Once at the still-barren court, Blue led Red past the furthermost hoop and behind the concrete wall that surrounded the area.  He beckoned the younger teen to sit down with him on the grass.

“Really?  Behind the almost-not wall?” Red scoffed.  “You’re so cheesy,” he added with a small giggle.

“Hey, it works.  Now come on.  Let’s finish what we started,” Blue replied with an eager smile.

No sooner had Red sat down did Blue begin attacking his neck again.  Now that no one else was around, he let out a soft moan and melted into his boyfriend, smiling in content at the warm closeness.  Blue reached up and ran his left hand through Red’s fluffy locks while the other moved to slither underneath the younger teen’s annoying shirt.

“You totally used this as an excuse to get out of the library, didn’t you?” Red leered.

Blue pulled away from Red’s neck and cupped the boy’s face with both hands, chuckling with mischief.  “You got me.  Besides, I think this is much more fun…”  He leaned forward and captured Red’s lips with his, the two once again entering a world of bliss.

“You got that right…” Red replied, breaking the kiss for only a second.  Ever since he’d met Blue, he felt like he’d grown up just that little bit more.  He was no longer anxious around people nor was he afraid of the world.  Heck, he was actually starting to prefer hanging out with Blue more than Green, especially if it meant that he wouldn’t be babied constantly.  He enjoyed the change of pace, and being with Blue just made him feel…free.  He didn’t feel tied down to his family and was excited about the prospect of being independent, about growing up, about having a normal future.  A future that he saw with Blue and Blue alone. 

His boyfriend was giving him more than Green ever could: making him less insecure and more adventurous.

The two teens slowly pulled apart, their eyes half-lidded as they gazed at each other.

“I love you,” Red hummed, resting his forehead on Blue’s. 

“I love you too,” Blue responded quietly, gently stroking Red’s cheek with his thumb.

Never had those three words meant something so special to Red before.  They were suddenly filled with such passion and longing, something that would never be present when spoken in front of his brother.  No.  Now they were for someone else, someone who he cherished more than anything, someone who cared for him like no one else had, and that was what made it special.  This time, even though the words were the same, the meaning was entirely different.  This time, they made Red’s heart flutter like a butterfly in a sunlit meadow and ignited the burning passion deep inside of him that was once buried beneath years of pain and sorrow.  This time, he finally had something to share with Blue that could never be replicated with anyone else even if they tried.

Blue returned his hand to the back of Red’s neck and began to slowly pull him forward once more, their eyes sliding shut as they moved closer and clos-

“Red?”

The young blonde gasped and practically leapt off of Blue at the sound of his brother’s voice.  His cheeks were flushed beyond an appropriate excuse and his panic-filled eyes couldn’t even search for one.  “G-Green…!  Uh, B-Blue and I were just…  I mean, w-we were…uh, just t-talking,” he stammered, throwing a quick side-glance at Blue for help, but the older teen’s face was not amused in the slightest.  “H-how’d you find us?”

“Oh, I asked around and Shadow said that you might be here.  I’m not interrupting, am I?” Green replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and swaying on one foot.

“Just about everything…” Blue mumbled, hopefully out of Green’s earshot.  To Red’s relief, Green didn’t seem to hear.

“Um, no, it’s fine,” Red said awkwardly. 

Green let out a large sigh and cast his eyes down at the ground guiltily.  “Look, about earlier…  I’m just a little stressed because of…you know…  I really, really didn’t mean to get angry with you, I swear, and I regret every second of it.”  That was no excuse.  Green had been stressed before, if not for his whole life, and never was he angry at Red because of it. 

“That’s okay.  I forgive you.”  No I don’t, Red told himself.  This mask that he produced in front of his brother was no different from all the other times he’d used it.

Green let out a happy sigh and gave a small smile.  “Thank you.  For a second I was worried you were gonna hold a grudge against me,” he finished with a slight chuckle.

“No, I would never do that to you!” Red replied.  Uh oh, did that sound a little sarcastic? he thought, realizing that he might have put in a little too much emphasis. 

However, Green’s smile only grew.  “Yeah, of course you wouldn’t.  Sorry for even thinking that.”  He paused for a moment, tangling his fingers with one another nervously.  “I’m…glad to have you as my little brother.”

Red could have sworn he saw small pools of water collecting in the corner of Green’s eyes, and upon brotherly instinct Red stood up and have him a comforting hug.  “And I’m glad to have you as my big brother,” he replied from over Green’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Red.  I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”  After several more moments, the two brothers broke the hug.  “So, I guess I’ll see you back at the house?”

Red grinned.  “Sure thing, Green.”

With that, Green turned and headed back up the field and Red sat back down next to Blue.

“Well, at least he apologized,” Blue commented.

“I know, but he does that all the time, even when he hasn’t done anything to upset me.  I get that he’s trying to take all the bullets for me, but I think he’s trying just a little bit too hard,” Red replied.

“Hmm, probably.  But don’t forget that the guy is sacrificing his future to help you, so maybe you should cut him a bit of slack.”

Red only sighed.  “But that’s exactly what I don’t want him to do.”

---

The light of the phone in the darkness of Red’s room highlighted the smile that the blonde wore as he gazed at the words appearing on the screen.  His eyes were half-lidded and glazed over while he tried to keep himself awake, not wanting to stop talking to Blue.

‘Seriously, how r u so good?!’ Blue’s recent text said.  Red had just sent him a picture of a new drawing he’d been working on after Blue walked him home.

‘Idk.  Just born with natural talent I guess, lol,’ Red replied.  He shifted under the covers of his bed to find a cool spot for his legs.

‘All the time I see ppl with masterpieces practically pouring outta their hands and I’m just sittin here like: I can lift stuff.’  Blue added an unamused emoji.

‘Hahaha, aww, I’m sure there’s something creative that u can do!’

‘Doubtful.’ 

Red could almost hear him scoff.  ‘What if I try teaching u?’ he suggested.

‘Yah, not happening.’

‘Pleeeaaase?  For me?’

Several moments passed before Red could see Blue typing again.

‘Fine.  But I can assure u that I’ll be awful.’

‘Yay!  Thx!’  Red let out a yawn, and as if on cue, Blue mentioned the time.

‘It’s getting WAAAY too late, Red.  You should sleep.’

Red groaned out loud.  ‘But I don’t wanna!’

‘Red.’

The younger blonde pouted even though Blue couldn’t see it, and he finally gave up.  ‘Ok.  I’ll see you…tomorrow again?’

‘It’s a date.  ‘Night, cutie.  Sweet dreams xox.’

Red couldn’t resist letting out a small giggle.  ‘Good night, handsome.  Sweet dreams to you too! <3’ 

After waiting to see if Blue would reply, Red confirmed that Blue had turned his phone off, so he did the same and placed it on his nightstand, giving a loud yawn as he settled his head on his pillow, smiling as he drifted off.

Chapter Text

Red awoke from a pleasant dream about Blue due to his shoulders being shaken almost violently, and so he could only guess that it was his brother.

“Red, Red, wake up, lil’ bro!” Green ushered.

The younger blonde groaned and made a sloppy attempt at opening his eyes, flinching at the unwanted light.  Just how early in the morning was it?  “Whuuut…?” he slurred, rubbing his face with his palm.

“Sorry to wake you before your alarm.  I just wanted to let you know that we’ll be heading out early to meet up with everyone for the day!  I texted them all last night and they agreed to meet us in the park for some fun.  It is our last day before school starts, so I figured we should all do something.”

Red let out a large yawn and slowly sat up.  “Mmmkaayy…” he replied, stretching his arms above him.

“Alright, I’ll leave you to get ready then!” Green called as he left the room.

After giving another rub of his face, Red swung his legs off the bed and stood up, sauntering over to the wardrobe like he’d downed several glasses of heavy alcohol.  Perhaps he shouldn’t have stayed up so late texting his boyfriend.   

He rummaged through his clothes looking for something simple and picked out his black skinny jeans, white undershirt, and red hoodie.  He slipped the jeans on and bundled the other clothes in his arms, making his way back to the nightstand to pick up his brush and ease the knots out.  Once satisfied that his hair was fluffed up enough, he headed out of his room and into the bathroom to complete his morning routine.

---

Red bounded down the stairs feeling refreshed and awake, greeted by an incredibly inviting smell of pancakes that wafted through the air.  He darted over to the kitchen where Green was standing, busy keeping their breakfast from burning. 

The older blonde turned around and grinned, giving a small wave at Red as he did so.  “Hey, Red!  Nice to see that you’re wide awake now.  Did you sleep well last night, by the way?” he asked.

Red hesitated before answering; Green’s over-the-top cheeriness was definitely off.  He was obviously trying to act as though the incident yesterday never happened.  “Um, yeah, I slept fine, thanks,” Red replied awkwardly, thinking back to his late night texting with Blue and almost forgetting that Green still didn’t know about the two of them.  Yesterday was just way too close for comfort, Red thought as he sat down at the table, recalling how fast his heart beat when Green walked in on him and Blue during one of their “moments”.  Still, the aura about his brother this morning made him feel a little uncomfortable, and he was glad to be able to go out and spend the day with his friends.  Although, he couldn’t help but wonder why Green had organized a meet-up when they would all just see each other at school tomorrow.

The steam floating up from the stack placed in front of him disrupted his thoughts however, and the young blonde eagerly dug in.  Green placed himself next to his brother and began eating as well, sitting in silence for several minutes.  Red later heard Green inhale to speak, but he was interrupted by their parents clomping tiredly down the steps.

“Morning, mom!  Morning, dad!” Green greeted with a smile.

“Yeah, morning,” Red added, not so enthusiastically.

“Good morning, boys!” their dad responded, glancing over at the table and clicking his tongue.  “Aww, you made breakfast for yourselves and not us?” he teased.

“Not our fault if you’re up later than us,” Green retorted with a smirk.

Red couldn’t resist a smile at how well his brother and father got along with their constant joking around.  Red, on the other hand, was better suited around his mother – they looked after each other and were practically best friends when out shopping.

Red’s head shot up at a sudden knock at the door, and seeing as (strangely) no one else was going to get it, he leapt to his feet and dashed over to see who it was.  His face lit up like the sun and brightened his entire world upon catching sight of his smiling boyfriend standing at the doorstep.

He quickly looked back to Green and said that he’d be back in a moment.  He then flew out the door, closed it behind him and threw himself into Blue’s arms, giggling like the absolute proud idiot he was.  “Blue!” he cried, keeping his voice low so his family didn’t hear.  He could definitely use the intimate company right now.

Blue chuckled and set Red back so he could look at him, but didn’t remove his hands from the younger blonde’s waist.  “My brothers got Green’s text and they told me about the whole gig today, so I thought I’d come over early and have you all to myself for a bit before I have to share you with everyone,” he explained, resting his forehead against Red’s and smirking suggestively.

Red fought back the heat rising to his cheeks as he gazed into Blue’s half-lidded eyes, giving a shy smile and gently placing his hands on the older teenager’s broad chest.  “I’d love to spend an hour or so with you right now, but I can’t be more than a few minutes or Green will begin to wonder,” he replied, his smile fading.

Blue sighed and pulled Red forward, bringing his left hand up to lightly stroke the boy’s golden locks and keeping his other arm wrapped tightly around the smaller body pressed against him.  Red let out a content hum as he rested his head on Blue’s shoulder, closing his eyes in pure bliss.

It was moments like these that made the younger blonde feel invincible.  He felt so safe wrapped within Blue’s strong arms, and as long as those arms were always there to hold him close, then he no longer cared about those who wanted to hurt him.  Blue melted away his worries like snow in the sun, and the warmth that came from him was enough to keep him from feeling alone.  He wondered if it had something to do with the fact that Blue rarely showed his soft side, and he let out a small giggle at the thought.

“What?” Blue asked.

“Oh, nothing, I just…”  Red pulled back to look at Blue lovingly.  “I am so, so happy to have met you.  You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I just wish I could have more freedom with you…”

“Me too, Red…”  The older teen leaned forward and pressed his lips to Red’s for a short and sweet kiss.  “Me too.”

---

Red walked back into the kitchen with a huge smile on his face, causing Green to ask what happened outside.  However, the younger blonde simply replied with an innocent, “Oh, nothing,” and sat back down at the table. 

Green cleared his throat and opened his mouth to continue speaking from before his parents interrupted.  “So, anyway, when we get down to the park, we’ll wait for everyone to get there if they’re late, and then we’ll just all spend the day doing whatever we feel like.  Zelda’s going to be bringing a frisbee and other stuff for us to mess around with and Shadow said that he’d be bringing something cool as a surprise.  Is there anything that you wanna take?” he informed.

Red let out a hum and rested his chin on his hand in thought.  Aside from the frisbee and perhaps a ball that Zelda would most likely be bringing, he couldn’t think of anything that they had except for one thing, and even though he thought it was unnecessary for just a meetup, he suggested it anyway.  “What about the video camera?”

Green’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.  “Awesome idea!  Be right back; I’ll just go find it!”  He made the chair scrape as he got up and he dashed up the stairs.

Well, he’s awfully enthusiastic about this.  Red couldn’t stop the unnerving feeling in the pit of his stomach at Green’s behavior this morning.  Was there something that Green knew about that Red didn’t?  And if so, what?  He’d been with his brother long enough to know that something was definitely not right about him today, but then again, Green was probably just feeling really guilty about yesterday and was trying to make up for it, and getting all excited about the video camera was most likely just because it was Red’s idea and Green wanted to make it seem great.  After all, the two of them had never been angry at one another, and Red just guessed that Green didn’t know how to deal with it, so this was his solution.

“Found it!” came Green’s voice from upstairs, and he came running back down a few moments later.  “I checked the battery and it has full charge.”

“What about an SD card?”  Red pointed at a particular spot on the camera.

Green fumbled as he turned the device around and flicked open the small case near the back.  The little black card was sitting nice and snug in the slot. 

“Yep!” Green confirmed, shutting the case and then placing the camera in the bag that was slung over his shoulder.  “Ready to go?”

Red stood up from his chair and made his way over to the shoe rack to find his sneakers.  “As I’ll ever be,” he said.

---

Red’s mood hadn’t faltered on the walk to the park.  His mind was too occupied with Green’s behavior to even realize that they had arrived, and so he didn’t notice Shadow running up to them with a large RC helicopter in his arms at first. 

The purple-haired teen skidded to a halt with a massive grin on his face, Vio soon following close behind with the controller clutched in his fingers.

“So you guys finally made it!” Shadow cried.

Green chuckled.  “Heya!” he said, waving.

“We got here early so we could set this up,” Vio said, motioning to the helicopter.

“Whoa!” Green exclaimed, zoning in on the toy and marveling at the unique design.  It was painted black with purple fire and the metal was a shiny silver.  “No wonder you wanted to keep this a surprise.  This is freaking awesome!  Have you flown it yet?”

“Nope.  This is brand new.  We’re waiting for everyone to get here so we can all see it lift off for the first time,” Shadow explained.

“Sweet!  Red and I never had anything like this before.  You wanna be the first to give it a go, lil’ bro?”

Red gave a few confused blinks and quickly snapped back into reality.  “Huh?” 

To be totally honest, Red was only half paying attention to the conversation.  Usually he would have been the first to greet the two brothers and then freak out about the helicopter, but he was just out of it today.  If anything, his constant thinking about Green washed over him with a cold emptiness that couldn’t be filled, dragging out every inch of his energy and making him wish he could just sink into the floor and continue to watch time pass from there. 

His brother’s change of behavior had completely shifted his way of thinking entirely, and he wasn’t even sure if he was living in the same world anymore.  The atmosphere around him felt cold and unnerving, leaving him as a fragile shell of nothingness.  Where Green had once always made Red feel worth something and that every day alive was an accomplishment, he now made Red feel distant, like the shimmering light in a dream that kept getting further and further away no matter how fast he ran to keep up with it.  Green was slowly leaving him without realizing it, and Red was completely unsure and downright terrified as to how he suddenly felt so disconnected with the one person he’d loved, cherished, and grew up with for his whole life.

“Oh, hey, Shadow.  Hey, Vio,” Red greeted nonchalantly.  He hadn’t said hi to them yet, and not doing so would have been rude.

“Uh, Red?  You okay?” Shadow asked, mimicking the concerned look on Vio’s face.

The last thing that Red wanted from his friends was for them to be worried.  It wasn’t like he was upset or anything…

“Oh, he’s just a little tired this morning.  He doesn’t usually take too well to getting up earlier than normal,” Green explained.

“Ah, alright,” Vio replied.

Huh?  I’m not tired.  Red wasn’t getting any reaction from the other three.  Wait, did he even say it out loud?  Why wasn’t his mouth working?

His and the others’ attention was soon drawn to the figure that had suddenly assaulted Green from behind, almost knocking him to the ground.  The attacker was giggling to no end, and Green’s face lit up upon turning around and seeing the face of Zelda.

The atmosphere was gone.

But Red’s mood wasn’t.

As Red watched Green hug his girlfriend and smile and laugh without a care in the world, the young blonde took note of how the gloomy feel around Green had vanished entirely, and Red finally realized: his brother was genuinely happy.  No faking and over-exaggerating; just pure, raw happiness.

And Red wasn’t the cause of it.

Why…?  Why didn’t he make Green happy anymore?  Was he becoming too much to handle in his teen years?  Was Green really slipping from his grip…?

Little by little, Red’s feet gradually found themselves moving backwards and away from the group, and he almost wanted to burst into tears at how none of so-called “friends” were even noticing.  Not even his own brother.

Once he was far enough away, he turned tail and just ran.  However, he kept himself from leaving the park so that the distance between himself and the others wasn’t too great.  He made a break for the cover of the old brick toilets and came to a stop once he was out of sight behind them.

Don’t cry…  Don’t cry…  Don’t you dare cry… Red told himself over and over.

---

Red would have jumped had the snaking arms that suddenly wrapped themselves around him not been so warm.

“Wanted to get some specific alone-time with me then, huh?” the voice of Blue hummed in Red’s ear.

However, before Red got a chance to turn around, shout out Blue’s name, give him a massive hug, and then just cry into his shoulder, the older blonde had spun him around himself and rammed his lips onto Red’s in an instant.  Red gave out a muffled surprised yelp, and it took a few moments for him to come to his senses and kiss Blue back, his arms slithering up Blue’s chest and coiling around his neck in the process.  He let out a soft and pleased moan, immediately making Blue shove him against the wall and kiss him harder.  Red’s entire body flushed with heat and all thoughts left his mind as Blue now focused solely on his bottom lip, gently nipping and sucking at it.  A growl emanated from his throat and Red could tell that he wasn’t satisfied, especially when he cocked his head to the side and parted his lips, bringing forth the wet muscle that Red absolutely couldn’t say no to.  If Blue wanted to try French kissing with him, then Red was totally up for it.

The younger blonde’s mind now worked on autopilot, all traces of his dignity burnt in the flames of his growing lust as he copied Blue’s action without hesitation.  Their tongues met and Red had completely lost himself.  All he cared about was how warm Blue was and the way he tasted as they shared their passion with one another, making sure to leave all dishonesty about their feelings behind. 

Blue’s fingers entangled themselves in Red’s hair, pushing against his head to keep him in place.  Meanwhile, Red shivered as he felt Blue’s other hand slowly sliding south from his back.  Red knew that they needed to stop – not only was he still underage (granted it was just a year, but Red still hated breaking the rules), but they were in public with the others not too far away, and if things just kept escalating…

Oh, but the deep, dark pit buried within Red was so desperate to keep going.  He wanted to do everything with Blue; he wanted to be one with him.  Alas, his self-control remained present and he managed to break the kiss, even with Blue’s persistent lips that kept moving forward to try and recapture Red’s.

“Blue…” he panted, his eyes glossed over and half-lidded as he gazed into Blue’s.

The older male sighed and moved his head away slightly.  “I know, I know…”

Red didn’t wait any longer now that Blue knew to hold back.  He pulled Blue’s head forward again and pressed up against his body as tight as he could.  Just a little more… he thought.  Just one more –

“Red!  There you are!”

Red gasped at his brother’s sudden voice and jumped back (or, at least tried to), completely forgetting that a wall was directly behind him.  He let out a yelp as his head smacked against the bricks and continued to whine as pain shot through the back of his skull.  He brought a hand up and hissed as he rubbed at it.

“Ah, shit!” Blue cussed under his breath, placing a hand on Red’s shoulder and throwing him a concerned look.

“Red!  I’m so sorry!  Are you okay?” Green panicked, dashing over to check the younger blonde’s health.  “H-how bad is it?  Do you know who you are?”

Red swatted his invading hands away, much preferring to only be touched by Blue at this point (who was currently giving Green the nastiest look).  “Relax, Green.  It’s only a bump.  I’ll be fine,” Red replied, trying his best not to let his voice waver and start crying again.  Oh, right.  I was upset earlier, he remembered, suddenly wanting to throw himself back into Blue’s arms so he could forget about it all again.  He might as well have just started crying again anyway just because of the pure fact that Blue could do such a thing, and Red loved it.

“Are you sure?” Green continued.

Red nodded.

“Alright then.  So since when did Blue get here?”

Blue scowled.  “None of your goddamn business.”  He was obviously pissed off at Green for not only interrupting them for the second time, but for making Red hurt himself, too.

“Uh, a few minutes ago, I think…?” Red answered, still rubbing the sore lump that was most likely bruised by now.  Just how long had he been kissing Blue?  Either way, he was just grateful that Green seemed to be oblivious to it again.

“Well, you had us worried when you disappeared.  We didn’t know if anything had happened to you or not.”

Red sighed.  “Sorry.  I just saw Blue over here and wanted to talk to him for a bit.” 

Red was half thankful for Green’s interruption.  It stopped him and Blue from going too far, and hitting his head had completely eradicated his desires, so he was able to come up with an excuse without stuttering.

“Anyway, why don’t you come on back?  We’re all waiting to see the helicopter in action!”

Red had forgotten that they wanted him to be the one to fly it first.  Now he just felt rude.  “Uh, yeah!  Sure!  You coming, Blue?” Red turned to his boyfriend and hoped that he wouldn’t leave just because of Green.  Blue was able to make him forget that he was even upset with Green in the first place, so he really didn’t want the older teenager to go. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Blue replied, earning a sigh of relief from Red.

Blue was all he needed.  Blue made him feel more.  Blue wasn’t putting on a happy act for him, nor was he gradually growing distant from Red.   Red felt welcome in Blue’s arms, and his warmth melted away every shred of insecurity.

Red was growing up now.  There was no need to hold his big brother’s hand anymore. 

So, from now on, he couldn’t care less about Green’s behavior.

Just as long as Blue was there to keep him from falling.

---

“Okay, I think I got it…” Red stated, fumbling with the controller in his hands as he tried to get used to how the thumbsticks worked.  He heard a high-pitched whir from in front of him and watched with a wide smile as the helicopter’s blades began rotating at dizzying speeds.  Red pushed the right stick just a little more and the chopper leapt from the ground and took to the air, wobbling slightly as it adjusted to the breeze.

“Woo!  We have lift-off!” Shadow cried, throwing his arms in the air.

Red turned to his left and grinned at Green who was holding the video camera and giving a thumbs up.  The younger blonde was never camera shy, so he didn’t mind being filmed at all.

He turned back to the flying toy and began pushing the left stick, which controlled the copter’s direction (the right stick controlled the altitude), and set it off in the direction directly to Blue’s head, far quicker than any of them had expected.

“Wah!” the older male cried, ducking out of the way just before his hair got shaved by the rotating blades.  “Hey!  You did that on purpose!”

Red let out a hearty giggle and changed the toy’s direction.  He never got many chances to tease Blue – or anyone other than his brother, for that matter.

He flew the copter a little higher and made it do several circles around the group – which resulted in Shadow trying to jump and catch it – before setting it zooming off around the trees.

K-chuck!

Red flinched in surprise as several leaves were suddenly ripped from their branch and he quickly moved the blades away from the foliage.  “Eheheh, whoops!” he said, rubbing the back of his head and hoping he didn’t damage Shadow’s helicopter.  It was difficult to tell if it was too close to an obstacle or not due to the blades spinning so quickly.

“Red, there should be more buttons on the controller that make it do stuff other than fly,” Shadow pointed out, encouraging the younger blonde to halt the copter to look down at his hands.

“Oh!  I see!” Red replied.  In the middle between the two thumbsticks was a small square panel that contained two different colored and illustrated buttons.  The first one on the left was blue with an upright oval on the right with three straight strokes pointing away from it.  He pressed it and waited, but the copter did nothing.

“Which one did you press?” Vio asked, looking over Red’s shoulder at the controller.

“This one,” Red answered, pointing to the blue button.

“Wait, turn the helicopter around, or at least fly it into the shade of the tree.”

Red was slightly confused but did as told anyway.  He let out a gasp of excitement when the trunk of the tree was illuminated by a bright white light coming from the nose of the helicopter, and now that it was dark enough, the group could see several smaller lights that were lit up along its side as well.

“Oh yeah!  I forgot it had an LED function!  It mentioned it on the box,” Shadow exclaimed.

“Wow!  It looks so pretty!” Zelda commented as Red made the copter do several spins in the air.

“Imagine what it’d be like flying this thing in the dark or at night!” Green added with a laugh, being extra careful to keep the camera pointed correctly.

“Ohhh, we sooo have to do that sometime!  Maybe at Halloween!” Shadow cried.

Blue threw a fist into the air.  “Aw, hell yeah!  That’d be fucking awesome!”

“I agree!” Red said.

“Come on, what’s the other button?  What does it do?” Shadow asked.

Red turned his attention back to the controller and moved to the right button.  This one was yellow and had a simple picture of what was easily recognized as a megaphone.  “Ooh, I think this one makes a sound.”  He pressed the button, but again, nothing happened.  “Uh, Shadow, you wouldn’t happen to remember anything else from the box, would you?” he asked, grinning apologetically.

“No, sorry,” the purple-haired teen replied.

“Maybe try holding the button down?” Blue suggested.

Red flew the helicopter closer and turned the LED lights off before pressing and holding the megaphone button for a few seconds.  “It’s still not doing anything…” he sighed.

“It’s still not doing anything.”

Red let out an excited gasp as the helicopter repeated his sentence.  “Oh my gosh!  It records your voice and then paraphrases it when you let go of the button!”

Shadow was at his side in an instant.  “Hold on, press it again!”

The young blonde held down the button and waited for Shadow’s response.  However, instead of saying anything, the punk teenager burst into a random fit of hysterics, making it sound ten times funnier once the helicopter repeated it.  Red had to hold his stomach from laughing, and Blue was almost on the ground with the amount of breathless wheezes he was producing.  

Amidst his and the others’ laughter, Red pressed down the button again so that it could record everyone laughing at the same time, and the result was just as funny, if not more.

“This is the best helicopter ever!” Red declared once he had calmed down a little.  He then turned to Blue and held out the controller.  “Do you want a turn, Blue?” he asked with a smile.

The older blonde held up us hands and backed up a step.  “Hahaha, no thank you!  I’m the type of person who’d crash it without even trying,” he replied with a sheepish grin.

Red giggled.  “Aww, okay then.”

“I’ll take that turn!” Shadow cried, running up and immediately removing the controller from Red’s hands.

“Oh dear, I smell trouble,” Vio remarked, watching as Shadow let out a malicious laugh while he steered the copter towards the playground.  He then took off after the toy without waiting for the others.

“I second that!” Zelda added, running in the same direction and dragging Green in tow.

Before Red could join the others in chasing after the purple-haired boy, he found his wrist suddenly gripped by Blue.  Just as Red was about to ask him what he was doing, the older teen pressed a quick peck to his cheek and headed back to group without another word, leaving Red standing in a blushing mess.

“Really, Green?  What was that?” Shadow snorted after watching Green’s pathetic throw land the frisbee nowhere near the punk teen.

“It was the wind!” Green shot back, running to pick the disc up.

“There’s barely even a breeze!” Vio pointed out.

Red giggled at the friendly drama before him.  Zelda had retrieved her promised frisbee once the charge for the helicopter ran out (much to Shadow’s dismay), and they decided to play teams: Shadow and Vio versus Zelda and Green.  Red had told them that he didn’t feel like doing anything too active, but really he just wanted to sit with Blue under the shade of a tree, which was exactly what he was doing now.

The young blonde was secretly hoping that his boyfriend would sneak another kiss in like earlier, but so far Blue wasn’t being very public. 

Even though Red had shared deeper, more passionate kisses with Blue, just the single peck on the cheek in public made it so much more different.  It ignited a desire deep within him to let the world know that Blue was his and he was Blue’s, and despite the fact that probably no one saw, it still happened right behind Green’s back, and the clueless brother obviously had no idea of their relationship yet.  It made Red desperately want to witness Green’s reaction if he did see them kiss, and he wouldn’t care at all if his brother disapproved.  He just wanted to show his brother that he was growing up and this was who he was, whether people disliked it or not.  Blue was now Red’s everything: his future.  This was the person he truly loved and was going to spend the rest of his life with, and nothing was going to tell him otherwise.

---

The sky overhead was gradually fading into the deep darkness of night, and Red’s smile was as big as ever on the walk home.  All of his worries had melted away in just a few hours thanks to his friends and Blue.  Not just that, but their first day of school was tomorrow!  He couldn’t wait to be able to finally live normally again, and he couldn’t care less about people picking on him.  He was finally happy where he was. 

When Green opened the front door to their house, their parents greeted them the second they entered.

“Ah, good timing, boys.  Your mom and I have just finished going over the details for the new area,” their dad began.

“Really? Sweet!” Green said, rushing over to their parents at the kitchen table.  A silver laptop was open in front of them.

“Huh?” Red said, tilting his head.  “New area…?”

“Yes, sweetie.  Ever since you came home saying that Cynthia had moved here, we’ve been looking for another place to settle, and I think we’ve just found the best one!” his mom explained.

Red froze.  In an instant his happiness shattered and his heart dropped like a stone.

“I promise you, Red, that where we’re going is perfect.  The school there has private classes and teachers for those like you, the area is peaceful and quiet, and judging from the reviews we’ve been reading, the neighbours are incredibly friendly!” Green said, smiling.

However, Red didn’t return the smile.  “You…  You knew about this?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s…why I took you out with the others today.  They’ll be going to school tomorrow and we’ll be preparing to move.”  Green began to show signs of slightly panicking at the sight of Red not happy with the idea at all.

The younger blonde began slowly shaking his head and taking steps back, tears filling the corners of his eyes.  “Even you agreed to this?  You’d leave Zelda behind?”

Green didn’t say anything to that.

“What about the others?  We can’t leave them behind either!”

“Dear, you can still keep in touch!” his mom tried to reassure.

Red lost it.  “NO!  I DON’T WANNA MOVE!  I WAS HAPPY HERE!”  Before anyone could say or do anything, Red broke into tears and burst through the front door, making a mad dash down the street.

“RED!” Green called from behind him, but Red wasn’t going to stop.

The young blonde’s legs were on overdrive, powering him forward in his heartbroken adrenaline rush.  Even Green’s voice gradually faded into silence.  Why would they do this to him?!  They were going to move him away from his friends and Blue!  Even Green would be leaving his girlfriend behind!  He didn’t care if he got bullied; there was no way he was going to continue ruining his brother’s life!

He rushed down the pavement until he headed into the park.  The sun had now completely disappeared from the sky, so not tripping over anything in the dark would be a struggle.  Right now he just wanted to be alone and let all his emotions out.  He couldn’t believe that today was probably the last day he’d ever see Blue again.

Looking up through cloudy eyes, he’d only just realized that he’d entered the forest, and since he could no longer hear Green chasing after him, his body decided enough was enough and he collapsed on the spot, leaves fluttering about him as he landed.  He buried his face in his arms and cried harder than he ever had before, not caring that his sleeves were getting soaked with his tears.

---

Red wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but things on the forest floor were beginning to irritate his body, so he stood up and just walked in a random direction.  He was still crying, but his sobbing was now replaced by simple sniffs and snivels.  A shiver ran up his spine as the cold night air seeped through his clothes, forcing him to clutch his torso.  Should he start heading home now…?

He told himself that it was a good idea to go home and apologize, and maybe his little tantrum just might have changed their minds.  After all, Green would be worried sick about him.

However, before he had a chance to turn around, footsteps sounded all around him, and in an instant he was knocked harshly to the ground.

“Damn.  I didn’t expect to see you out here at this hour,” a female voice said that was unmistakably Cynthia’s.

“What do you want, Cynth?” Red asked, sitting up and wiping away his tears.

The girl flicked her head and three of her friends immediately picked Red up off the floor, not letting go of his arms.  “You?  I don’t want anything from you.  I’m just a little pissy this evening and, to be frank, I’m in need of a good punching bag right now.  But since you know I don’t like to get my hands dirty, it’ll still feel just as relieving to watch someone else beat the crap outta you.” 

Before Red could protest, a fist flew to his face and delivered a blow straight to his nose.  Red didn’t make any noise as he was flung back onto the ground.  He just sat there in shock, clutching his nose that he had now lost all feeling in.  His body began trembling and small whimpers escaped from his throat as the immense pain began seeping in.  Another one of his attackers grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him to his feet, just to be punched repeatedly in the stomach and then thrown into a tree.  Screams of agony began emanating from the poor teenager as the other two males began kicking at him, and that was when Red started resisting and fighting back.  Whenever someone tried to get close to him, Red would throw his arms madly in the air, trying desperately to swat his attackers away.  His legs soon joined in, but someone quickly held both of them together, preventing Red from getting up.

“NO!  GET OFF ME!” he screamed with terror.  Frantic for a way out, Red grabbed the nearest object he could reach which was a fallen branch.  He swung it round with all his might and pelted the opposing teenager on the head, loosening his grip on Red’s legs.  The blonde managed to pull one free and kicked the attacker in the chest, freeing his other leg.  He didn’t bother to fend off the other two teenagers – he just ran.  He needed to get as far away as possible, trying his best to ignore every inch of his body that hurt.  Foul insults were shouted at him from the four who were currently pursing him, and if Red didn’t find a way to escape soon, they would quickly outrun him, and he really didn’t want to think about what they would do to him then.  This thought propelled him forward even though he was exhausted, but he knew he would tire in a matter of minutes.

I really wish Blue was – wait, Blue!  The radio tower! Red thought, remembering the path to the old structure that Blue had shown him; he was bound to lose his pursers there.

He turned sharply left in the direction of the school.  Both forests were connected, so all Red had to do was get there, find the path, make it to the tower, and hide until morning.

He could feel his throat burning up as he sprinted as fast as he could, and his feet felt like they were about to combust.  However, that didn’t stop him from focusing as best as possible on the space in front of him.  Lest he run into any trees now, he would be done for.

The shouting behind him was gradually fading, either because they needed to save their energy for running or they were actually falling behind, but Red didn’t dare look back.  He was too focused on reaching the tower.

It felt like forever, but Red had finally arrived, panting and extremely out of breath.  Fear was now the only thing that kept him going, and despite all the rumors about the tower, his only chance of getting away was to go up.

He tilted his head back as he gazed upon the dizzying sight before him.  It suddenly felt a LOT taller now that he was about to climb it.  He walked up to the rickety ladder that led to the top and placed his hands and left foot on the rungs.  With a heave, he lifted himself off the ground and began his ascent. 

The higher Red got, the more the tower creaked and groaned and felt like it was swaying, and the more that happened, the more Red was tempted to look down.  He wanted to know how far he’d gotten, but at the same time, he knew he would start feeling nauseous if he did.  He decided to risk it and paused to glance below him.  He regretted it immediately, and even though he didn’t feel nauseated, it certainly made him feel weak and about to let go of the rungs.  He shook his head and took a moment to collect himself, and when he felt ready, he kept climbing.

Come on…  Almost there… he kept telling himself to distract him from his aching body and fingers.  Almost there…

---

After several more minutes of resting and climbing, Red finally pulled himself over the edge of the first platform where he could rest properly and stay until daylight approached.

The wind faintly howled around him, indicating just how high up he was.  As he lay on the cold metal, his chest rose and fell rapidly, trying to regulate his breathing from the mad dash.  He couldn’t hear anything from below, so he finally allowed himself to assume he’d gotten away.  His eyes trailed to the glorious full moon that sat above him, giving him the perfect gentle and reassuring light that he needed.  Once he finally calmed down, he stood up and walked over to the railing to get a good view. 

“Whoa…” he exclaimed.  He could see the whole town!

Turning around, the fifteen year-old wanted to get a glimpse at the rest of the tower.  He placed his hands on the railing behind him to support his weight as he leaned back slightly.  Looking up, the tower did indeed go a little farther, but Red was high enough.  He’d done enough climbing, and he really couldn’t wait to get back dow-

Snap.

Time seemed to slow to almost a complete standstill as the railing disappeared beneath Red’s hands.  With nothing but air to support his weight, he tipped backwards, hardly able to comprehend what was happening all in a split second.  The rush of air that hurtled past him once his feet left the platform was the only confirmation he needed to know that he was falling.  No sound came out of his mouth as he plummeted to the unforgiving ground, too stunned to even think about what was to come next.  All he could focus on was the tower’s platform that gradually grew smaller and smaller with every second.  The only things that accompanied the boy were the tears that exited his eyes, knowing that the next few moments of his life were about to be his last.

He didn’t even get to say goodbye to Green.

“RED!”

Whoever had just called his name snapped him back into reality and smacked into him at the last millisecond, and he and the person rolled roughly along the ground until they came to a stop.  Red looked up at his rescuer’s face and couldn’t believe who he was seeing.

“BLUE!” Red cried, launching himself at his boyfriend and wrapping his arms as tight as he could around his shoulders.  He buried his face into the crook of Blue’s neck and let loose a flood of tears, sobbing to no end out of both terror and happiness.  “Blue, I was so scared!  I thought I was gonna-!”

“Shh, Red…  It’s okay.  I’m here,” Blue said softly, draping one arm over Red’s back and using his other hand to gently stroke the younger boy’s trembling head.  “It’s all over now.  Don’t you worry about a thing.”  Blue picked the shaking Red up in his strong arms and headed away from the tower, glancing down at his lover with both relief and concern.

Then, with Red’s final happy memory fading away into nothing as it walked off, the young blonde took his dying breath as his still body lay sprawled and bloody on the soft grass, the ledge of which he was standing on mere seconds ago looming high above him, creaking in the melancholic wind.

Chapter Text

Green’s eyes were red and puffy from crying so much, as were his parents.  Police sirens echoed outside and blue and red lights repeatedly shone in through the windows.  Red’s family was sat down at the kitchen table, answering questions as best as they could from the investigator that sat across from them.

“I know this must be hard for you, but you really need to give us the information required,” he said.

Green nodded and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

“Now, in order to find out why your brother decided to jump, I need to ask if Red was acting stranger than usual.  Was he looking paranoid or depressed at all?”

“W-well, yeah, he’s…he’d always been depressed ever since his girlfriend broke up with him about a year ago, but h-he always found a way to be happy.  Then…  Then ever since we moved here, he started talking to someone who…wasn’t really there.  He called him Blue, and I think Red appointed him as our friends’ brother.”

“And who is this friend?”

“Friends.  Vio and Shadow Hemswick.”

“Hold on, son,” Green’s dad interjected, “We’ve never heard of Red talking to an imaginary friend before.  Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Wait, you mean Red didn’t tell you?”

The father shook his head.

The investigator cleared his throat and spoke again.  “So you say that Red has never talked to an imaginary friend before.  Is this for his whole life, or ever since you moved?”

“His whole life,” Green replied.  “Well, he might have when he was younger, but the only things I’ve seen him talk to other than people and animals are his plush toys, not thin air.”

“I see.  And when did you first notice this?”

“I think it was on our second day here.  Vio, Shadow, Red, my girlfriend and I were sitting at a table at the local café when he suddenly started talking to someone.  We didn’t know who until he said the name ‘Blue’.  I didn’t want to say anything out loud, but I couldn’t just tear everyone away to talk to them and leave Red on his own.  I decided to just write a text and send it to each of them explaining why Red was a little different – they already knew that he was troubled, but I never told them the exact reason until then.  They understood and just played along because we didn’t want to upset him.  Something else that I noticed is that I would sometimes find him in the most secluded of spots, either sitting or standing, just completely staring off into space, and it wasn’t until I said something that he would snap out of it and act all nervous and flustered as if he’d been caught with his hand in a cookie jar.”  Green paused to take a breath.  “I-it made me wonder if…Red was actually…you know…”

“Romantically involved with Blue?”

“Y-yeah…”  Green took a quick side-glance at his parents who, upon receiving that information, looked positively mortified.

“Hmm…  Oh, and who is your girlfriend?  Sorry for being a little off-topic, but we need to question other people who knew him.”

“That’s okay.  Her name is Zelda Hyrule.”

“Now, did Red give any sort of description of Blue?  What he looked and acted like?”

“Uh, not exactly.  I mean, I couldn’t just ask him what Blue was like because Red thought I could see him.  So no, I don’t know what he’s…  Wait, no!  There is something!  Be right back!”  Green got up from the table and vanished up the stairs before the investigator could say anything.  After causing many ruffling noises from upstairs, he came back down with Red’s art book in his hands.  “I remember Red came up to me once saying that he drew a picture of Blue, but I didn’t look at it because I was in a rush to get out the door for my date with Zelda.”  He opened the book and skipped past all of Red’s doodles, not entirely sure what he was looking for.

“You said that Red claimed that Blue was Vio and Shadow’s brother, so look for an image that closely resembles them,” the investigator suggested.

Green nodded and flipped through the book again until he finally found the picture of Blue.  “Whoa, he’d…gotten really good at drawing…” he said with wide eyes, albeit a little sorrowful. 

Red had drawn Blue leaning against a brick wall with his hands in the pockets of his blue jeans and his gaze directed to the right on the page.  He had an unamused expression upon his face and his eyebrows were furrowed slightly in annoyance and anger.  He was wearing a blue singlet that showed off a toned torso and muscular arms, and a silver dog tag hung around his neck. 

Red had done it in his own unique style, which consisted of coloring only the centre of each part in the right color while the rest was filled in with the drawing pencil.

“Very interesting.  And he was indeed very good.”

“There’s just one thing I’d like to mention,” Green’s mom began, her face so soaked with tears she might as well have dunked it in a bucket of water.  “Earlier today, my husband and I told our sons that we were moving again because we found a place that would guarantee Red’s happiness, but he just broke down into tears and ran off.  Green tried going after him but he was already gone.  Several hours went by and it got really dark, and I think it was around eight that we reported him missing.”  The distraught woman did well not to stutter through her immense sobbing and wailing.

“Thank you.  There’s just one last thing that I’d like to tell you before we move on.  We were able to get into his phone and we found a plethora of calls and texts to absolutely no one.  I’d like to take some time to review this with my colleagues and get back to you shortly.  In the meantime, how about you three take a moment, dry your eyes, have some water, and gather your thoughts.  I know this can’t be easy for you, but just know that we are here to help you.”

The family nodded and got up from the table.

---

Roughly two hours passed before the investigator called Green and his parents back to the table.  Their sobbing and crying had ceased, but it was clear that they were still heavily upset.

The investigator pushed some papers aside and folded his hands together.  “Alright, after going over his medical records and the information you’ve given us, we’ve reviewed his symptoms and behaviour and come to a conclusion.”  

Medical records.  Symptoms and behaviour.  Green hated those words.  Ever since Red was taken to a specialist at a young age, Green couldn’t bear the thought of his little brother gradually losing his mind over a mental disorder.  That’s why he worked his butt off making sure that Red was happy and never fell into a doomed fate like so many others who suffered Dysthymia.  But now Red was gone.  All that hard work, all that time spent bonding with him…  Wasted.  He felt like nothing was accomplished.  He’d tried so hard to keep Red interested in things, even if it meant having him grow up around children’s toys, books, and television shows.  His whole life, just to help Red, he’d been torn.  Either he let Red grow up himself with an increased risk of suicidal tendencies and little to no emotional pleasure in life, or set aside his own priorities and time to constantly hold Red’s hand as he grew up with his disorder.  People had often asked him how he put up with it, and he just answered by saying that being Red’s guardian was the best thing to have ever happened to him.  Red was a cheerful, kind, and gentle soul whose smile could brighten anyone’s day, and he wouldn’t have ever developed that personality had it not been for Green.  As Red grew though, Green saw that Red’s interests weren’t changing with age, and he couldn’t help but feel like that was his fault.  His one mistake in raising Red was failing to show him new things, and if the situations had been different, Red might still be alive.  Heck, his family wouldn’t even have moved so many damn times, but it wasn’t just their lives that he screwed over either.  What was he going to do now?  He hadn’t thought about what he would do when he was older nor did he know what he even wanted out of life.  He’d always been so focused on giving Red the benefits that he’d hardly paid any attention to himself.  Now that Red was gone, the reality of the situation sunk in as he realized that he had no life anymore either.  No purpose, no goals, and no little brother to help him.  He was empty.  Nothing.  Just pure, simple nothingness.

The investigator took a large breath.  “We’ve confirmed that – based upon Red’s history with physical and verbal abuse from peers – he was not talking to an imaginary friend, but rather a hallucination caused by his mental trauma, most likely allowing him to develop mild schizophrenia.  This ‘Blue’ was the representation of everything that Red wasn’t but wanted to be: the exact opposite of himself.  That would be why he was so attached him, and considering the fact that he had no idea that Blue wasn’t real, the idea of moving away from him simply caused him to tip over the edge.”

Green’s expression darkened at the investigator’s last phrase.  He knew that it was most likely unintentional, but still.

“So…  So this is…our f-fault…?” Red’s mom said, her words caught in her throat.

“Not necessarily.  The autopsy hasn’t been performed yet, but it’s already clear that he suffered premature wounds, and so this tells us that he wasn’t in good condition before jumping.  Did he have any injuries before leaving?”

“No, why?” Green asked.

“It’s entirely plausible that Red was caught by some of his abusers shortly after running away.”

“But…  But then that means that he couldn’t have committed suicide!”  Green stood up from his seat and slammed his hands down on the table.  “What if they pushed him?!”

“They did push him, but not physically.  We’ve already covered the area around the tower and found no evidence of anyone but him going up to the top.  It was his choice to jump.”

Green sank back down in defeat.  “So he really did choose to leave us…?”

“Unfortunately.  I’m dreadfully sorry.  But please, do not blame yourselves.  Red wouldn’t have committed suicide with his family and Blue in mind.  He may have only intended to run away for a short period of time to just take it all in, but if his abusers did indeed confront him, then they would have been the ones to convince Red to think suicide was the only way out.  Would you happen to know any names so that we may question them?”

Green listed the people he knew who disliked Red.

“Thank you for your time.  We’ll call you if anything else comes up that you need to know.”

---

Tears soaked themselves into the black fabric of Green’s suit as he stood before the flower-covered coffin in the cemetery.  His parents stood to his left, huddling close to each other while they stood in silence.  To his right were Zelda, Vio, and Shadow.  The two brothers were silently crying as well, and Zelda looked as if she was about to have a mental breakdown.  Prayers were being spoken for Red’s wellbeing in the afterlife, but Green wasn’t listening.  He knew that Red would be fine, but he still didn’t want to accept that his little brother was gone for good.

When the funeral was over and the reception had drawn to a close, Green found himself in Red’s room, gathering all of his brother’s most valuable possessions and carefully transferring them to his own room.  He had cleared out a corner on the floor where he planned to arrange each of the items in plain sight.  He first began with Red’s drawing of Blue by placing it upright and situated at the back.  Green had wanted it framed soon after he found it to show it to the investigator, and luckily his parents had one that was the perfect size.  He then picked up Red’s teddy bear, Muffin.  He gave it a long look before hugging it tightly, breathing in the scent of his brother that it carried.  A tear glided down his face as he released the bear, but he hesitated as he went to put it down beside the drawing.  He looked back to his bed and decided it belonged there where he could hug it in his sleep.  After laying it down next to his pillow, he carefully displayed the rest of Red’s belongings and headed downstairs for dinner.

Dinner was…quiet, to say the least.  Not a word was spoken as the family ate, and every so often their eyes would trail to the empty seat at the table.  Green’s mom had accidentally made food for four, but no one blamed her.  It was hard remembering that Red wouldn’t be around anymore. 

Green managed to eat only half of his meal, and he politely asked to be excused from the table since all he could do was sit there and play with his cold dinner.  His mom didn’t complain nor hassle him, and she let him go back upstairs.

Green kneeled in front of his little shrine that he created out of Red’s things, staring straight at the drawing of Blue.  He smiled and traced his fingers down the glass above where the teenager’s face was drawn.

“Hey, Blue, I know that you aren’t real, but thank you anyway for making my brother’s life all the more happier.  I don’t know what he would’ve been like if he hadn’t known you,” he said, tears once again caressing the skin of his cheeks.  His hand left the drawing and made its way down to a smaller picture frame that contained a photograph of Red himself, happy and smiling as if nothing was wrong.  Green’s own smile faded as he gazed at Red’s innocent face, his vision becoming clouded with water as he broke down on the spot.  He hugged the photo as he sobbed heavily, gently rocking back and forth.  “I miss you so much, Red…!” he cried.

--- 

A few hours later, Green decided it was time for bed.  He turned off the light, climbed underneath the covers and rested his head on the pillow.  His hands reached out for Muffin and gently pulled the stuffed bear close to his body.  His eyes then trailed to the empty bottle of his dad’s sleeping pills on his bedside table; swallowing them all hadn’t been easy.

Once he shifted his position a little so that he was comfortable, he looked down at Red’s toy and stroked its fluffy cheek. 

He spoke softly to it as he gradually drifted into everlasting sleep.  “I for one really wouldn’t mind seeing an illusion of you right now, Red, even if it’s just in my dreams.”  A small smile stretched across his lips.  “Goodnight, lil’ bro.  See you…in the morning…”

-End-