Chapter Text
Yellow was getting too used to the feeling of eyes on her.
She didn’t mind attention—she was a genius, after all, and it was only natural that people would recognize that. But lately, the weight of one particular gaze had been pressing down on her more than usual.
Blue had been acting… strange.
It wasn’t anything obvious at first. Blue was still Blue—thoughtful, gentle, always looking out for the group. She still cooked their meals, still laughed at Red’s terrible jokes, still held her bow with unwavering steadiness in battle.
But there were things Yellow couldn’t ignore.
The way Blue’s smiles never quite reached her eyes anymore. The way her hands trembled slightly when she thought no one was looking. The way she lingered just a bit too long when their fingers brushed.
The way she was always there—hovering, like she was afraid to let Yellow out of her sight.
Yellow wasn’t stupid. She knew something was wrong.
The problem was, she didn’t know what.
And, more importantly, she didn’t know why it was starting to get to her.
She shook the thought away as she entered the camp’s small gathering space. The fire had burned down low, the embers casting a warm glow against the night. The others had already started winding down—Red was off messing with her animal companion, Second was sketching something by the fire, and Green and Purple were somewhere, probably together.
That left Blue.
And, as expected, there she was—standing by their makeshift kitchen setup, her back turned, the faint sound of tea being poured into ceramic cups filling the air.
Something about the sight made Yellow hesitate.
It wasn’t just that Blue looked tired. She always looked tired these days. But there was something in the way her shoulders were hunched, the way she kept rubbing at her eyes like she was trying to erase something she didn’t want to see.
Yellow took a step closer. “Hey.”
Blue jolted—only slightly, but enough for Yellow to notice.
She turned around quickly, forcing a smile onto her face. “Oh—hey, Yellow. I was just making tea. You want some?”
Yellow frowned. Something about Blue’s voice felt off. Forced.
“…Sure.”
Blue nodded, turning back to the tea.
Yellow watched her closely. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for—only that something was wrong, and she was getting tired of pretending she didn’t see it.
She crossed her arms. “You’ve been acting weird.”
Blue’s hands faltered for a fraction of a second before she kept moving. “What? No, I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have.”
A small laugh—light, airy, fake. “You’re imagining things.”
“No, I’m not.”
Blue turned then, eyes flickering toward her with something unreadable in them. For a split second, Yellow thought she saw something like pain there.
Then it was gone.
“I’m fine, Yellow,” Blue said, softer this time. “Really.”
Yellow didn’t believe that for a second.
But she also knew Blue well enough to recognize when she wasn’t going to get a real answer. At least, not right now.
So instead, she sighed, stepping closer and reaching for the cup Blue had just poured. Their fingers brushed.
Blue froze.
Yellow raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Blue swallowed hard, forcing a laugh. “Nothing.”
Yellow rolled her eyes and took a sip of the tea. It was warm, comforting—familiar. Blue always made the best tea.
And yet.
Something in the air felt wrong.
Yellow wasn’t sure why she felt it. Couldn’t put it into words. But as she lowered the cup, something prickled at the back of her mind.
Something she couldn’t quite name.
Something she didn’t realize she should be noticing.
Because she didn’t know that, just a few minutes ago, Blue had been standing there, staring at a small, shimmering vial.
And debating whether or not to use it.
--
Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Yellow had already taken a sip.
It was just a sip.
Nothing was going to happen.
Blue swallowed hard, her pulse thrumming in her ears. The warmth of the firelight flickered against her skin, but she felt cold. Ice-cold.
She hadn’t put in much. Barely anything. A drop. A fraction of what she’d made. It wouldn’t change anything, not really. It would just… help. Just nudge things along. Just make sure Yellow felt what she already had to be feeling.
Right?
Blue gripped the edge of the makeshift counter, her nails pressing into the wood.
Yellow was talking—saying something. Blue barely heard her.
Because suddenly, she felt sick.
Her stomach twisted violently, and for the first time, she truly felt what she had done.
The realization hit her like a wave crashing against stone—sudden, sharp, and completely impossible to ignore.
It didn’t matter how little she’d used.
It didn’t matter that she had hesitated, that she had stood there for minutes, staring at the vial, convincing herself it was fine.
It wasn’t fine.
And now it was too late.
Yellow set the cup down, her sharp eyes scanning Blue’s face. “You sure you’re okay? You look like you’re gonna pass out.”
Blue tried to respond. Tried to push down the nausea clawing at her throat.
She forced a nod.
“I—I’m fine.”
Yellow’s expression didn’t change. She didn’t believe her.
Blue barely believed herself.
Then—
Yellow blinked.
Her hand twitched against the table.
She frowned, shaking her head slightly, like she was trying to clear a fog.
And Blue’s heart stopped.
No.
No, no, no—
It was too much. Even that tiny amount—
Yellow’s fingers flexed against the wood, and she exhaled sharply, blinking fast. “Weird.”
Blue’s breath caught in her throat.
Yellow furrowed her brows. “I just—” She paused, pressing her fingers against her temple. “I feel… strange.”
Blue felt like she was going to throw up.
This wasn’t happening.
This couldn’t be happening.
It had been barely anything—
Yellow inhaled sharply again, shaking her head like she was trying to clear static from her brain. “Sorry, I—” She let out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My head feels… fuzzy.”
Blue wanted to die.
The words stuck to the roof of her mouth, refusing to come out.
She had to stop this. She had to say something.
She had to tell Yellow right now before—
Yellow blinked again, and when she looked up—
Her gaze softened.
Blue froze.
It was so small—so slight that, if she hadn’t been watching for it, she might not have noticed. But Blue saw it.
Something in Yellow’s eyes. A warmth that hadn’t been there a second ago.
A shift.
The potion was working.
And for the first time in her life, Blue wanted nothing more than to undo something she had done.
Yellow’s eyes hadn’t left her.
Blue couldn’t breathe.
She had seconds—seconds to say something, to stop this before it spiraled, before it turned into something so, so much worse—
But she didn’t.
She couldn’t.
Her body had locked up completely, her limbs stiff, her throat tight. Every instinct screamed at her to speak, to tell Yellow the truth, to stop this before it was too late—
But she froze.
And Yellow smiled.
It was soft. It was small. It was nothing out of the ordinary—except it was.
Because Blue felt the difference.
There was something in Yellow’s expression, something in the way she looked at her, something just barely off, just barely different.
It wasn’t drastic. It wasn’t a sudden, lovesick gaze.
But it was there.
And it was wrong.
“I don’t know why, but…” Yellow’s voice was quieter now, like she was talking more to herself than to Blue. “I just feel… good. Like—like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
Blue’s heart stopped.
Yellow’s fingers, which had been resting on the table, inched closer to Blue’s without her even seeming to realize it.
And Blue?
Blue couldn’t move.
Couldn’t speak.
Couldn’t even breathe.
This wasn’t real.
This wasn’t real.
This wasn’t real.
Yellow let out a breath of laughter, shaking her head like she was trying to make sense of it. “That’s stupid, huh? I just—I don’t know. It’s weird.”
She met Blue’s eyes again.
And Blue saw it.
A flicker of something new.
A warmth that wasn’t there before.
It wasn’t overwhelming. It wasn’t strong. It wasn’t like Yellow was suddenly in love with her.
But the potion was working.
It was working exactly the way Blue had feared it would.
Blue wanted to scream.
Her pulse pounded in her ears, her stomach twisting so violently she thought she might be sick.
Say something.
Say something.
Say something before it’s too late.
But she didn’t.
She just sat there.
Frozen.
Watching.
As Yellow, unaware, continued to fall.
And it was all her fault.
--
Green wasn’t sure what he had expected when he walked into camp, but it wasn’t this.
Yellow and Blue, standing close—too close.
Yellow was speaking, her voice soft, almost dreamy, her fingers inches from Blue’s on the table. And Blue—
Blue looked like she had just killed someone.
She was frozen, her shoulders tense, her face completely drained of color. Her mouth was slightly open, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Green stopped in his tracks.
“…Am I interrupting something?”
Yellow blinked, snapping out of whatever trance she’d been in. “Huh?” She turned to face him fully, blinking again like she was just now realizing how close she and Blue were.
Blue, on the other hand, practically jumped out of her seat. “No!” she blurted, too quickly, too loud. “No, you’re not—uh—what’s up?”
Green’s eyes flicked between the two of them.
Yellow looked confused.
Blue looked guilty as hell.
“…Right,” Green said slowly, crossing his arms.
Now, listen.
Green wasn’t exactly the most perceptive person in the world. He missed a lot of things. He wasn’t Second. He wasn’t Purple. He didn’t read people the way they did.
But something was going on here.
Something weird.
And, for once, Green actually noticed.
Yellow was acting normal. A little more open, maybe, but nothing too weird. But Blue? Blue looked like she was about to pass out.
Her hands were clenched into fists, her eyes darting everywhere but him.
Green frowned. “Blue. You good?”
“I’m fine,” she said way too quickly.
Yellow tilted her head. “You sure? You look kind of—”
“I said I’m fine,” Blue interrupted, her voice a little too sharp, a little too panicked.
Green raised a brow.
Blue never snapped at Yellow.
Never.
Yellow must have noticed too, because she took a half-step back, looking a little surprised.
Blue immediately looked like she wanted to take it back. “I just—” She took a breath, forcing her hands to unclench. “Sorry. I didn’t mean—”
She looked miserable.
Something was wrong.
And Green wasn’t sure he wanted to know what.
“…Right,” he said again, glancing between them one more time before rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, uh. I was just—” He hesitated. “Never mind. I’ll—catch you guys later, I guess.”
Blue nodded too fast. “Yeah, okay.”
Yellow smiled, still looking a little confused. “See you later, Green.”
Green turned to leave, but he felt it.
Blue’s eyes on his back.
And when he glanced over his shoulder, just before stepping away—
Blue was staring.
Not at him.
At Yellow.
Like she was watching something slip through her fingers.
And Green?
Green had no idea what the hell was going on.
But he knew something was.
And that?
That was enough to make his stomach twist.
Green had turned back, hesitating just outside the clearing where Blue and Yellow had been talking moments before. Something gnawed at him—something about the way Blue had looked just now. Like she was unraveling.
He exhaled sharply and squared his shoulders. He had a bad feeling about this.
"Blue," he called, stepping back into view. She stiffened at the sound of his voice, turning around with wide, startled eyes. He hesitated. "Can we talk?"
Blue swallowed, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."
They walked a little ways away from the camp, stopping near the edge of the treeline. Green could see the way her hands trembled, the way she kept clenching and unclenching them at her sides.
"What’s going on?" he asked cautiously. "You’re acting weird."
Blue let out a choked laugh, rubbing at her arms like she was cold. "You have no idea."
Green crossed his arms. "Then tell me."
She was quiet for a long moment. Then, finally, in a whisper: "I did it."
Something about the way she said it made his stomach drop. "Did what?"
She squeezed her eyes shut. "I gave it to her. The potion."
Green felt the blood drain from his face. "You what?"
"I—I thought it wouldn’t be that bad," Blue rushed to explain, voice barely above a whisper. "I thought—if she already felt something for me, then maybe it would just... help. But it’s wrong, Green. It’s so wrong, and I don’t know what to do."
'Potion'.
Green's stomach dropped. He knew exactly what kind of potion she meant.
Green’s heart pounded in his chest. He dragged a hand down his face, taking a shaky breath. "Are you kidding me? Do you even know what you just did?"
Blue let out a harsh, shaky breath. "Yes, I know! That’s why I’m telling you!"
Green ran his hands through his hair, his mind racing. "How is she acting? Can she tell something’s off?"
Blue shook her head frantically. "I don’t know. I don’t think so. But I do. I can feel it. She’s... she’s looking at me differently. And not in a good way."
Green let out a frustrated noise, pacing in a small circle. "This is bad. This is so bad. What if someone else notices? What if she starts acting weird in front of the others?"
Blue hugged her arms around herself. "I don’t know. I—I need to fix it, Green. I don’t know how, but I have to."
Green inhaled sharply. His mind was running through every possible way this could go horribly wrong. And then, another realization hit him, and his stomach twisted into knots. "Wait."
He turned to her slowly. "Does Purple know?"
Blue flinched.
And that was all the answer he needed.
"Oh my god," Green whispered. "She’s gonna kill us."
"She caught me before I did it once," Blue admitted, voice hoarse. "She had me pinned against the wall with a knife, Green. A knife. If she finds out I actually went through with it—"
"We’re dead," Green finished for her, voice an octave higher than usual. "We are actually dead."
They stared at each other, both breathing heavily.
"We have to fix this before anyone finds out," Green said firmly. "Especially before Purple finds out."
Blue nodded quickly. "Right. Right. Before Purple finds out."
But neither of them had any idea how to fix it.
Green wasn’t sure how he ended up here. One second, he was just trying to process what Blue had done—what they had done—and now, somehow, they were in this together.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply as he paced near the edge of camp. “This is insane. We’re insane.”
Blue, sitting on a log with her head in her hands, let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, now you’re realizing that?”
“I just—” Green stopped, eyes darting toward the campfire where the others were gathered. Yellow sat between Red and Purple, her usual sharpness dulled, her body language sluggish. His stomach twisted. She has no idea.
Blue followed his gaze. “We need to fix this.”
Green swallowed hard. “How? What do we even do?”
Blue hesitated. “The effects aren’t permanent. But… I don’t know how long it’ll take to wear off.”
Green dragged his hands down his face. “You don’t know?”
“I never actually used one before, Green! What do you want me to say?!”
He bit back his frustration. They didn’t have time for this. “Okay, okay. Then we watch her. We make sure she’s okay while this wears off. And we don’t—”
“Get caught,” Blue finished grimly.
Green nodded. “Especially not by Purple.”
At that, Blue let out a shaky breath. “Yeah. She, uh. She already caught me once.”
Green froze. “What?”
Blue gave him a sidelong glance, then gestured to her throat. “She held a knife to my neck.”
“Oh my god.”
“She pinned me to the wall and told me if I ever tried anything, she’d—”
“I don’t need to hear this!” Green whisper-yelled, running his hands through his hair again. “Holy—Blue, I can’t get caught by her. If she finds out I knew about this and didn’t say anything—”
“You think she’d kill you? She’d kill me first,” Blue muttered.
“She’s dating me now!” Green hissed. “That makes it so much worse!”
Blue groaned. “Okay, so we can’t get caught.”
“Right.”
Silence stretched between them as they both stared at the campfire. The others were laughing at something Red had said. Yellow smiled at them, but it was too easy. Too automatic.
Green clenched his fists.
“We have to be careful,” he murmured.
Blue nodded. “No mistakes.”
A reckless pact.
Neither of them realizing just how quickly it would all fall apart.
* Permanence.
* Despite how much she tries to convince herself,
* How worth it could it be?