Chapter Text
"Man, this blows." Donut sighed.
The rest of the team went to explore the ship for some kind of weapon while he was left behind to guard the base. As usual. He was used to being left behind but it didn't make the wait any less boring.
He was lying on his on an improvised bed made of sandbags about to nap for a while when he heard footsteps from outside. He quickly got up and grabbed his gun that lay on the floor beside him.
"Who's there?" He called out as he ran outside the base to look around. He heard the footsteps again, coming from somewhere in the trees next to his left. He turned to his left, and caught a blur of blonde hair that disappeared into the trees. Was that... Caboose? Donut scratched the back of his head in confusion. What was he doing running around in the middle of the night?
He shrugged and decided to follow him, in case the poor guy got into any trouble.
"Hello? Anyone there." He called out as he walked through the dense forest. It was completely dark and Donut wouldn't have been able to see a thing if it weren't for the light attached to his gun. The forest was completely quiet, save for Donut's shouts and footsteps. It made him uneasy, and he jumped at every little sound he heard. He tripped over rocks and bumped into tree trunks from his anxiety, earning him a few more wounds. He already had a lot from the beating he received from the stranded group when he arrived. He would have to ask Doc for help again when he got back.
He heard leaves rustle to his right and caught a dark figure at the corner of his eye. He quickly turned, pointing his gun at the figure. The small spotlight from his gun uncovered the guilty party.
"Pleasedon'thurtme,scaryanimal!" The blue shouted and stepped back, throwing his arms up in surrender. "I do not want to die yet!"
"Caboose?" Donut slowly lowered his gun after seeing the blue, his eyes wide and was practically shaking with fright. "Don't be scared. It's me, Donut!"
"You are a Red, how do I know that you are not going to shoot me?"
"C'mon, that whole Red vs Blue thing ended a long time ago. We're friends now, we always were! And also..." Donut remembered why he was guarding the base in the first place. "If I hurt you, well, I'll have to answer to that scary robot of yours."
"Oh oh ooooh. Right. Okay, I am not afraid of you anymore."
"Then why are you still shaking?"
"Well, uhm, yes." The blue replied, looking around him. "Well, you see, the forest at night? It's very dark and scary. And dark. And scary."
"Then what the heck are you doing here alone?"
"Tucker said something about a cool-looking plant somewhere in the forest that would look great with Freckles' hat. And you should know how important looking nice is. So I wanted to look for it and surprise Freckles, but Freckles didn't want me to leave the base without him. But it would not be surprising anymore if he went with me to look for it. And the only time he is sleepy is at bedtime. So..."
Caboose continued on with his story while the red listened quietly with an amused smile on his face. Donut couldn't help but find it cute: how excited Caboose was and how he told his story with exaggerated arm movements.
"Anyways, that is why I am here. It is because of stupid Tucker. Now I am scared and just want to go back home to my best friend. But I will never be able to because I am lost." Caboose finished his story and tears started to fall down his face.
"Woah, don't cry, Caboose!" Donut rushed over and pulled a lacey white handkerchief from his pocket. He offered it to Caboose, who gladly took it and blew his nose with it. "I'll help you find your way out."
"Really? Hurray, I will not have to die alone in a forest anymore!" Caboose cheered, his tears quickly disappearing. "You will be here to die with me!"
"Let's not get our hopes up, okay?" Donut chuckled. "For now, let's get out of here."
The red offered his hand to Caboose, who stared at it confused.
"What is that for?"
"So you won't get lost, hold onto my hand." Donut smiled again at how cute Caboose's confused face was. "It's less scary this way."
"Alright, then." Caboose gripped Donut's wrist. Donut laughed at his attempt and removed Caboose's hand from his wrist from the other
"Here, let me show you." He carefully held Caboose's hand, letting their fingers intertwine. "See?"
Even through the armor, Donut could feel Caboose's warmth and smiled. He felt less uneasy knowing that someone else was with him. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
"You're right." Caboose commented, breaking the silence.
"Right about what, buddy?"
"I do feel less scared holding hands and being with you, Donut." He turned to Donut and gave him a big smile. "You really are my bestest friend! Next to Freckles, of course."
Donut, surprised from his answer, blushed a bit. He couldn't handle Caboose's goofy smile and his innocent response. Goddamit, he was so fucking gay.
"You are turning pink, are you okay?" Caboose commented, when he saw the color spread on Donut's face.
"Lightish-red." Donut corrected.
After a few more minutes of walking, Donut saw a familiar red structure from behind the trees in front of them.
"We're here!" Caboose cheered, as they walked past the trees into the canyon, it was still nighttime.
"Thank goodness." Donut was out of breath and was relieved to get back. After a moment of celebration, he noticed Caboose had not let go of his hand yet. "Uhm, Caboose? It's fine already. You can let go."
"I-i do not want to." The blue tightened his grip.
"Still scared?"
"No, I just don't want to." Caboose turned to Donut with a slight blush on his face.
"Alright, we can stay like this a bit longer. Is that alright with you?"
"Yes, I would like that."