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It was no surprise to everyone that M and Two were a little closer to each other than the rest.
Being closer in age, the two younger members of the server often bonded on voice chat or in the general channel to talk about their common interests when there were not many people online. Everyone thought it was good, considering that most of them had quite a bit of an age gap with Two so they couldn’t always spend time with them due to their busy schedules or relate to things that they liked and talked about. But ever since finding out that their newest member was much closer to him in age, they felt relieved and happy for the teen to have gained a new friend he could closely relate to.
Though, as time passed, their relationship blossomed into something more than what they anticipated. Something that’s a little more than just friendship, but not quite like a romantic one, either. A bit difficult to put your finger on it the closer you look at them but it was there, nonetheless.
Quest was the first to notice this. It was during one of his late-night shifts when he logged in to the server and caught the two teens hanging out in voice chat even after having been told by Salo to get some rest in the past hour. The message reminded him of how a father would tell his kids to go to sleep since it was past their bedtime. Amusing, to say the least.
When he didn’t see the little mic beside their name, he figured that the two were enjoying themselves in their own little world, chatting about who-knows-what and that was enough for him to cut them some slack and leave them be. It was the holidays, anyway, and they didn’t seem to have anything going on for the rest of the month so he leaves them be for now.
The next hint happened a few months after the voice call incident.
It was their first offline meeting, the whole group. Owl was the one who suggested meeting up in person as a way to celebrate their fourth anniversary and having never had the chance to do so, everyone was quick to agree. Plans were made ahead of time; talks about where to meet, what to do, and how long it’ll be were also discussed but Quest’s attention was on the two kiddos that seem to be oddly quiet during the discussion, their icons only lighting up when there’s a soft sound coming from their end. His curiosity for them just gets piqued even more the longer they remain silent.
—
The day of the meeting came faster than he thought.
A good number of them had already arrived at the airport and were simply waiting for the others, with Quest being the first one to arrive and wait. Following him were Owl and Lady who had just found out they lived close enough to each other that they boarded the same plane together. It was a funny encounter, and that was apparent on both of their faces as soon as they realized they knew each other.
The others arrived not long after, be it alone or in pairs, but what surprised Quest the most was M and Onion who arrived laughing so hard that they were clutching their stomach—though it was mostly M who did the laughing. The purple-haired man’s face twisted in annoyance as his hands were hidden deep into his jacket while they walked to the conveyor belt to retrieve their things. A smile was quick to appear on Quest’s face to see them safe and happy.
Now, it was only Two who had yet to arrive. He heard from Lady that their flight got delayed a few minutes back so it’s gonna take them some time to land. She mentions the anxiety in his texts just from the button mashing and typos they’ve sent and Quest could only shake his head in affection before asking her to reassure them to help calm his nerves.
His eyes darted to M who had been staring at the terminal they just got out from, their expression unreadable. They were probably worried about Two’s flight, but their eyes quickly lit up like stars as the plane slowly landed in the same area that theirs did.
Finally, the last and youngest member of the server arrives in one piece.
—
The rest of the day was spent walking around the area and trying to get to their Airbnb. Albeit a hassle to have their luggage pulled around, it was still enjoyable since everyone was happily chatting about their experience traveling and meeting for the first time. He could hear the bright laughter from June and Owl, and small talks that Xyx and Toast were having that were definitely related to FFXIV, but what really drew his attention were the two teens in front of him.
Amidst the laughter and chatter, Quest’s ears caught wind of their conversation.
“How was your flight?”
“I’m never boarding a plane again.”
“You’re such a wuss.”
Then, his eyes widened at the sight of M reaching up to brush Two’s hair from behind, giggling as he puffed his cheeks at them before moving closer to their side.
—
When the group went out for lunch, Quest’s attention was on the two younger members once again. They stayed the same as yesterday, but M was chattier than before while Two remained quiet and smiling. If not for the way they’d glance at the brunette next to him, Quest would’ve thought they were listening to the conversation the whole time.
“I just think a water park would be a much better choice since it’s getting warmer, you know?”
“ Boooo, water parks are boring and overrated. Have you ever thought of going skiing in the mountains instead?”
“Hiking’s a fun activity, too.”
“There’s no way you’re getting me to climb a fucking mountain in a hundred-degree weather.”
As the group continues their discussion of future trips, Quest catches sight of M’s hand under the table, holding the other’s hand in theirs as they smile and continue to exchange thoughts with the rest of the group. With a squeeze of their smaller one, Two’s ears were quick to redden as he covered the lower half of his face with one hand.
—
The next few days of the trip were spent merry and content. Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves so much that as soon as they came home to the Airbnb, they were knocked out and slept soundly. It was amusing to see Onion be the first one to fall asleep as soon as they stepped foot into the house and got a hold of his bed (June made sure to take quiet photos of him as a souvenir of the trip and the peacefulness in his face).
But of course, there was always a pair that stuck out like a sore thumb in Quest’s eyes the entire trip.
With the others resting peacefully, M and Two were sitting in the dimly-lit living room and quietly talking amongst themselves about the last few days they spent together.
“—and to think that you and Onion not only lived in the same area but also went to the same college together .”
“Right? And he never even bothered to tell me about it!”
M laughed softly, their shoulders no longer shying away from Two’s.
“Maybe he didn’t know.”
“Could be.”
“Plus Bloombot would’ve censored that anyway.”
He watches M lean their head against Two’s shoulders, not even bothering to back away, and instead, he rests his own against theirs.
“I’m glad you got permission to join the trip, though. Surprising, considering it took you a while to get the OK sign before meeting up with me for the first time.”
Oh.
“It’s been a year already, cut me some slack.”
“Nope, not when you told me that you were never getting on a plane again after your first flight delay.”
Quest hears the taller teen groan as the other’s giggle fills the silence in the room. The two continue to talk more about things that had happened today and yesterday that have long passed by while the picture in his mind had grown clearer than the skies after a storm.
He quietly closes the door to his shared room with Xyx and the others and heads to his side with a soft smile resting on his face before finally drifting off to sleep. He takes note to keep this part of the trip to himself for now and simply bask in the feeling of seeing his two favorite members getting along well with each other.