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It’s unusual for Blue to be so listless. On a typical day, he’d be one of the first ones with energy, eager to concoct brand new potions to test, or to follow Yellow around with a million questions about coding. The company, while annoying from time to time, is a comfort to Yellow, where he now feels a little lonely when Blue’s not around. It doesn’t matter which of his other friends Yellow spends time with, It’s Blue, specifically that Yellow prefers the company of, though he can’t easily say why. Maybe it’s his affinity for a nurturing personality, where he’s the first one to offer comfort to anyone. Or it could be the way he tries to keep the peace most of the time, talking someone off the edge of an angry episode. Yellow’s always found comfort it in.
Sure, Blue can come with a sharp tongue himself, he’s no stranger to sarcasm or his own impulses. It’s only served to influence Yellow as well, with him subconsciously shifting his own mannerisms around to appease Blue, or what he thinks Blue would like.
So when Blue hasn’t been seen for several hours at this point, Yellow is concerned. It’s not like Blue to make himself scarce, especially when he has a chance to throw a sarcastic jab Yellow’s way. Yellow had even purposely tried being annoying with his command block staff, but everyone else had also largely ignored his antics. It’s only Blue Yellow is fussing over. Blue being quieter doesn’t mean he’s completely introverted.
It takes several minutes of searching before he finds himself searching Green's room. Blue’s nowhere to be found, though the other three are in the bedroom, all absorbed in a board game that he’s not currently paying attention to.
“Haven’t seen him,” Red comments after Yellow's inquiry, not glancing at up in Yellow’s direction. “We thought he was with you.” He’s staring at Orange, who’s staring back in Red's direction. “Point is, Orange,” he continues talking, continuing an argument Yellow isn’t aware of. “Just because that faction is your color, doesn’t mean you get automatic dibs. It literally has cat in the name, I think I deserve it.”
“Why can’t you take Woodland? ” Orange argues back. “It’s the same general cottage core theme you love so much. But honestly, we should all go by our colors anyway, it’s more convenient.”
“Guys, I’m still trying to read the instructions here,” Green cuts in. “Can’t you two just do rock paper scissors for the orange faction?” Green pinches his nose before shaking his head in Yellow’s direction. “Sorry man, Blue’s probably in the Nether again. If you still can’t find him, we’ll help you look.”
“It’s fine,” Yellow responds with a suffering sigh. He glances at the name of the game they’re trying to play, but the name escapes him the second he leaves to track Blue down.
The guy could be anywhere. Yellow really doesn’t want to search the entire Nether for Blue, so he hopes Blue remained on the PC. There’s also still way too many places on the PC Blue could have disappeared off to. The more time he spends looking, the more his concern and even paranoia grow. If Blue can’t be found, does that mean he’s in trouble?
Since he’s not in their house, Yellow decides to trace all possible steps. He’ll start with their website, and then go from there. Blue is typically resilient, and tends to bounce back from anything. He also isn’t the type to stay missing for long without contacting his friends in some way, so Yellow hopes he’s just being overly protective. He steps into the site, entering through their makeshift door. Yellow forgets how sterile this place is. Any of the sticks being in here would stand out.
The ground floor is empty. Yellow doesn’t have to poke around much to recognize that there’s nothing and no one here. It’s when he heads up the stairs he sees the spot of blue huddled in a corner.
Blue is curled up, knees tucked inside an oversized hoodie, head resting against the wall. The way he’s slouched forward tells Yellow that Blue’s asleep, but he can’t imagine how comfortable that position actually is. With a frown, he crosses the room, kneeling down next to the stick.
“Blue?”
When Blue opens his eyes a second later, Yellow is even more concerned, seeing how bloodshot they are. He stares miserably in Yellow’s direction before his eyes drop closed again, shifting his body to face Yellow.
“Hey, are you alright?” Yellow asks. He reaches for Blue’s hand, frown deepening when noticing how cold it is. “Blue?”
“I’m knackered,” Blue mumbles. “I’ve had a miserable headache all day, my chest burns, and I’ve not been able to stop coughing.” He falls silent after that, aside from a bit of sniffling.
“Are you sick, you reckon?” Yellow asks. Without waiting for Blue’s response, he presses the back of his hand to Blue’s forehead. He’s definitely warmer than normal. “Oh my, that answers that question.”
“I told you my symptoms,” Blue gripes, sounding too tired to deliver biting sarcasm. “Yet you have to feel my face to see for yourself. You’re such a know-it-all. ” He scrunches up his face before hunching forward, launching into what sounds like a very wet cough.
“I’d say you need a doctor, but I’d rather put you to bed in our…less sterile home here.” Yellow pulls away, grabbing Blue’s hand again. “I can try and brew a health potion later.”
“Why try when your staff can handle the doing? ” Blue follows his lead, shakily using the wall and Yellow’s grip to get back to his feet. Once he’s up though, he’s falling into Yellow quite heavily, coughing out a weak apology as he tries to straighten himself.
Yellow wraps an arm around Blue’s waist. “You’re right, I could just whip up the strongest health potion for you. I’d do it right now, but I think you’d prefer the rest anyway. Your eyes resemble Red right now, and that’s honestly terrifying me.”
“Shut up,” Blue mutters, resting his head against Yellow’s shoulder. The pair are walking slowly, back down the stairs, and back out onto the PC. “I don’t have enough energy to whip up the mother of all insults. Have I mentioned I’m knackered?”
Yellow snorts, guiding Blue back toward the house. From out here, he can hear yelling. Clearly the earlier argument had devolved into a brawl, which isn’t at all unusual for a normal day. Though, Yellow hesitates when Blue groans, pressing his hand to the side of his head. “Oh my,” Yellow comments, fighting the urge add to the din. His need to be protective is outweighing his common sense. “Your head.”
“Can’t we just put a mattress in our website?” Blue asks quietly. “At least in there I didn’t have to hear this.” For a second, Yellow is inclined to agree. Blue needs silence if he’s to get any sort of rest. However, Yellow doesn’t think the completely white environment would do Blue any favors either.
“No,” Yellow says. “You need your room. I’ll make them shut up or go somewhere else, alright?” He detangles himself from Blue, who sits down the second the pair are separated. Blue’s fine. Yellow heads inside, back to Green’s room where Orange has Red pinned to the wall, and Red is biting his wrist.
“Hey, hey!” Yellow calls out. The three stop and turn toward him, falling silent immediately. “I found Blue, and he’s got a cold. So I need you three to shut your mouths for as long as Blue needs to sleep. You can tiptoe as needed, but if you make any sort of noise, I will personally trap you in a zipped folder for a few hours.”
“Wait.” Green gets up from where he’d been laying, cards sprawled around him. “Blue’s sick?” He starts picking up the cards and other game pieces. “Leave it to us, we’ll be the very essence of silence.”
“Why can’t I get that respect when I need sleep?” Orange whines, releasing Red. He starts rubbing his wrist, shooting Red a scathing glare. “Check your teeth next time, pal. You bite really hard.”
“You don’t need the 'sick recovery' kind of rest,” Red counters. He grins widely, showing his teeth, as though taunting Orange. “I don’t mind waking you up.”
“Quiet down, settle down. I’m going to put Blue to bed, and we are going to play the Quiet Game,” Yellow instructs. “Also, Red, don’t bite people. That’s rude.”
“Tell that to Orange!” Red protests, waving his arms in protest. “He bit me first!”
“He did,” Green adds. “He bit Red’s finger for trying to take the orange faction from him. They both punched me in the face.”
“Orange, don’t bite people, that’s rude.” Yellow is no longer paying attention to the commotion. It’s fallen relatively silent now, so he heads back out to where Blue’s still seated. He’s curled up again, resting his head on his knees. Crouching down next to him, Yellow rubs Blue’s back to alert him. “Hey, come on Blue. Let’s get you to bed, alright?”
“What was I hearing about biting?” Blue asks. He sounds more dazed than earlier. “Unless I’m so out of it, I’m hearing things.”
“It’s another typical day,” Yellow says soothingly. “Don’t worry about it.” When they reach Blue’s bedroom at last, Yellow nudges him toward the bed. “Don’t worry about the others either, they’re aware of your symptoms.”
“Thanks, man.” Blue flops down atop his bedding, rolling onto his side. Another groan slips out, followed by a weak coughing fit. “Just… don’t hover, mate. If I need you, I’ll probably wheeze in your general direction.”
“Right.” Yellow doesn’t exactly like being pushed away, though in this case it’s understandable. Blue doesn’t want him to hover, but he said nothing about Yellow not being allowed to stay close.
He leaves Blue’s room, deciding to stay nearby to make sure nothing disturbs Blue’s rest while he needs it.
He hates this place. He loathes the memories that come with it, and he hates even more that stupid brat that seems to be the ultimate protector of the PC as well as the rest of the inhabitants. Well, hate is too intense of a word. Dark doesn’t actually hate Second, fear is probably the more appropriate emotion.
It’s not Second he gives two shits about anyway.
The PC is currently dark, no cursor in sight. There’s no other stick figure in sight either. Just below the portal is the time, which shows it’s late, but not terribly late. Only around one in the morning. That would probably explain why no one is out and about. It’s actually disappointing, because Dark had come to snatch one specific stick figure for his own purposes.
Mostly, Dark wants to try playing another video game with Blue. Against Dark’s better judgement, he finds some strange sort of comfort in the stick figure, some tense alliance that feels far more genuine than any other alliance he’d held in the past. It’s not like Dark actually cares too much about Blue, but at the same time, he’s a little more open to whatever friendship Blue keeps offering him.
If Blue’s asleep right now, it means Dark actually has to wait for anyone to wake up, and he loathes having his patience tested. Though, this could be a perfect chance for Dark to snoop without worrying about Alan picking up on his presence. Dark wouldn’t mind seeing what the residents of the PC actually get up to when they’re actually at home.
Moving away from the portal, Dark stretches his arms across his torso, loosening muscles that had become stiff from all the flying he does through all the wires. His first stop is Blue’s potion station. Dark nearly smiles at the memory before whipping his head back and forth with a scowl. No, that hadn’t been fun. Dark certainly did not enjoy being Blue’s test subject for so long, being rendered practically unconscious through various experiments. The only positive emotion Dark can remember from that is how excited Blue had been. He’d willingly chosen to be around Dark, seemingly unafraid of Dark, even if briefly.
Blue had also never seriously hurt Dark, even though it’d been the perfect chance for revenge. Dark can still recall Blue actively brewing several healing potions to ensure Dark’s health remained good.
So maybe it hadn’t been entirely bad.
Dark reaches for a nearby chest, kicking it open with his foot. Inside are various empty glass bottles, mixed with haphazard ingredients. It seems Blue has no storage system. It’s completely chaotic. Interesting. He’d expect chaos from Chosen, or even any of the others. Not from Blue.
“No!”
Dark reels back at the shout, whipping his head toward the source of it. Startled, he nearly trips on the chest, though barely catches himself on the nearby table. Yellow is rushing toward him, a diamond sword in his hand. Dark had never seen the stick figure so furious before.
Come to think of it, Dark hadn’t actually seen any of them fight very much. He knows they’re capable of it, but that had been an entirely different situation. At the time, Dark had been lost in a rampage, too angry and heartbroken with Chosen's betrayal to do much else other than destroy everything getting in his way.
Had his face back then looked this twisted and malicious?
“Go away!” Yellow snarls viciously, swinging his sword at Dark. Dark throws an arm out to try and block the attack, his own blade automatically materializing just in time to spare his face. Undeterred by Dark’s sword, Yellow swings again, aiming lower.
“Yellow!” Dark protests, blocking the second attack. He tries to back away, but Yellow’s faster. The stick isn’t listening to Dark, clearly determined to kill. He swings a third time, managing to knock Dark backwards and onto the floor. “Yellow! Stop!”
Yellow towers over him, re-adjusting his grip on the sword. He’s holding it downward, as though getting ready to outright impale Dark in the gut. “You can’t fucking have him!” Yellow rages. “Get out of our PC!” Before Yellow can stab Dark, Dark kicks a leg up, hitting Yellow in the stomach and sending him flying backwards.
Dark doesn’t wait for Yellow to straighten himself. If that damned stick wants a fight, Dark will happily give him one. Launching back up, he lunges forward, aiming a punch right at Yellow’s face. Yellow swings his sword again, nicking Dark in the arm. Dark slows his movements enough to glance downward, fury growing at the sight of crimson trickling downward.
There’s a triumphant expression on Yellow’s face at that, so he’s pushing forward to stab. Dark’s movements catch up to Yellows, confusion and shock wearing off. Yellow is an ordinary stick figure, Dark has powers, and he can use them to his advantage. Not to kill, but to knock this yellow asshole into next week. Vira blade appearing again, Dark takes a swing of his own to catch Yellow’s sword, watching as the diamond starts disintegrating. There’s no time for either of them to react, because Yellow’s launching into a flying kick. Grabbing his leg, Dark spins around, flinging Yellow into a stray folder near ground level. The folder rips in half before Yellow lands in a roll, settling into a crouch.
The fight is on. It’s brutal, with both of them refusing to hold back. No weapons are needed at this point, Dark is happy to simply use his hands. Every blow Yellow lands on him, Dark returns with just as much force. Still, Dark is succeeding in pushing their battle closer to the house on the edge of the screen. It’s still a nasty brawl though, and it finally ends when Dark grabs Yellow again, throwing him into the side of the house. There’s a loud thud with the impact, and Yellow is sliding down the side before collapsing on the ground with a pained moan. The fact he's not immediately jumping up tells Dark he's won.
Dark tries to take a step forward, but Yellow is up again, getting ready to lunge. He barely makes it a step when the other stick figures, including Blue, trickle outside to see the commotion. Dark is furious when he sees Second trailing last, gaze already locked on Dark.
“Whoa whoa whoa!” Blue yells, waving at Yellow frantically. “Yellow, what are you doing, man? Are you okay?”
“Do you really have to ask?” Yellow rants. He waves his hand toward Dark. “Yell at him. Have him explain why he’s showing up again.”
Second’s gaze, still locked on Dark, narrows in a way that has him stepping back. Fear. It doesn’t matter that Second is younger than him by a handful of years, Dark’s long since learned that the young adult is hardly anyone he wants to fuck with. Unless everyone wants a fight. Dark would attempt a second rematch with the kid, mostly to save face.
Nothing happens though, because Blue is moving to stand in between everyone else and Dark. Holding his hands out to either side, looks back and forth between them. “Everyone chill, alright? We don’t need to fight.”
Anger fades slightly when Dark notes how out of it Blue looks. The guy looks like shit, really, with greasy looking hair, red-rimmed eyes, a lethargic stance. Dark’s pretty sure he can hear Blue wheezing, too.
“I’m trying to protect us!” Yellow insists. “Our history with this guy results in death and tragedy, okay? Why are you defending him?”
“I’m not defending him, I’m asking for everyone to stop fighting,” Blue retorts. His arms drop to his sides as he turns to face Dark. “Now’s not a good time. You’ve gone and upset my friends, and I…ugh.” Blue’s voice trails into a raspy cough. It’s harsh enough that Blue’s doubling over, struggling to breathe, only to launch into another fit immediately after the first one.
That’s incredibly concerning. Closing the distance between them, Dark grips Blue by the jaw and forces Blue to look at him. His skin is clammy and warm, feverishly so. Blue’s eyes are glassy with unspoken pain, too. Dark knows that look well, he’s seen Chosen try to hide migraines multiple times.
“You’re sick,” he says simply. “You should be in bed.”
His hand is pried from Blue by Yellow’s still-angry grip. “He was in bed,” Yellow snaps. “Until you started prowling around.” Shoving Dark back, it’s Yellow’s turn to stand in the middle. “Also, don’t touch him, he’s not your toy to play with.”
“Yellow!” Blue’s eyes widen as he turns toward his friend. “I’m okay, man, it's okay!”
“No, it’s not!” Yellow continues, voice rising in volume. “I don’t know what sinister motivations Dark has with you, but I’m not going to sit back and watch you suffer and die all over again because he can’t control himself!”
There’s a silence that falls over the group as a whole. Dark isn’t sure whether or not to feel enraged over the accusation, or offended that Yellow has such a bleak opinion of him. Maybe it’s both. Still, he holds his hands up, taking a single step back. “You think I’m going to hurt him?” Dark asks, voice more quiet than he wants it to be. He thought he was angry, maybe he’s not actually pissed. The accusation had actually hurt. “Fine. I’ll back off.”
“No, stop,” Blue protests. “Everyone stop! ” The stick flicks at his nose before pressing a hand to Yellow’s shoulder. “I don’t know what’s gotten into everyone, I don’t like all of you fighting over me. Can we just chill? I literally feel like death, and none of you have any manners whatsoever. Yellow, I love you man, but I’m a grown man, I can handle myself.”
“I don’t trust him,” Yellow spits. “You shouldn’t either.”
“No one should,” Second says. His voice is a deadly calm, carrying across the PC and stilling everyone. Dark is sure he can see trails of green sparking around Second’s eyes, or maybe he’s just remembering how close to death he’d come before. “Since Blue is going to vouch for you, you can stay for a little while. The second you cause any further trouble, I will boot you from this PC like the virus you are.” He takes a step forward, Dark takes a step back. “Also, if you so much as breathe in Yellow’s direction again, I will take your wristbands and attack you with your own sword. Capisce? ”
“Whatever,” Dark grumbles, looking down at the ground. “Crystal clear.”
He watches most everyone retreat inside the home, save for Blue and Yellow. Blue glances over his shoulder at said home, before jerking his head, leading Dark toward a random sofa not too far away from it. There, Blue collapses face down, grunting as another coughing fit overtakes him.
“I’m so knackered,” Blue complains. “I’m going back to sleep, neither of you better wake me this time.” He falls silent, leaving Dark to stand in confusion before turning to Yellow.
Yellow has another sword in hand, but he’s not lifting it. His gaze is boring a hole through Dark, so again, Dark is lifting his hands in surrender.
“Question my motivation all you want,” Dark gripes. “I’m not going to hurt him. You, on the other hand, could use another round.”
“Come near me, and I’m yelling for Orange.”
“Wonderful how I get all the blame in this situation. You attacked me first.” Dark holds up his arm as a reminder.
“I’m justified in my actions. You killed all of us once before, remember? You’re not exactly a scapegoat here, you’re public enemy number one.”
“I suppose that makes you the knight in shining armor,” Dark sneers. “For all your posturing and bitching about how Blue isn’t my toy, you certainly don’t seem to let him speak for himself very much. Why does he have to answer to you? Like he said, he’s a grown man.”
“I don’t have to explain anything to you, our relationship is none of your business. Don’t you have another hollow head to obsess over anyway? Blue’s off limits.”
“Chosen isn’t around,” Dark snaps. “If I actually knew where he was, I’d be trying to track him down. The asshole went dark, and I’m willing to bet that none of you know where he is either. Besides, I didn’t come here to talk about Chosen, I came here to spend time with Blue.”
“Why?” Yellow’s gaze is less irate, leaning more into quizzical. It’s leaning dangerously into nosey, too much for Dark’s comfort.
“What do you mean why?” Dark responds. “My relationship with Blue isn’t any of your business either!”
“No, it’s exactly my business. Blue is important to me, and if you want access to him, you are now going through me to get there. Answer my question.”
Dark presses his lips together, turning his head away. He’s trying to ignore how hot his face gets now, or the anxiety pooling in his stomach. Dark doesn’t like being backed into a corner. He likes it even less that it’s Yellow, someone he once thought to be a pest, is the one holding control.
It’s so different from Blue. Where Blue is gentle and willing to offer friendship, Yellow is interrogative, harsh, and not at all afraid to defend his loved ones. Dark loathes it. But then again, maybe Yellow has a point.
How does he feel about Blue? It’s certainly nothing romantic. Dark doesn’t know what that feels like, never having experienced any sort of healthy dynamic before. It’s not an obsession either. His obsession will always be on Chosen, Chosen will always be a priority for Dark. But Blue fills a void inside Dark that he can’t explain. It’s warm, it’s soothing, and it brings out a more protective side of Dark that he’s rarely gotten to experience.
“You care about Blue, don’t you?” Yellow’s voice is soft. All anger had left the stick, leaving him looking thoughtful. Dark wants to punch that expression off Yellow’s face. “Well, I don’t know if it’s care, since I doubt you’re capable of actual emotions-”
“Will you quit that?” Dark snaps. “I still feel things, same as you. You’re being offensive.” He starts to pace back and forth, too agitated to stand still anymore. It’s a habit he’d picked up from Chosen, but it’s one that’s strangely more soothing than he’d expected.
“I’m not trying to be offensive. Or maybe I am, I don't know yet.”
“So what if I killed you once?” Dark continues. “Second fixed up that entire situation, and left me near dead myself. I’m not exactly keen on coming after any of you again.”
“You’re really scared of whatever Orange did to you, huh?” Yellow’s pressing a hand to his chin, still looking deep in thought. “And you still came here, knowing Orange was around the corner, all to spend time with Blue?” Yellow lets that hang in the air.
“None of your business,” Dark repeats. “Your own words.”
“You really do care, then. A crush, maybe?” Yellow moves closer to Dark, who’s taking a large step back. Frantically, he glances over in Blue’s direction, half expecting him to jump between the pair again. Blue’s still on the sofa, unmoving, aside from short and quiet coughs.
Yellow stops, giving Dark the space he wants. He’s on the verge of fleeing completely, figuring he can just try catching Blue’s attention the next time he’s in the Nether. Dark wants to get as far away from Yellow as possible; he’s starting to bring out more anxiety than even Second does.
“I love him, you know.” Yellow’s gaze drifts toward Blue. “He keeps me grounded when I’d otherwise lose myself in coding and projects. I started taking for granted that he’d always come back to my side, that he wouldn’t want anyone else for company.”
“I don’t understand.” Dark’s teeth are clenched, hands balled into fists. “Why should I care about how you feel?”
“Because. We both care about him a huge deal, we’re going to have to work that out for ourselves. We can’t keep fighting over him. Like he said, he’s a grown man.” Yellow sighs, before sitting on the ground, drawing his knees up. “Sometimes I forget that he’s resilient. Blue’s the peacemaker of the group, or tries to be. He’s the last one to want to jump into a fight, and the first one to talk people out of trouble.”
“Does a poor job of it,” Dark quips. “He’s perfectly happy to get into trouble where I’m concerned.”
“Yeah, and I don’t understand why. ” Yellow sounds frustrated. “I don’t know what kind of spell you cast on him to make him actually care about you. It’s so infuriating having to listen to him talk about how much fun you had in the Nether. He didn’t stop talking about his crossbow for days.”
“Are you jealous?” Dark can take a silent victory if that’s the case. Though, it’d also feel hollow, in a way. A jealous Yellow might upset Blue.
“Of you? Do you want me to say yes?” Yellow fixes him with a stare. Contemplative, nearing blank. Dark hates that look, he wants to hide behind the sofa to get away from Yellow. “Because yes, I suppose I am jealous.”
“Yeah, well.” Whatever victory he’d felt seconds ago is gone now, replaced with a sense of guilt. “He cowered in fear during our last encounter. The only reason he was excited is because I gave him a crossbow. He really wanted it for some reason.”
“Are you kidding? He can’t stay away from you.” Yellow’s nostrils flare out. “If Blue really was scared of you, then explain why he had fun with you twice now. Then explain why you’re coming around a third time specifically to see him. To me it’s clear as day that you have feelings for each other, but I suppose you’re too stupid to see it.”
“I’m not stupid.”
“Yes, you are.” Yellow smacks the toolbar in frustration. “You don’t want me to dehumanize you? Fine. I think you have a lot of passion for what you’re capable of doing. I saw how much work you poured into your virus, how much programming it must’ve taken. Not only to program an AI into it, but to build all the individual spiderbots. You have passion and drive, and I also know you care about Chosen still, in whatever way you’re capable of. You never actually hurt him way back, so I don’t think you wanted to hurt him. All this to say, I know you’re capable of good things, you’re just too blinded by some need to be evil and loud about it to hide that part of you.”
“You don’t know me at all.” Dark’s feeling cornered again, anxious, afraid. The PC feels too cramped, and he’s missing the open world of the outernet. “Nice guess, but wrong.”
“No, I don’t think I am.” Yellow puts his sword away finally. “I just think you’re stupid. It’s whatever though, you don’t have to actually do anything about it. It’s all Blue’s decision at the end of the day.”
That, Dark can agree with.
“Do I finally have your permission to stay?” Dark asks. He’d tried to make it come out as a sneer, to return to their less-than-friendly banter. He needs to feel some sense of normalcy again, to shove these feelings back down to where he can pretend they don’t exist. But his voice only reveals how tired he actually is, and how vulnerable he feels. He and Blue are friends, nothing more. Dark isn’t ready to go beyond their surface level friendship, and he’s especially not willing to stand there and let Yellow dissect him.
“Sure. I suppose I can leave you to watch over him.” Yellow stands back up, looking over at Dark. “I still don’t trust you, but I trust Blue, and he seems to trust you for reasons I don’t know. I’ll be back in the morning, and he’d better still be sleeping on this sofa, right here.”
“Go, then. I’ll be a good boy and stay put." Dark rolls his eyes, watching as Yellow walks into the house, backwards. It’s clear he’s reluctant to leave Blue alone with Dark, but it’s also late at this point. Too late, even Dark’s feeling tired.
With Yellow finally gone, Dark sits and leans against the sofa, facing Blue. The stick is asleep, though it doesn’t look particularly restful. Blue’s shifting around, still coughing, and Dark can still hear that pained wheezing. Scooting a little closer, he presses a hand to Blue’s cheek. Blue mumbles incoherently, head tilting into Dark’s touch.
“Don’t worry,” Dark murmurs, knowing Blue can’t hear him. “I won’t cause trouble for any of you. I just want you to get better.”
They’re just friends. There’s no reason for either of them to feel anything more. There’s no reason for Dark to care about someone other than Chosen. But Chosen hasn’t been around in months, and Dark is lonely. His agitation and temper had increased, as well as his need to destroy everything he touches. He was created to be the bad guy, it’s all he knows.
So why does he -whenever he's around Blue, or thinking about Blue- feel so…
Happy?