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Just like how it normally is in Golden Grove, the clouds were gray. It was raining, but not as heavily as it usually did. Roxanne and Qiu were incredibly bored at home, and decided to make a stop at the corner store for some snacks. She was holding an umbrella for both of them. However, Qiu seems to have gone on autopilot mode; they treaded carefully, but stared off into the abyss. Roxy notices immediately, and raises an eyebrow.
"Qiu?" Roxanne calls their nickname out, waving her hand in front of their face. Qiu gets startled as they turn to face her, taking a step back and stepping on their untied shoelace, but they realize they've hit the end of the slightly raised sidewalk as they lose their balance. She gasps, quickly letting go of her umbrella to catch them with both hands as she grabs their wrist to pull Qiu towards her. Roxy catches them in time, both her arms wrapped around Qiu's waist, supporting their back as she leans towards them.
Qiu gasps as they hold onto her jacket's sleeve tightly, their hoodie being the only thing partially shielding them from the rain now that Roxanne has ditched the umbrella. For a moment, they stayed in each other’s arms, not wanting to get out. Unfortunately, if they kept this up, the rain would drench them both.
Roxanne realizes this and gently helps Qiu up. However, Roxy also loses balance and stumbles backwards as she shifts their weight to steady Qiu. She lowers herself to regain control and scrapes her knee against the wet asphalt in the process, eliciting a sharp wince from her lips. "Woah—Rox, are you alright?" They query, incredibly concerned.
"I'm fine." She chuckles awkwardly, letting go of Qiu to give them leeway to stand up. Roxanne sighs, regretting her decision of wearing shorts today as she grabs the discarded umbrella on the side, giving it to them. "Hold this, Qiu." Roxy says, and they nod as they hold the umbrella over their heads. Unexpectedly, Roxanne gets on one knee and starts tying their shoelaces.
"What are you doing?" They blankly stare, blinking slowly. However, Qiu can't deny the fact that they liked the courteous action, and they fail to hold back a bit of blush. Roxy huffs, silently cursing herself for placing her injured knee on the asphalt road. "Tying your shoelaces." She responds casually, "I appreciate you trying to protect me by taking the side closer to the road, but you should really pay more attention."
They frown, and Roxanne looks up at them, noticing their morose expression. "I'm sorry..." Qiu mutters apologetically, causing Roxy to mirror the same sulky look on their face. She stands up after a few moments, dusting off her knees as she pats their head, coaxing a relaxed sound from them. "Don't be sorry, I'm happy you wanted to protect me too, but I don't want you to risk your life for me." Roxy lightheartedly teases them, trying to ease the tension.
"Let's just go to the store, alright? I've been craving chips since I woke up." Roxanne smirks, grabbing the umbrella from Qiu's hands, adjusting her choker with one hand while holding the umbrella with the other. Qiu nods, and Roxy switches their positions, giving them no choice but to take the side closest to the buildings.
Qiu looks at Roxanne's knee and scowls, noticing the abrasion on her knee as they scoot closer to her. "Rox, you're hurt." They say gently, staring at her knee before looking into her irises, as if staring at the wound would make it disappear. Roxanne shrugs, seemingly not caring about getting injured. "It's just a little scrape, I'll live." She responds, and Qiu grabs her forearm, leading her to the corner store.
"Once we head into the store, I'll borrow a first-aid kit before buying anything." They respond seriously, walking even faster. "Sure, a wound won't kill you, but we still need to treat it. I know what I'm doing." Qiu stares at her briefly before continuing to stroll around Golden Grove. Roxy beams ever so slightly, realizing she can't do anything except allow Qiu to tend to her wounds as she holds the umbrella even higher; Roxy remembers what happened when she first went to the park with Qiu, Tamarack, Ren, and Baxter.
"Alright, if that's what you want." She replies, acknowledging Qiu's words. "I just want you to be happy." Roxanne continues, and they scoff, but deep inside, appreciate her care. Qiu jokingly rolls their eyes, but there was no real heat behind the gesture. "You're being cheesy, Rox." They taunt, and Roxy just smirks, knowing that their reaction was them just being a bit flustered.
Continuing to walk along the pavement, the two finally reach the corner shop and Roxanne closes her umbrella before entering, wandering around aimlessly. Qiu asks the cashier for a first-aid kit; she thought it was pretty strange for a snack store to have such a thing, but it's better to be prepared. She steps forward to stand beside them, and tilts her head to see what's happening.
Roxy attempts to sit on the ground, but Qiu stops her, going on one knee and opening the first-aid kit. "I'll take care of this. The floor is wooden so you might scrape your knee more." They reply, and she just makes a soft sound of understanding. Qiu rubs alcohol into their palms before applying pressure onto the scrape to stop the bleeding with a spare towel that Roxanne brought.
"Qiu, you really don't need to do this for me." Roxy looks down at them empathetically, and they give her a sincere smile as they realize the bleeding stopped. Using antiseptic wipes, they remove dirt around the scrape. "It's fine, I've done this before. I'm a professional." They reply breezily, and Roxanne giggles, recalling the memory where they treated the scrape on her hand after falling off her skateboard.
Roxanne smirks, letting Qiu treat her abrasion without any complaints. "You know—I could never forget that moment. You made my crush on you even worse." She says in the most straightforward manner, and they giggle, looking up at her adoringly. "You're way too honest sometimes." Qiu smirks, and Roxy decides to tease them.
"That's what you like about me, right? You're literally proposing to me right now." Roxanne jokes, and Qiu scoffs while putting a bandage on her wound; they close the kit and pick it up before standing, but can't help the smile that forms on their face. "Very funny, Rox. Did you already forget I'd be waiting for you to make the move?" They nudge her arm, grinning at her and she holds their wrist. "I thought you would've grown impatient already."
Qiu just laughs at her words, looking at the various options at the store. Roxanne leads the way, dragging them along as they carefully try to find their favorites from the store. She ends up picking up the same chip bag as them, her pinky on top of theirs.
"Spicy cheese puffs? Some things never change." Roxanne giggles, and Qiu snatches the bag from her hands as they beam proudly. "Maybe I haven't changed as much as I thought I did." They mutter, holding onto her forearm as they ponder over the parallels that have happened today since Roxy's first autumn in Golden Grove. She probably shares the same thought as them, as she absentmindedly picks up another bag of spicy chips.
Roxy grins, but there was a hint of melancholy at her expression. She gazes into Qiu's eyes, with bittersweet thoughts in her head. Hopefully, someday, Qiu will be able to find their true self. For now, Roxanne only thinks of wanting to stay by their side, not because of the promises she's made, but because she deeply cares for Qiu and wants to see them genuinely smile.
"We should pay for these now." Qiu says, leading her to the cashier as they return the first-aid kit and place their own bag of chips. Roxy mirrors their action, and Qiu lets go of her arm to look for their wallet. They frantically search for it inside their pockets, and a worried expression is plastered onto their face. She already knows what's going on, and decides to pay for the both of them.
Roxanne pulls out a five-dollar bill, and the cashier places their chips in a paper bag before giving Roxy her change. She reaches out for the bag and thanks the cashier before putting the change back into her wallet. Qiu gives her an apologetic expression on their face as they leave the store, and they frown. "Sorry, again..." They sigh and Roxy opens her umbrella again.
She just smiles, offering them her unoccupied arm as the other protects the paper bag. Qiu holds onto it as they continue strolling along the sidewalk, making their way through the familiar town of Golden Grove. "It's alright, Toffee. The snacks are on me for today, don't worry about it." She proudly exclaims, and they smirk. "You always exceed my expectations, Choco." Qiu giggles, squeezing her forearm tighter.
They strode across the sidewalk, watching every orange leaf fall on the pavement. Roxanne and Qiu planned what to do for the rest of the day, both of them wanting to make the most of their weekend. It would stay that way for an eternity, as the two hold onto each other. After all, they never wanted to leave the other's side—they truly only had one another.
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