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“Um. Are we friends?” Red asked, before realizing the complexity of their question. Whatever they were had to be more nuanced. Rivals who were just pointing fingers at each other and who killed a giant alien, maybe. But that didn't answer every question.
Purple froze and the air tensed. “Well, regardless of the situation, it'd be difficult to pinpoint an answer, what I’m trying to say is, it’s—”
“Because of back then,” Red completed the thought.
“Yeah.”
Sometimes when Red looked at Purple, they internally swooned. They had tried to divert their brain elsewhere— from getting new crushes to new tasks to a new purpose, anything that would force them to stop being in love. Yet, when the opportunity arose, Red gave Purple the security job, so it wasn't avoidable forever.
For Purple, it was a bit more complicated. They couldn't help but hate Red for ruining their life. And especially with their inevitable ban from MIRA, they would have much more trouble getting a job than if they hadn't taken that rusty internship in the first place. But at the same time, Red was also now sacrificing their career, admitting their wrongdoings, and even trusted Purple when it came to the most important part: destroying the impostor. They had never fully gotten over their crush, either.
Red shook their head. “Y’know what, don't worry about it. We'll head to Industria and we'll be forced to part ways regardless.”
Before they could say another word, Purple grabbed Red’s hand. “There has to be a way for us to not be split up. And, I think it's important to talk about. Red.”
Red would never admit that they blushed a little, feeling Purple’s hand over their own. Luckily, the red skin hides all facial blemishes very well. “Well, you know how I feel,” Red commented.
Purple struggled to make direct eye contact with the other crewmate. “Your feelings never changed?”
“Not one bit, not a single bit. No matter how much I wanted them to. It was a different time in my life, I was younger and dumber—but I never could get over you. It hurt to accuse you of being an alien, because I didn't want to think that it could've all been fake.”
“Then why?”
“If it was fake, I’d eventually stop liking you.” They turned to face another direction, still taking in the fact that Purple’s hand was touching theirs.
Out of reflex, Purple used their free hand to turn Red’s face back to facing them. This unfortunately brought them both closer than they had been in a long time. “You didn’t have to make yourself stop liking me,” Purple commented.
“But I thought you hated me?”
“And isn’t it crazy how a dichotomy can be true.” Suddenly, the proximity was making Purple feel more anxious than ever. “Uh, what I meant to say was, I—”
Red made the move to grab Purple’s free hand, keeping them near, before answering. “We don’t have to answer everything right now. But, uh…
“…Would it be weird if I asked to kiss you?” Red blurted. “Things might not go back the way they ever were, and I don’t want to make things awkward because we’ve got a while to go ‘til Industria,” they stammered, before regaining their composure. “Just, reminiscing over old times, Violet—”
“Since when did I tell you that was my name?”
“One time, after a shift. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that back up,” they panicked.
“You can kiss me,” Purple responded sincerely.