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The room had been locked for days: no one coming in or out of it.
The door, tall and yellow, remained shut. There was a shadow of melancholy that loomed out from it, casting a strange somberness across the hallway. Perhaps it was the lingering feeling extended from the man to whom it belonged.
The air had this heavy sort of weight to it, like anticipation that stung from the ghost of what joy had been there before.
Blue paced that small hallway, walking back and forth between his own door and the large yellow one that was shut beside it.
How long had it been now? He couldn’t exactly tell. The minutes felt more like hours: waiting there for the other flower. Sure, it was normal for them to spend some time apart, but they had made plans, days in advance, and it wasn’t like Yellow to ignore that! Worse yet? Blue had left flowers for him, sitting outside the door. The bouquet had been there for at least a day at this point. It was half wilted now.
Blue let out a small sigh, his chest rising and falling as he took in a deep, soundless breath. He paused his pacing steps, spinning shortly to face the door. His skirt flowed with his body as he moved, eyes cast up and down along the outside of its frame.
He had a decision to make; Blue wasn’t above breaking the occasional rule. Not if it was for something that really mattered. Certainly not if it was for something as precious as love. Sure, breaking and entering was usually considered a crime, but it would be an even worse crime not to check in on his darling Yellow.
Hidden under a rock was the spare key, put there because Yellow often forgot his own. Blue was quick to scoop it up, sliding the metal object into the door. After a bit of jiggling it around, he was able to pry the door open. Inside was the start of the western-themed room, with sand picking up from a slight breeze and a tumbleweed bounding across the pathway in an odd zig-zag-like pattern. This expanded: the inside was just as large as the door itself. It only left more ground for Blue to cover.
The water was clear of any signs of Yellow, and so were most of the stray pathways. The campsite that Yellow often stayed at was barren. The coals in the fire were cold, crushed, and half-buried. The tent was open, but there was nothing inside. It looked like it hadn’t been used for a while, which was odd, given how often Yellow liked to sleep there. Blue continued looking, his concern growing slightly the longer it took. Despite this, he tried to keep the feelings down, putting a delicate hand on his own chest to keep his breathing even.
Anxiety wasn’t the only thing working at him, though. Frustration was stinging in Blue’s mind: the longer it was taking to find his Yellow. The room was oddly quiet, compared to the usual cacophony of noises that carried through the air. No cows, no horses, no trains; there wasn’t even the sound of a lasso.
At long last, Blue finally came upon another locked door. This one wasn’t quite so large, only wide enough for one person to pass through it at a time. Despite its smaller size, it seemed almost a brighter yellow than the entranceway to this area. The doorframe carried the faintest hints of scratches, and at the bottom there were darker scuff marks where boots had repeatedly rubbed against it.
Finally! This had to be the place.
Blue’s arm was slow to reach out at first, hesitant from fear of another dead end. Eventually, his fingers gracefully encircled the doorknob, cold metal somewhat refreshing against his warm skin. There was a click as the knob was turned. No one had locked it.
There was an audible creak as the door was slowly swung open. Upon looking inside, the room appeared to be rather dark. There was a lamp and a ceiling light, but neither had been turned on. A small night-light was fixed against one wall, shining little patterns through blue plastic as light danced along the roof.
The light from the doorway illuminated the space rather well, allowing Blue to see more details. There was a bed in the far center of the rightward wall. The blankets were arranged nicely, but remained slightly off-center. The floor was clean, the closet shut, and most of the walls were barren, lacking the photographs (many of which had been of Blue, himself) that were usually taped up. There was a single glass of water on the nightstand beside the bed, but otherwise, there was no indication of anyone living in the room; that was, other than the cowboy hat that was poking over from the side of the bed. It brought a sad sort of smile to Blue’s face.
Blue was always light on his feet, but now, he was especially so, taking measured steps to ensure he wouldn’t startle the other flower. He gave a small hum to announce his presence, one that made Yellow instantly jump. The other looked up at him with startled eyes, but that look slowly faded to guilt as the typically bright flower shifted to face the wall once again.
Blue slowly lowered himself to his knees, folding his legs under his body. He placed a tender hand on Yellow’s shoulder, keeping their distance close. To his relief, the other didn’t pull away, but he didn’t look up, either. There was a single pillow on the floor next to him, as well as a thin sheet. Blue decided he would address that later.
“What on Earth has you sitting all alone in here, dear?” Blue’s voice was soft, lacking any hint of accusation. He could tell by the look in Yellow’s eyes that something was very clearly wrong. It made him fear how long the other had been like this: sitting alone in the quiet room.
There was a long silence that lingered between them. Yellow opened his mouth and closed it again, struggling to speak. Blue didn’t push him. He never did. The words would come, and he was patient enough to wait for them.
After struggling for a few moments, Yellow’s shoulders eventually shuddered. Blue’s hand tightened the second he felt it, eyes widening in silent worry. Tears were beginning to fall from Yellow’s eyes, sparkling like morning dew on grass.
“I — I’m sorry if I’ve gone and upset ya,” Yellow whispered, sniffling in a failing way to hide his emotions. Blue gave an instant shake of his head, drawing closer to reassure the other.
“You could never upset me, and if you ever did, I promise that I would tell you.” He responded, giving his full attention to the other flower. An encouraging smile graced his lips by the slightest. “Now, can you please tell me what all of this is about? We were supposed to go out today. You and me.”
Yellow took in another shaky breath, giving a nod in return. He finally turned to somewhat face Blue, but his gaze remained cast down to avoid eye contact.
“I — ya’see, I made this awful decision when I was walking back to my room the other day. I got distracted, thinkin’ about somethin’ or other. When I did, I ran into this little birdbath of yers. A fancy one! It fell, an’ I tried to fix it! But there was this big crack, and the water wouldn’t hold right, so I…”
His voice cracked, forcing a pause in the conversation. Yellow took in another shaky breath, then forced himself to continue. “All I could think to myself was ‘how could I do somethin’ so awful!’ I — I knew I had to be punished one way or another, and nothin’ felt right, so the worst thing I could come up with was not spendin’ time with you.” There was another small beat. “So I locked myself in here so I wouldn’t get to see ya.”
Upon hearing this, there was a violent pull in Blue’s chest. He could see the way Yellow was curling on himself, head down and eyes shut tight as more tears poured out from them. In an instant, his arms had shot out. He pulled the other man tight to his chest, surrounding him in a warm embrace.
He gently took the hat away from Yellow’s head, setting it down before it could fall. After this, Blue gently settled his head atop the others. One of Blue’s hands slid behind Yellow’s back, rubbing it soothingly as the crying continued.
Yellow was gripped tightly onto Blue’s shirt, face buried deep into the center of his chest. Tears were staining the fabric of his top, but Blue couldn’t have cared any less for that at the moment. Nor could he care for the broken birdbath, nor any cost of repairing it. His mind was entirely taken up by the beautiful man in front of him: worried about comforting him and providing the affection Yellow so clearly deserved. And it seemed to be working somewhat.
After Yellow’s shaking had mostly subsided and his grip had loosened, Blue leaned back, ever the slightest. His hands moved upward to cup around Yellow’s cheeks, his thumbs rubbing gentle patterns across his smooth petal-like skin. Yellow’s eyes were fixed on him. His fast blinks did nothing to hide the desperation that clouded his eyes.
Blue spoke between each passing swipe of his thumb.
“Yellow, dear. I want you to know that you have done absolutely nothing wrong.”
“But I— ” Blue spoke over the attempted interruption.
“No. What you did was an accident. You did not act out of malice. I need you to know that you do not need to be punished for what you did.” He wiped away the last few tears from the wide eyes staring back at him. One of Yellow’s hands slowly lifted, taking up Blue's wrist. Once again, Yellow leaned in, wrapping his arms around the blue flower in a tight embrace. Yellow rubbed his cheek against the other’s chest, finally allowing himself to smile and take in the lingering warmth that was shared between them.
Blue reciprocated, lips slowly drawing up, as well. They stayed there, together, for a long while, shifting only slightly while their bodies pressed together. Blue placed a few small pecks to the top of Yellow’s head, running his fingers through his hair and twirling it around. After the room had finally become comfortable again, Blue spoke up.
“Now, how about we both get up and enjoy that dinner we had planned. Afterwards, we can take a nice, long, fragrant walk in the garden.” There was a small hum to Blue’s voice. He spoke close to Yellow’s ear, passing a hand through his hair and gently massaging it as Yellow nodded his agreement.
“Splendid. Then, if you are up for it, I would just adore it if you stayed with me tonight. It would be so terribly pleasant to have my cowboy with me, to keep me safe. I think I heard someone sneaking around last night!” Blue continued, flicking his lashes a few times and wearing a soft smile.
This seemed to breathe new life back into Yellow; he sat up immediately, the typical sparkle returning to his eyes.
“Of course I will! If there’s some criminelll sneakin’ around yer room, then I’d be plenty happy ta bring ‘em ta justice!” Yellow beamed, practically bounding where he sat. His hands were gripped tightly onto Blue. It wasn’t enough to harm him, but plenty enough to feel.
“I know you would,” Blue responded, continuing to rub Yellow’s cheek while picking up his hat. Blue replaced it on the top of his head, gently pushing the hair away from Yellow’s eyes. “And I will be plenty happy to clear you a spot, either on the bed or the chaise lounge.”
Yellow’s smile widened twofold, his eyes crinkling almost shut as he nodded.
“Does that mean you’ll let me snuggle up with ya?” Yellow chirped, cheeks sinking to a deep red, rather than their typical lemon-colored hue. His fingers twitched a bit, fiddling just slightly as he spoke and thought over the possibility. This produced a small chuckle from Blue, who found it cute.
“Of course, darling. Any time at all.” With his hands still cupping Yellow’s face, Blue leaned in, sliding their lips together. The kiss was sweet and soft, chaste in its duration. Again, Yellow’s face glowed, bursting into new colors of pink.
After pulling away, Blue allowed himself to stand. He held out a hand to his partner, one that was taken almost instantly. Upon standing, the pair kept their hands together, letting their fingers intertwine in a way that was both warm and comfortable.
Blue slowly led Yellow out of the room, allowing their date to commence.