Chapter Text
The afternoon sun beat down on the cracked pavement as Thomas yelled at Flux to hurry up. The ice cream truck kept driving away, its colorful decorations and familiar melody slowly melting into nothing—swallowed by the heat shimmering off the asphalt.
Flux tried to keep up but stopped abruptly, breathing hard. The air was thick and humid, sticking to their skin. Thomas pulled his arm, pointing at the truck blurring into the street like a mirage.
Flux sighed and put a hand on Thomas's shoulder. "We're not gonna catch up."
Thomas frowned and looked back at the truck driving away, disappointment heavy on his face. The melody faded into the distance, replaced by the buzz of a cicadas.
But before the duo could properly leave, Thomas spotted the truck stop. A white-haired kid ran out of his door, waving at the ice cream man, his silhouette sharp against the golden haze.
Thomas lit up seeing the kid stall the truck. He nudged Flux, grabbing his wrist and barely containing his excitement.
Flux finally let himself be dragged, holding the fifty-dollar bill they'd planned to pay with. The air smelled of warm sugar and exhaust.
Flux ignored the other kid counting his coins, brows furrowed and a big frown on the albino's face, he even snickered a little.
Thomas hissed at Flux, who only rolled his eyes. "One BlackBerry and Rocky Road, please." Flux went on his tippy toes as he handed the bill to the ice cream man. "Keep the change."
While Flux was busy getting their ice cream, Thomas watched the albino kid frowning over not having enough coins. The sun caught the kid's pale hair, making it glow like spun silver.
"Also, chocolate!" Flux looked back at Thomas, who was only grinning. He decided not to ask why Thomas felt greedy for two ice creams today and honestly couldn't care less.
The other kid looked at Thomas with a glare, jealous he'd get to eat two, and turned about to leave and possibly not get his ice cream.
Thomas grabbed his wrist and pulled him back—that bright grin on his face made the shorter kid freeze as they locked eyes. "Our ice cream hasn't come yet!" was all Thomas could say, still holding on.
The albino, surprised by his weirdness, pressed his lips into a thin line realizing why he had ordered the extra ice cream and stopped to wait. A smile dared to creep onto his face despite himself.
Once the ice cream man handed them what they had ordered Thomas handed him the chocolate ice cream, beaming like the sun itself. "Thanks for stopping the truck! Take it."
The kid looked at the chocolate before pushing it back to Thomas. "You should have the first bite. You bought it for me anyway." His voice was soft and cautious, like he wasn't used to kindness.
Flux watched their exchange and scoffed, waiting for Thomas to finish his act of charity.
Thomas nodded and took a small nibble before handing it back to the shorter kid, curious about his name. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your—"
Before he could finish, the kid ran off, leaving Thomas hanging and Flux still visibly annoyed by the time wasted.
"Let's go, Thomas. That kid was weird anyway."
"But like… a good weird, right?" Thomas looked back at Flux, an expectant look in his eyes.
"Yeah, sure. A good weirdo." Flux shrugged and started walking back. The brunette followed along, the ice cream truck's melody nothing but a ghost in the wind now.
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Only once the duo had disappeared around the corner did Micro let himself breathe. He stepped out from behind the wall he'd ducked behind and walked back to the apartment building, still eating the ice cream melting in his hand. Sticky sweetness dripped down his fingers in the heavy heat.
He pulled the string that rang a bell inside their house and heard the footsteps of his twin brother Saps.
Saps opened the door and lit up immediately, opening his mouth—Micro backed up, hoping the neighbors wouldn't wake up with Saps's obnoxiously loud voice. "So? Did you get my ice cream?"
"Nope.” Saps face dropped to a frown but Micro continued to talk ignoring his pouting twin. “But some cool kid bought me free ice cream, and you're not having any." Micro shook his head as the cold chocolate touched his tongue.
"What?! I gave you enough money!"
"Not really. You should get better at math, loser." Micro stuck out his tongue as he walked past, still giddily eating the ice cream.
Saps watched the figure walking away and noticed the tips of his ears flushed a soft pink.
Well… the moment he walked in, the first thing Saps noticed was how much he was blushing. But that was probably just from the heat.
"Hmm, yeah… the heat."
"What heat?" Snowbird appeared out of nowhere, making Saps stumble. "What the hell?!"
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Days passed, and Saps kept monitoring Micro like a hawk eyeing its prey. Every afternoon, without fail, Micro would slip out of the house around the same time. And every afternoon, Saps would follow at a careful distance, watching as his brother talked to a certain brunette who bought him ice cream every day.
They'd meet under the shade of the old acacia tree near the corner store, the leaves filtering the afternoon light into scattered gold coins. And without fail, Micro would turn a specific shade of pink — sometimes a deep crimson — that made Saps even more suspicious.
I mean, who wouldn't?!
One afternoon, Saps squinted to get a better look at the two figures. He was so focused he didn't notice a shorter kid approaching until the kid purposely stood in front of him, blocking his view.
"W-wha—"
"You know you look like a creep, right?" The kid crossed his arms. Saps panicked, watching from the sidelines as the brunette dragged Micro away.
"Mind your own business! Now move!"
Amethyst eyes met gold as the shorter kid smirked. "What are you gonna do if I don't?"
Saps grit his teeth and straightened his posture, trying to intimidate him. The air between them felt charged, thick with something unspoken.
The shorter kid glared at him before walking away, eyeing him with suspicion. "Freak."
Saps heard the muttered word but ignored it—the two figures he'd been watching were gone. Just empty pavement and the fading heat.
Saps stomped his foot in frustration and glared at the kid smugly walking away.
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The late afternoon light stretched long and golden across the grass a few days later, when Micro found himself stumbling to the ground. The same brunette had caught him from behind, hugging him tight. He smelled like warm skin and vanilla.
Micro turned around to meet Thomas's face and gave a small smile, letting the moment last longer than it needed to. The world felt softer at the edges — the buzz of insects, the distant laughter of kids, the slow sigh of the wind.
Thomas rested his head on Micro's chest, listening to his heartbeat. The fast rhythm made Thomas giggle to himself, already imagining the face Micro must be making.
He looked back up and inched closer, planting a small kiss on his cheek—like routine, like it was normal—and sat up.
Micro followed along with the brunette, who seemed more giggly and excited than usual.
Their conversation was normal until Thomas took Micro's hand and led him to get ice cream, like they always did. Their footsteps fell in sync on the sun-warmed sidewalk.
As they reached the truck, Thomas stood on the tips of his toes, handing the money to the man scooping ice cream. The jingle of the truck mingled with the rustle of leaves overhead.
"Hey, Mic." Micro turned to look at him, tilting his head curiously. "What's your favorite flower?"
"Huh?" Micro blinked at Thomas, who repeated his words once again.
"What's your favorite flower?"
"My favorite flowers would probably be…" Micro pondered before an image of a brown rose entered his mind — something so delicate and beautiful someone like Thomas.
"…Probably something white or pretty." He shook the thought away, which only made Thomas hum and smile.
"I'll remember that." Thomas looked at the vanilla ice cream in his hand and met Micro's eyes. He did look like those pretty white flowers — soft and innocent, like a beautiful valley bathed in afternoon light.
Thomas didn't shake these thoughts away. He sighed, making sure the guilt of leaving soon wouldn't shake Micro up.
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The next morning, Elanuelo opened the door to the flower shop and let Thomas go inside first before following behind. A little bell chimed overhead.
The smell of fresh blooms hit Thomas immediately—damp earth, sweet petals, green stems—as he looked at everything in awe. Sunlight streamed through the glass windows, catching the dew on a row of white roses.
Elanuelo followed behind the kid as he ran around, looking at every white flower he could find.
"Dad! Can I get this bouquet?" Thomas pointed at a beautiful mix of flowers — white carnations, baby's breath and a single soft rose with the color of toffee. Elanuelo chuckled to himself knowing what each flower meant.
"Who's the lucky girl this is for?" he joked, asking the florist to get the flowers ready.
Thomas didn't understand what Elanuelo had implied, but he smiled ear to ear as he looked back at the flowers. "I'm giving them to Micro!"
Elanuelo stopped laughing and froze, remembering the little fella that was always with Thomas. He looked at the flowers, then back at his adopted son.
He stayed silent and paid for the flowers. Thomas happily held them in his arms, excited to give them to his beloved friend, the paper crinkling softly with every step.
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Thomas's excitement turned to disappointment when he heard Turkey say they'd just drop the flowers off at the door—they were leaving early. The young brunette was deeply saddened he couldn't see Micro one last time. The morning air felt heavier than usual.
As the familiar streets he'd grown accustomed to passed by, the apartment building he had been visiting lately came into view. Dew still clung to the grass, catching the early light.
They stopped the car. Thomas hopped off, with Ender behind him, ready to get this over with.
Ender rang the doorbell. A woman with blonde hair opened the door. She looked at Thomas, who was holding a bouquet of white carnations, baby's breath, and a soft rose that matched the kid's hair. The petals trembled slightly in his hands.
"Hey, Jophie!" Thomas grinned, pushing the flowers toward her. "Could you give this to Micro for me?"
Jophiel looked at Ender, who couldn't help but smile at the childhood sweethearts about to part ways. A smile crept onto her own face.
"Oh, Thomas! Of course, buddy!" She crouched down to his level, meeting him eye to eye. "Do you want to wait a little longer so I can—"
"Thomas?" Micro's voice cut Jophiel off. Thomas instantly lit up the moment his name left Micro's mouth.
"Micro!" Thomas handed the bouquet to Jophiel and ran up to Micro, pulling him into a tight embrace. The flowers' scent clung to his clothes.
"What are you doing here?" Micro asked, burying his head in Thomas's neck.
"Came to give you the flowers you wanted!" Thomas pulled back and looked Micro in the eyes with all the love he carried.
Micro looked at him with wide eyes before turning his face away, a soft pink blush reaching his ears. "…You didn't have to…"
Thomas just giggled and kissed Micro on the cheek before waving goodbye. The morning light caught the edges of his smile.
He wanted to at least make the last time they'd ever talk memorable.
After all, he did love Micro.
..
…
As his friend, of course!
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Micro waited for hours at the spot they'd always met. The morning light was brighter than usual—almost blinding—and people kept passing him by, one after another, none of them stopping.
Micro felt eyes look at him and he had never felt any smaller and lonelier at the place he always felt seen.
The morning light eventually softened, sinking into hues of pink and orange that stretched across the sky. Micro stared up at it, wishing Thomas could be here to watch it with him.
How long had he been waiting now?
He stood up and dusted himself off, telling himself Thomas would come back tomorrow. Or the day after. He wouldn't just leave like that—not after the flowers. Not after everything.
Micro shook his head and started walking home before running being eyed by adults, biting his lip as tears rolled down his cheeks.
When he reached the front of their apartment, he pushed the door open and sprinted straight to the room he shared with Saps, ignoring Snowbird calling after him.
Snowbird followed anyway. He opened the door slowly and found Micro already curled up on the bed, face buried in his pillow. Snowbird fidgeted with his hands before sitting down beside him, the mattress dipping under his weight as he tried to figure out what to say.
Micro pulled him into a hug without warning and kept sobbing, and Snowbird just sat there, patting his back awkwardly
For a moment they stayed like that until Micro visibly calmed down finally letting go of Snowbird from the tight embrace
"Are you okay now…?" Snowbird asked quietly, peeking at his brother's teary face.
Micro nodded, hugging a pillow tight to his chest. "Do you think he'll come back?"
Snowbird didn't even know who he was, but he nodded anyway. That's what brothers did.
I mean, Snowbird wasn't that sad—two of his friends had to leave the country too, but he still talked to them. The problem was Micro didn't seem to realize that was even an option.
Snowbird furrowed his brow and sighed. "Whoever did this to you, I'll beat them up!"
Micro looked at him through puffy eyes and let out a small laugh. Snowbird, confused why he was laughing, got even more worked up and started showing his older brother on how he would beat the guy up.
Maybe Micro would see Thomas again. If a miracle like that could happen, Micro would thank whoever was listening—over and over, until his voice gave out.
"Maybe he can come back..." Micro whispered to a promise more to keep him sane.
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