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Hey it’s me author-chan im starting the fic now
The automatic doors slid open with a soft whoosh, letting out a burst of cold air and the smell of fresh bread.
Red grabbed a shopping cart from the corral, tugging it free with unnecessary enthusiasm.
Purple then placed Mauve in the front seat of the cart and took control of it. At the same time they reached into their back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. They unfolded it and scanned the shopping list that had been organized in a way only they could understand.
Mauve sat in the child seat of the cart, kicking their feet against the plastic and slapping the handle bar.
Purple smiled despite themself before smoothing the crumpled list flat. “Okay,” they began, already scanning the first few items. “Let’s try to buy what’s on the list and leave without spending an extra forty beans.” They stated, clicking their tongue.
Red responded with a salute. “Alrighty!”
Beside them, Maroon stared at their parent with a small squeak, barely acknowledging what they said. They glanced at the cart, then their little sibling, then the cart again.
Just before the group moved on, they pointed at the cart and huffed. “I wanna go in..”
Purple had already started pushing the cart down the produce aisle. “There’s not much room,” they said without looking up from the list.
Maroon pouted and tugged on Red’s pant leg. “Baba…” they motioned to the cart again, “I wanna go in.”
“Aye aye, captain!” Red reached down to pick them up, clearly not thinking this through.
Purple gave them a look, frowning. “Red.” They sighed, watching them settle Maroon in the larger part of the cart anyway. “You can’t say yes to everything they ask for..”
Red waved Purple off. “Relax, Purps!” They ruffled Maroon’s head, getting the toddler to giggle. “It’s not bad to say yes.”
Purple sighed, though there wasn’t much bite behind it. “They’ll have to come out eventually.” They murmured, still wary.
“Ehh..” Red narrowed their gaze, to the side, biting their lip. “..That sounds like a future problem.”
Purple didn’t seem convinced, yet nodded along anyway. “Mmhm.” They hummed while Red grinned at them with finger-guns, completely unbothered.
The four of them rolled into the produce aisle, greeted by rows of fruit stacked into impossibly neat pyramids. A mist hissed over the leafy greens every few minutes, making Maroon gasp like it was the most fascinating thing they’d ever seen.
“Oooo…”
Purple unfolded the list again. “…Apple slices.”
Red immediately wandered toward the refrigerated section while Purple steered the cart after them.
“Apples!” Maroon leaned over the side of the basket as far as their tiny body would allow. “Why apples already cut?” They asked, pointing at the fruits.
“So Nana doesn’t have to cut them.”
“…Why?” Their big round eyes averted their gaze towards Purple.
Purple exhaled and leaned over to pat their head. “Because Nana’s tired.” Their lips straightened into a simple line.
Maroon accepted that almost immediately. “Okay!”
Purple grabbed a container before pausing. “…Actually…” They picked up a second one.
Red noticed. “Two?” They arched a brow, blinking with slight confusion.
“Yeah,” Purple placed the containers in the space beside Mauve, “so we don’t run out too early and…”
They cast a fleeting glance over their shoulder. “…I’m eating for two here.” They reminded them.
Red let out a cheesy giggle at that. Purple scoffed, unamused.
When they looked back down at the cart, they caught Mauve in the act of pulling at the containers.
Yeah, they had tiny hands; but they just so happened to inherit Red’s strength much to Purple’s dismay, and also carry maximum determination to do things.
Purple gently nudged them back. “No, sweetie.” They moved the apples farther to the side and placed their hand down to barricade them.
Mauve frowned dramatically, making a displeased sound. “Nanaaahh…” they pressed at their parents' wrist, trying to move it out the way, “…Nana..”
“Not yet.”
The baby pouted and flopped over onto Purple’s arm, placing their pacifier in their mouth and soon becoming distracted by the shopping list fluttering in their caregiver’s other hand.
Meanwhile, Maroon was busy pointing at everything within their sight. “Baba!” They called, kneeling up in the cart and tugging at Red’s clothes again. “Baba, look!”
Red looked at what they were pointing at and nodded intently, humming. “Woah, look!” They pointed as well, smirking. “Bananas!!”
“Yeah, we need those,” Purple but in, “so can you pick it up?”
Red sent Purple a thumbs up and grabbed a bundle of bananas, placing them in the cart.
Maroon watched them with curiosity. They leaned in, studying the yellow fruit with lots of interest. “Banana-na!”
“Banana-na!” Red repeated in a much deeper voice.
The toddler diverted their gaze, cocking their head to the side while looking straight up, “baba,” they started, “why the—the bananas are bendy?” They questioned, waiting for an immediate explanation.
“Well,” Red thought about it for a second, putting on the expression of a wise person, “they grow curved because they’re secretly a telephone.”
“What!” Maroon’s eyes went wider than they already were.
Purple furrowed their brows. “…What.”
“For monkeymates!” Red added with much enthusiasm, waving their hands around.
Maroon stared with awe, their eyes sparkly.
Purple, on the other hand, gave Red a weird stare. “What are you… talking about..??”
“You know what I’m talking about, Purps,” the other turned around, placing both hands on their hips, “we learned this in school!”
“Yeah, unlike you, I passed elementary school.” Purple eyed them up and down while pointing at themselves. “I can see why you’re telling Mari’ stupid stuff.”
They reached for a container filled with grapes. “But I’d really prefer if you didn’t, Redsie… I don’t want them to be as..” they hissed, thinking of how to word it, “y’know, dunce as you.”
Red gawked and spun around. “Hey!” They frowned, folding their arms. “I’m not a dunce.”
“You can prove you’re not a dunce when you go grab us tomatoes.”
The captain saluted and ambled off for the item. “You can count on me, Purps!”
Purple pushed the cart on after them, rolling their eyes, yet there was the faintest smile tugging at the corner of their mouth.
After a brief detour in which Red proudly returned with the correct tomatoes (“See? Not a dunce.”), the family eventually found themselves in the refrigerated section.
Cold air spilled from the open cases as Purple skimmed over the list again. “…Butter.”
Red reached in without looking. Purple glanced over. “…That’s cream cheese.”
Red looked at the label. “…It looked like butter.” They shrugged, placing it back and picking up the right thing this time.
“It says ‘cream cheese’ in letters larger than your face.” Purple pointed out with a groan. “Anyway,” they took another quick skim at the list, “get yogurt.”
Red sped off to the refrigerator with all the yogurts, grabbing a random box without checking the front.
Before they walked back over, they paused and actually thought through their actions. “Uh, is any flavor okay?”
“Just make sure it’s not a flavor they will spit all over the floor,” Purple said with a shiver, remembering an awful event, “or me…”
“Oof,” Red grimaced with a short chuckle, “yikes.” They came back to put the box into the cart with Maroon.
Mauve, blissfully unaware of the conversation, or anything happening, had become fascinated with the cold air coming from the refrigerator.
They leaned forward in their seat, their little hands opening and closing. “Nana..” their pacifier fell from their mouth, hanging from its clip.
Purple gently pulled them back before they could lean too far. “Careful.”
Mauve looked offended by this betrayal of trust. “Nana, nana!” They flapped their arms with their legs kicking at Purple’s abdomen.
“Ow,” Purple sounded, squinting their eyes at Mauve, “don’t kick me—I’m just trying to keep you safe!”
Red appeared beside Purple out of nowhere, pressing their cheek against theirs. “I say kick away, Mauvie,” they gave Purple a playful glance, “captains orders.”
“Red—“ Purple was cut off as Mauve sent another kick at their stomach, “—ow!” They pushed Red off and put a stop to the baby’s kicking.
“Don’t encourage them to do bad stuff, Red!” They scolded, glaring at the other crewmate. “They have your stupid ‘captains kick’, so that actually hurts, for your information.”
Red laughed a bit more, giving Purple an awkward smile as an apology. “Sorry, Purps,” they crept closer once more to wrap their hand over Purple’s waist, “it’s not my fault my genes are so strong.”
“Get off me, idiot.” Purple nudged them with their elbow, sighing in defeat. “We have more shopping to do. We won’t get anywhere if your dunceness keeps getting in the way.”
“I thought I impressed you with the tomatoes!” Red rested their chin on Purple’s shoulder, whining.
Purple rolled said shoulder in an attempt to get them off. “I never said that.” Red almost didn’t budge until they had to really shove them away.
“I should’ve just gone shopping alone…”
“Nooo.” Red drawled out, slouching forwards. “You’d miss us.” They insisted, forming another smirk.
“For eight minutes, maybe,” Purple pushed the cart to another fridge, “but then I’ll remember how peaceful it is without you, and I’d be so happy.”
Maroon crawled up to the front of the cart, leaning above their little sibling. “Eight minutes?!” They shouted, the time seeming unbearably long in their mind.
Purple nodded and pressed on their chest until they sat back down in the trolley. “Eight. Whole. Minutes.” They confirmed just before reaching for a carton of milk.
“Mmm.. I think that’s basically you saying you’d miss us, Purps.”
“Oh my God,” Purple grumbled and closed the fridge, pinching the bridge of their nose, “Red, shut up.” They put the milk down and kept moving.
Unfortunately, Red found themselves all up on Purple again, except this time their arm was over their shoulders. “Is that basically an ‘I love you’?”
Purple didn’t answer. They simply kept steering the cart toward the freezer section.
Red’s grin only grew. They’d been together long enough to know what that silence usually meant!
“It is!” They exclaimed. “Well, I love you too, Purps.”
“I don’t.”
Red leaned in anyway, preparing to place a kiss on their cheek—
“EEEWWW!”
They pulled back and stared at Maroon who was making the most exaggerated disgusted face ever.
At the same time, Mauve grinned and copied Maroon. “Eeeehhh!”
“Don’t say ew,” Red finally left Purple alone, crossing their arms over their chest, “I’m trying to be romantic with your nana!”
Maroon gagged, and stuck out their tongue, blowing raspberries.
Red blew some back at them. Like a child.
“Guys,” Purple tried, reaching into another freezer for eggs, “stop doing that before Mauve starts to do it too.”
They said that way too late. Mauve soon began to spit bubbles at them while slapping at the trolley’s bar.
Purple closed their eyes and seethed.
Between Maroon’s endless stream of questions, Mauve trying to grab anything within reach, and Red getting distracted every other aisle, the shopping cart slowly began to fill.
Eggs sat beside bread. Frozen food was stacked between bags of fruit. Baby wipes, diapers, formula, cereal, coffee…
Somehow, despite Purple’s carefully written list, a box of Pop-Tarts had also found its way into the cart.
Purple had a pretty good idea who was responsible.
While they went along the current aisle, Purple glanced into the cart. Somewhere between the diapers, cereal boxes, frozen food, and baby supplies, they’d officially run out of room. Especially with Maroon hogging up a good portion of the space.
Finally, they exhaled and spoke up. “Okay, Roo.” they smiled softly, “Out.”
Their toddler did not comply, and instead sunk in as much as they could in the cart. “No.”
Purple tilted their head slightly, not entertaining Maroon’s stubbornness. “You have to come out, Maroon.”
“No!”
They snapped their fingers at Red, grabbing their attention. “Redsie,” they called over from grabbing a box of ramen, “take Maroon out of the cart now.”
Red put the box on top of the pile of groceries and reached under Maroon’s arms to pull them out. “Alright, Mari. Time to walk.” They tried to place them on the ground.
“No!” Maroon bent their knees, keeping themselves from touching the floor.
Red blinked. They tried lowering them toward the floor. Maroon tucked both legs up like a startled cat, and their little hands clung to Red’s sleeves with too much force for a four year old.
Purple attempted to intervene before it escalated into something bigger. “Maroon, you have to walk.” They explained. “Where are the other groceries gonna go?”
The toddler made an unpleasant noise, threatening to cry each time Red moved them closer to the ground.
Mauve pulled on Purple’s shirt while pointing at their older sibling about to cause a tantrum. “Nana.”
“Yes, I know, sweetie—“ Purple groaned, “—Maroon!”
“Hold on, Purps,” Red shushed, instead lifting Maroon to get carried, “I got this.”
Purple gave them a look. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah!” Red adjusted their hold on the smaller crewmate, already walking away. “We’re just gonna take a walk—we’ll be back by time you’re done!”
“Uhh…” Purple thought about it for a minute before shrugging. “Sure..”
Purple watched them disappear around the end of the aisle before returning their attention to the shopping list.
They’ll be fine.
…Probably.
Red shifted Maroon onto their hip, gently bouncing them as they wandered away. “Feeling better?” They asked.
Maroon gave a dramatic sniffle. “…Maybe.” They buried their face into Red’s neck.
“Maybe?” Red gasped. “Captain Roo still has a little sadness left?”
Maroon nodded solemnly, rubbing their eyes.
“I guess we have an emergency mission.” They looked around the aisle before lowering their voice. “Our objective… is to find something cool.”
Maroon’s eyes immediately lit up. “We can buy it?” They assumed, already sounding excited.
Red’s brows raised and they sputtered, not expecting the response. “Uhh…” they trailed off, looking heavenwards as if asking for help, “…I don’t see why not!”
“YAAAY!” Maroon started to free themselves from Red’s grip, sliding down to get on the floor.
Red had to readjust their hold on Maroon as to ensure they wouldn’t drop. They steadily placed them to stand, and could barely react as the smaller crewmate dashed off instantly.
“Wait—“ they exclaimed, stumbling for a second before chasing after them, “Maroon, where are you going!?”
The toddler kept running, giggling while their little feet pattered along the supermarket tiles.
“Captain Roo!” Red whisper-yelled, trying not to make a scene. “Slow down! We’re supposed to be stealthy!”
Maroon skidded to a stop so suddenly that Red nearly walked right into them.
“Oh!”
The little bean stood perfectly still, looking around with exaggerated caution before tiptoeing instead.
Red let out a relieved sigh. “Okay.. that’s better.”
Their relief lasted approximately four seconds.
“Baba!” Maroon pointed excitedly toward a towering display of stuffed animals hanging above one of the seasonal aisles. “LOOK!”
Without another word, they bolted again.
“…Maroon!” Red hurried after them, weaving around another shopper with an apologetic smile.
By the time they caught up, Maroon already had both hands wrapped around an enormous plush sharkmate nearly half their size.
“Baba,” the toddler held up the toy, eyes sparkly with excitement, “I wan’ dis!” They smiled widely, shaking the plush ecstatically. “Pwease?”
Red took a second too long to reply. “Uhh…” They drew out, eyes narrowed as they thought about it.
Purple’s voice, and very tired, stern expression echoed in the back of their mind.
Let’s try to buy what’s on the list and leave without spending an extra forty beans.
“Well…” they winced as Maroon’s eyes grew impossibly wider, “I dunno, Roo—“
“Pweeaaseee!” Maroon hopped on their toes. “Pwease, babaaaa- pweeeaaseee!!”
“Roo—“
“PWEEAASEEE!”
Red rubbed the back of their neck. “Purple’s gonna kill me…”
As they said that, Maroon sucked in a breath and screamed… loudly. “AAAAAAAAAA—”
“OKAY!” Red blurted, immediately crouching in front of them. They slapped a hand over Maroon’s mouth—not enough to stop them from breathing, just enough to muffle the incoming siren. “Okay! Okay! We’ll get the shark!”
The screaming stopped as abruptly as it’d started. “…Really?”
“Yeah.” Red sighed in defeat. “Really.”
The toddler threw their arms around their parents neck with an overjoyed squeal. “YAAAY!”
Red hugged them back, though they wore the expression of someone who knew they’d just made a mistake.
Before they even had the chance to stand, Maroon clambered right back onto them; their arms clung around their neck, and their legs wrapped firmly around their waist.
The sharkmate was squeezed between them like it had become part of the family already.
“Oof—” Red stumbled back a step before steadying themselves. “Well… I guess we’re doing this now.” They shrugged.
Maroon only snuggled closer with a content little hum, smiling giddily.
“Comfortable?” Red craned their neck to the side, bouncing Maroon slightly.
“Mhm.”
“…Yeah, I figured.”
Red shifted both Maroon and the oversized plush into a more manageable position before glancing around the aisle.
“…Alright.” They nodded to themselves. “Mission accomplished.” They whispered proudly.
As they started to look around the aisle, they realized they had gone far, far away from the area they had last been in. Red squinted their eyes, the realization that they had no idea where Purple was slowly sunk in.
“Hmm,” they mumbled, beginning to amble out the aisle, “Purps?” they called, yet got no response.
Which… of course they didn’t. Last time they saw Purple, they were up ahead.. just where exactly was the problem.
Maroon leaned up a little, their hand finding its way into their mouth. “Where nana go?” They quipped, seemingly unaware that they caused this by running off in the first place.
Red made a sound and bounced them some more. “..That..” they laugh a bit more nervously than intended, clearing their throat afterwards, “..that is a fantastic question.”
They continued down the aisle with far more confidence than they actually felt.
“Baba,” Maroon mumbled, resting their head against Red’s shoulder.
“Aye, Captain?”
The toddler's lips curled upwards in a smile for a split second before they nuzzled further into Red’s hold. “Are we lost?”
Red kept silent for a moment. Hesitating.
“Haha,” they whistled, rounding a corner, “lost? Pshh—no!” They chuckled although the unease was evident in their tone.
Red ran a hand through their hair. “We’re not lost,” they reassured, though they were starting to feel like they’d been walking in circles, “captain’s don’t get lost.”
“We’re just…uh…” they searched for the right word, making an unintelligible noise, “we’re on a mission! Yep!”
Maroon hugged the sharkmate, getting drool on it even though it wasn’t paid for yet. “I like dis mission,” they announced.
“Yeah,” Red grinned, giving Maroon another little bounce on their hip, “me too, bud.”
They kept walking, making a point of looking down every aisle they passed. Red craned their neck one way, then the other, scanning over rows of shelves and shopping carts in search of one particularly tired-looking security guard pushing a cart with an equally unimpressed baby inside.
Still, there was no Purple, and no Mauve.
“…Purps?” they called again, a little louder this time.
.
Maybe they’d already moved onto the next aisle. Red wondered how Purple could’ve disappeared so quickly. They remembered seeing them just five minutes ago, but now the aisle was completely empty save for a few other shoppers.
“Ehh..” They scratched at the back of their neck, trying very hard to look like they absolutely knew what they were doing.
“It’s fine,” they muttered more to themselves than Maroon. “We’ve… definitely got this.” They tried to project confidence for their child’s sake, but the nervous edge creeping into it betrayed them. They were starting to realize they had absolutely no idea where they were going despite being to this supermarket many times before.
Maroon didn’t seem the least bit concerned. They rested their chin on the plush shark’s head, happily looking around as different displays passed by.
“Ooo…” they cooed, their attention catching on something interesting.
“What?” Red asked.
Maroon pointed. “The cereal’s smiling.”
Red looked over to find a cartoon tigermate grinning back at them from the front of a cereal box.
“…You’re right.” They nodded gravely. “They’re probably happy because they get breakfast every day.”
Maroon accepted that explanation and went back to sucking on their fingers.
They continued wandering through the supermarket at a pace that looked purposeful enough to fool anyone watching. Red even nodded at a passing shopper as if they were exactly where they intended to be.
Yeah, right. They were lost.
And their very cute partner was nowhere to be found.
“I swear this store wasn’t this big before…” Red huffed, grumbling disappointedly as they turned another corner just to not find Purple.
How long had it been? How long was the shopping list? Maybe Purple had already finished everything and was waiting for them at the checkout.
Maroon rested their cheek against Red’s shoulder. “Baba?”
“Hm?”
They exhaled and yawned, before wiping their hand on Red’s clothes. “Hungry.”
Red blinked. “You’re hungry?” They repeated, “…right now?”
“Mhm.” Maroon nodded.
Red’s confident smile twitched. “Okay…” they laughed weakly, “Okay, that’s… that’s manageable.”
They instinctively reached for their backpack, unzipping one of the pockets and rummaging around for something—anything—that might count as a snack. The only thing their hand managed to find was a book.
Red pulled it out, stared at it for a moment, then slowly shoved it back inside. They made a noise and zipped back down their pack. “Uh.. uh-oh..”
Maroon lifted their head at them. “Snack?”
“Usually…” Red admitted, rubbing the back of their neck, “…your nana carries those.”
They slowly looked around the supermarket again. “…Heh.” Their laugh came out much more nervous than they intended.
“So…” they whispered to themselves, “finding Nana just became, like…” They shifted Maroon higher on their hip before glancing dramatically down the next aisle. “…our top priority.”
Maroon grumbled, squeezing the plush shark tighter. “…Hungryyyy..”
Red sighed, giving them another little bounce. “I know, bud.” They turned on their heel and started toward the checkout lanes. If Purple had already finished shopping, there was a decent chance they were waiting there.
Thankfully, Purple was in fact there!
They had only just started unloading the groceries onto the conveyor belt, Mauve sitting contentedly in the child seat of the cart while Purple worked through the list. They were completely unaware of the tiny search-and-rescue mission happening on the other side of the store.
Red spotted them immediately. “Purps!”
Purple looked up ever so slightly, keeping most of their attention to the conveyor belt in front of them.
Red came practically jogging toward them, Maroon still perched on their hip with the enormous sharkmate squeezed between them.
“Hey, Redsie…” Purple greeted, arching their brow with confusion.
The other let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, pressing a hand against their chest. “We were looking….” they paused, taking a very deep breath, “..everywhere for…” they broke out into a short coughing fit.
Purple blinked and nodded, pursing their lips. “Yikes..” they muttered, shaking their head.
Red finally managed to catch their breath, slowly lowering Maroon onto the floor, one hand still grasping their chest. “We were looking everywhere for you.” They finished with a rumble of their throat.
Purple looked between them, then frowned slightly. “Where else would I be??” They narrowed their eyes, continuing to unpack the trolley.
“Well, we couldn’t find you!” Red gestured at them, scoffing.
“You could’ve just gone to the checkout and waited for me.”
Red paused, mouth open but not moving. They slowly let their hands fall to their side, shrugging. “Hm. Yeah, I guess that’s smart..”
Their partner raised their brow, giving them a look.
“Anyway!” Red quickly changed the subject, reaching down to mess with Maroon’s hair. “We found a shark.”
Purple’s eyes immediately flicked toward the plush, their expression softening despite themself. “Oh…”
Maroon held it up proudly. “Shark!”
Purple reached over, gently touching one of its fins. “Aw, that’s cute, Roo.”
The toddler beamed, eyes going starry.
Red smiled too, watching Purple’s interest grow.
“But..” their grin fell as Purple continued, “I said we weren’t going to spend any extra beans today.”
Maroon hugged the shark tighter. “I want it.” They stated, adamant.
Purple leaned down slightly so they were closer to Maroon’s height. “I know, sweetie, but we can’t buy this. It’s a little too expensive for a stuffed animal.”
“But…” Maroon’s grin immediately fell.
“I know.” Purple gently rubbed their head. “It’s cute. But we have everything else we need to buy.”
Their gaze lingered on the shark for another second before returning to Maroon. Their little face was already wavering, and Purple could practically feel the incoming tantrum waiting to happen.
The toddler's face screwed up into a sorrowful one. Their eyes started to swell with water, their lips quivering with a large, exaggerated frown. They sniffled, puffing their cheeks for a second and letting out a soft, shaky exhale.
“Oh, no, no, no…” They quickly crouched down in front of Maroon, placing both hands gently against their little arms. “Roo, don’t do that.”
Maroon’s lower lip trembled harder, and Purple glanced around.
A couple of shoppers were already beginning to look in their direction..
“Oh my God,” they muttered under their breath. “Not here…”
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Purple quickly reassured, rubbing their arms. “We’re not going to cry, okay? You’re okay.”
Maroon sniffled. “But I want it…”
“I know.” Purple sighed, glancing at the shark before looking back at them. “I know you do.”
Maroon’s face crumpled again.
Purple’s eyes widened. “Okay—nope. Don’t—”
“Purps.”
They looked up. Red was standing there with a very specific look on their face.
“…What?” Purple immediately narrowed their eyes.
Red stepped closer and leaned against the cart, resting their chin in one hand as they gave Purple the most exaggeratedly charming look they could manage.
in a public server mind you
They smirked, “…You look really cute when you’re being all responsible.” They stated, sending Purple a tiny kissy face.
“…What?”
“You heard me.”
“I did…” Purple narrowed their gaze, clearly trying to figure out where this was going, “I’m just wondering what you want..” They mumbled, knitting their brows together.
Red’s grin widened as they stepped a little closer. “Because you’re cute.” Their eyelids lowered, trying and failing to look seductive.
Purple: is this an attempt
“Dude, stop.”
Purple glanced at Maroon, who was still sniffling into the shark, then at Mauve sitting in the cart. The baby had apparently become fascinated with the little plastic divider in the child seat and was repeatedly smacking it with one hand, completely unconcerned with the conversation happening around them.
Purple diverted their attention back at Red. “…Are you flirting with me to get me to buy a stuffed shark?” Their tone lowered, expression disgruntled.
Red’s confidence immediately faltered. “Wh—pfft—what? Nooo. I—” they gestured around madly, looking everywhere but at their partner.
Purple continued staring despite this.
Red shifted awkwardly beneath their gaze, eventually giving up and letting their hands fall to their sides. They put their pointer fingers together and sighed. “I mean… maybe?” They shrugged.
The other kept silent for a minute before scoffing. “You’re terrible at flirting..”
Red placed a hand over their chest, looking genuinely offended. “I pour my heart out to you and this is how you repay me?” They crossed their arms. “Tough crowd!”
Purple pinched the bridge of their nose, ready to retort until from directly in front of them, the cashier interrupted.
“Ahem.”
The poor cashier stood behind the register with an increasingly awkward expression, one hand resting beside the scanner. The last of their groceries had already been scanned and bagged.
Purple slowly turned toward them.
The cashier formed a polite little smile. “…Sorry. I—I just..” they gave a half-assed chuckle, their smile fading, “..I wasn’t sure if you two were…um, finished.”
Red immediately straightened. “Oh! Yep. Sorry.”
Purple muttered something under their breath and reached for their wallet.
Maroon, meanwhile, had apparently decided that the cashier was their new best friend.
“Shark,” they announced through their lingering sniffles, holding it up as far as their small arms could manage.
The cashier looked at the enormous plush, then at Maroon. “Oh, wow. That’s, um, a big one.” They swallowed.
Maroon’s smile returned ever so slightly. Then they turned to their nana with glossy eyes, mustering the best puppy face in an attempt to convince them.
Purple’s shoulders dropped.
They hated seeing that face.
Especially when they knew exactly what had caused it.
Their gaze drifted toward the shark again, and they grimaced. “…Ugh.”
Red’s face immediately brightened. “Is that an ugh like—”
“Shut up.”
They shut their mouth.
Purple stared at the shark for another moment, weighing their options even though they already knew what they were going to do. “…Fine.” They shook their head.
Maroon’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Purple pointed at the plush. “We can get the shark.”
“YAAAY!” Maroon wrapped both arms around it, hugging it as tightly as they could.
Red threw both hands into the air. “Yeah!”
The cashier glanced between the two adults and the toddler, looking like they were trying very hard not to laugh.
Purple pointed at Red next. “But we’re not buying anything else.”
The other nodded rapidly. “Fine with me.” They saluted and clicked their tongue.
“And you’re paying for it.”
Their arms slowly lowered. “…Oh.” They winced.
Purple smiled sweetly. “You wanted to flirt.” They gave Red a gentle pat on the back. “Consider it your payment.”
Red blinked at them for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh. “Aw…”
Purple rolled their eyes, but the tiny smile tugging at their cheeks betrayed them.
The cashier cleared their throat again. “…So, uh, should I scan the shark?”
Purple looked over. “…Yes, please.” They took the plush from Maroon to get it scanned.
“Got it.” The scanner beeped as soon as they said that.
Maroon barely waited for Purple to take the plush back before wrapping their arms around it again, practically disappearing behind its enormous body.
“Shark!” they squealed happily.
Red leaned toward Purple, lowering their voice as they watched their child hug their new favorite toy. “See? Totally worth it.”
Purple didn’t even look at them.
“Pay for the shark, Red.”