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Blue was pushing himself to his limit, rehearsing his new routine. It was one of his most ambitious yet, and so he had been agonizing over his choreography for weeks. He kept second guessing himself, making little changes here and there, and fighting back the urge to start over from scratch. He practiced the moves again and again, sweat dripping from his brow and drenching his tank top.
Yellow had taken notice of Blue's struggle over the past several weeks. Blue had shown him his new ideas and asked for his opinion. The cowboy, of course, insisted the routine would be perfect no matter how he did it. Yellow had made a habit of showing up towards the end of Blue's rehearsals to cheer him on. Afterwards, they would walk hand in hand to Yellow's room to cuddle and watch TV.
It had become a tradition of sorts - something the two of them looked forward to. Blue especially savored the loving touch of his other half. The warmth of Yellow's body pressed against his back, his soft caressing, and his sweet kisses. Lately, Yellow had given special attention to Blue's hands. Squeezing them, rubbing his palms, tracing over each finger with his own, softly kissing his wrists. Ah, just the thought of it made Blue want to unravel right here and now on the stage. He pushed the thoughts out of his mind, shelving them until after rehearsal was over.
When Blue had finally finished, he felt far from satisfied. The moves just didn't feel right. And to make matters worse, Yellow was nowhere to be seen. The ballerino retreated backstage and into the dressing room, then crouched down to grab his water bottle from his bag. His legs felt worn out, so much so that even balancing on his haunches felt like a challenge. As he gulped down the water, Blue considered his partner's absence and grew increasingly concerned.
Yellow had been doing better lately with managing his self-deprecating feelings and actions, but that was no guarantee he would not relapse. Blue wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set the water bottle on the ground, then made haste to Yellow's room. His feet throbbed dully with each step through the winding hallways of the castle, but his exhausted body carried him forward.
He approached Yellow's door and knocked. No answer. A pit of anxiety grew in Blue's chest at the growing silence. Was Yellow alright? Blue twisted the door knob and found it was unlocked. He let himself into the bedroom and flicked on the light.
It was tidy inside as always, with Yellow's bed pushed against the wall and his TV atop the dresser at the opposite end. The door to his small bathroom stood between two large shelves, which were packed with various knick knacks and cowboy-related items. The only thing out of place in Yellow's room was a piece of paper that had been left behind on the center of his otherwise-empty oak desk. This quickly caught Blue's attention. He plucked it off the table and read the familiar chicken-scratch handwriting.
"Blue, sorry I am gone I will be back soon. Flowery needed my help. When I am back I will give you a big hug! -Yellow"
The dancer, relieved, smiled and returned the paper to its place. All seemed well. He decided to make himself comfortable while he waited for Yellow to return.
It dawned on Blue that he had left his belongings back in the dressing room, which included his spare change of clothing. His current attire was damp with sweat. It was only a short walk to return to the theater, but his legs were oh-so tired. He eyed Yellow's dresser, and only hesitated a moment before pulling open the drawers. He gathered one of his orange button-down shirts and a pair of boxers, then headed to Yellow's bathroom.
He undressed and turned on the water. As he waited for it to heat up, he examined the wire rack that hung from the shower head. It contained a bare-bones selection of toiletries. Corn-scented soap, 3-in-1 shampoo, and a razor. It wasn't ideal, but it would do for tonight. The dancer chuckled to himself, then stepped inside and took a long, hot shower.
When he was finished, he dried off using Yellow's towel and put on the borrowed clothing. The boxers fit well enough, but the shirt was far too big for him. He neatly rolled up the sleeves, but the length of the shirt's body was still too long. Blue looked in the mirror and smiled to himself. He quite liked the way he looked in Yellow's oversized shirt.
Feeling fresh and relaxed, Blue wanted nothing more than to lay in bed. He approached the mattress and looked at the clock. Forty-five minutes had passed. Where could his darling be? He would go search for him in a moment, but first he needed to rest his feet.
He reached for the remote on Yellow's night stand and pointed it at the TV, turning it on with the push of a button. The channel that had been set previously was playing some sort of generic reality show. Blue watched a woman on the screen fret over the flavor of her daughter's wedding cake, complete with dramatic zoom-ins, sound effects, and cutaways. It would make fine background noise.
The dancer tugged up the edge of the blanket and settled underneath it, cocooning himself inside. It smelled of hay bales, honey, and corn. It smelled like home. It smelled like Yellow. Blue sighed and closed his eyes...
...
"Blue?"
The ballerino's eyes blinked open. He felt a gentle nudge on his shoulder.
"Howdy, Blue."
There was Yellow, standing over him. He wore nothing but his orange shirt and a pair of boxers, just like Blue.
"Oh, hello my dear," Blue responded, yawning and stretching his legs out beneath the blanket.
"I left you alone fer so long, you done fell asleep! I'm real sorry 'bout that," Yellow apologized, leaning down and planting a kiss on Blue's forehead. "But you look mighty comfy here, at least. Mind if I join you?"
"Please do, my love," Blue lifted the blanket up and scooted to the side, making space for the other.
"Oh! We're wearin' the same shirt."
Blue looked down, remembering what he had done what felt like only moments prior, but was clearly much longer ago than that.
"Oh yes, I hope you do not mind it."
"'Course not," Yellow assured, flashing him a toothy smile. "I think you look real cute like that."
The cowboy slipped under the blanket, laying on his side to face the other. Blue unbuttoned the top of Yellow's shirt and kissed him softly on his chest, over his heart. Yellow sighed and wrapped his arms around Blue's back. Blue kissed him again and tangled their legs together.
"You've been workin' real hard today, haven'tcha?" Yellow cooed. "Mr. Butterfly needs some lovin' tonight, doesn't he?"
Blue nodded, burying his face further into Yellow's chest. Yellow stroked the back of Blue's neck softly, just the way he liked it. Blue went limp in his arms and his eyes fluttered shut. The two of them stayed like that a while, their comfortable silence interrupted only by the faint chatter of the TV.
Eventually, Yellow patted his hand around the bed until he found the remote buried in the sheets. He flipped through the channels, eventually landing on a nature documentary.
"There's somethin' a little more calm," he mumbled.
Blue hummed quietly in agreement. Truth be told, even a horror film wouldn't have hindered the fuzzy feeling blossoming in his chest. There was nowhere Blue felt safer than in Yellow's arms. He shimmied upwards, bringing his lips to Yellow's jaw and trailing kisses down it. Yellow smiled and rolled Blue onto his back, positioning himself to hover over him. During the change in position, Blue's shirt lifted up partially, revealing his dark blue stomach which contrasted with the light gray boxers he had taken from Yellow's drawer.
"Hey, are these my underwears too? I'll have ta arrest you fer stealin'!" Yellow teased. He scooted downwards and brought his lips to Blue's stomach, then blew a raspberry just under his belly button. Blue lurched upward, laughter erupting as he pried Yellow's face away.
"Ahh! Yellow!"
"Heheh, justice has been served!"
Yellow was grinning now, a light blush dusting his cheeks. As he leaned back down, Blue's stomach tensed, expecting something more ticklish, but softened as Yellow kissed slowly and gently all over. The dancer's hand settled into Yellow's hair, scratching and petting his head.
"Sorry again fer leavin' you alone tonight," Yellow mumbled. "I never meant ta be gone so long."
"It is truly alright, darling. I was happy to wait for you. It made our reunion all the more special. How is Flowery?"
"Flowery?"
"You were just with him, were you not?"
"O-oh! Yeah, he's good."
"That is good to hear."
"Hmm," Yellow brought his hand atop his head, resting it over Blue's. "I uh, really should tell ya somethin'."
"Oh? I am all ears for you, my dear."
"I uh, wasn't with Flowery earlier. Sorry for lyin'. What was I thinkin', tryin' to trickify my Blue? Why, I oughta go bury myself..."
Blue caressed the side of Yellow's stubbled cheek with his free hand. "That won't be necessary. Did you want to talk about what you were really up to? Or is it private?"
Yellow's eyebrows furrowed. "I really shouldn't say but, ah, it feels wrong ta keep it from ya either. I dunno what ta do..."
Blue smiled patiently. Yellow's intentions had never been anything but pure, and the dancer was confident this case was no different. Although Blue was quite curious, what was most important was ensuring Yellow felt safe.
"Whatever it is you need, whether that is space or help, I am happy to provide it, dear."
Yellow appeared to contemplate this for a moment, then frowned. "I uh, s'ppose there's somethin' I'm tryin' ta find. Been lookin' fer a long time. And I'm havin' trouble."
"Oh, you lost something?"
Yellow shook his head.
"So you are looking for something new."
"Yeah...and it's important. Really important. And I'm scared I'm gonna mess it up." Yellow began rubbing his thumb along Blue's knuckles.
"And why is that, dear?"
"I just..." Yellow lowered his voice. "I mess things up all the time..."
"Oh, my sweet dandelion. I can understand your distress. Truthfully, I have felt quite the same way lately regarding my new routine."
"Aw shucks, Blue, I told you yer routine is already perfect," Yellow assured, pecking Blue on the chest. "And besides, it's nothin' like...well, er, yer routine is just fer you, right? I mean, I know you'll be dancin' in front of everyone but we ain't got any uh, expectations. We know it'll be good no matter what."
"Hm, you do raise an interesting point," Blue responded. "What I mean to say is that I create my routines with goals in mind. Usually, to convey a specific idea or emotion. The audience may not have many expectations, but I do fret over expressing myself properly."
"Yeah but, yer so good at it!" Yellow exclaimed, a hint of frustration in his voice. "You know all there is about ballet dancin'. And I don't know a thing about..." Yellow trailed off, pulling Blue's hand down from atop his head and holding it in his own. "I mean, this thing I'm lookin' fer has to be just right. Not too big an' not too small. And on top of that, it has ta look perfect."
"Not too big and not too small?" Blue repeated back. "What ever could it be you are searching for?"
Yellow averted his gaze.
"Darling, perhaps I could assist you?" Blue offered gently.
"Um," Yellow began meekly. He faintly squeezed Blue's fourth finger between his thumb and index. His voice trembled as he continued. "What...s-size d'ya reckon this finger is?"
Blue's heart skipped a beat.
"Yellow I," Blue swallowed. His mind and heart began to race as realization settled in. "Oh my, I had no idea you were..."
"Sorry!" The cowboy blurted. "I dunno what I was thinkin'! I mean, I shouldn'ta assumed you'd want ta spend yer whole life--"
"Yellow," Blue said his name softly. "How long have you been...?"
"T-too long..."
The initial shock gave way for warmth as every fiber of Blue's body began to buzz with giddiness. He felt his forehead growing warm as he giggled, holding Yellow tightly and rolling over, putting himself on top. Yellow looked like a deer in headlights - his eyes were wide and a dark blush covered his face.
"Y-yeah, that was pretty silly of me, huh? Ta think you'd want that." Yellow's voice cracked.
The dancer shook his head and kissed Yellow on the lips. Then again. And again. Each kiss deeper and more desperate. Tears began falling down Blue's cheeks as his love overflowed. Yellow pulled away once he felt a wet drop against his face.
"Ah, I done made you upset! I'm sorry!"
"Oh, dearest, no! You make me so happy! Of course!"
"Huh?"
"Of course I want to marry you!"
"M-marry me? You really mean it?" Yellow stammered, his blush growing even darker.
Blue kissed him again. Yellow's breath hitched as he gripped Blue's shoulders, now kissing back with just as much passion. Blue eventually pulled away to catch his breath and saw that Yellow's eyes were filled with tears, too.
"Blue, I gotta be the luckiest cowboy there ever was! Gosh I've been so worried about findin' the right ring fer you. You have no idea. Well, I'm still worried I s'ppose."
"Anything you would have picked for me would have made me so happy, dear." Blue tangled his fingers in Yellow's hair and kissed him on the cheek. "But, if you are still unsure, would you like my help?"
"Yes please!" Yellow smiled brightly and squeezed Blue, pulling him down against himself. Blue giggled and hugged him tightly. The cowboy's warmth was more radiant than the sun.
"Then let us go in the morning and pick them out together," Blue suggested.
"Them?"
"You need one too, don't you?"
Yellow smiled bashfully.
"Oh, heheh! I didn't think of that!"