Standing on LOFAF wasn't so bad. Once you got past the initial blast of white light that reflected off the snow, it actually look nice. What wasn't covered in snow was barely visible, and didn't make you feel bad about being stuck in your own monochromic hell. If you stared at the crunchy ground beneath you, you could pretend, just for a second, that you could actually see colors other than black, white, and grey. But then you have to look up again because, even with your shades on, the light still burns.
You roll your stinging eyes and continue to trudge across the planet, trying to find Harley before your ass literally freezes off. If you had thought, something you apparently don't do enough of, you would have made a jacket before leaving your own planet. Maybe Jade can make you one when you find her.
After god knows how long of walking- though you know too because of these stupid powers, and it's really been less than five minutes-, you finally give up and pull out your phone, opening the pesterchum app.
TG: listen harls
TG: its cold as fuck out here
TG: im gonna need you to hurry up
Seconds later, the familiar boring grey text pops up on your screen, but you can't stop the small smile that tugs on your lips. You try to push it away, and instead it becomes an awkward smirk.
GG: ill be there soon! :B
You sigh because soon means an eternity to someone who has the ability to control time. You cross your arms over your chest, rubbing your hands over them in an attempt to warm yourself a bit. It doesn't work. You head over to a nearby tree, leaning against it, and letting your eyes close. Closing your eyes is worse than staring at the snow though. The bright white light fades into a black abyss, and you're left dying to imagine what actual color is like. You never can imagine it.
Footsteps crunching in the snow catches your attention, but you don't open your eyes. You want to see her, you desperately wanted to see her, but not this way. You can't lie and say you don't have feelings for her, but you don't want to disappoint yourself when you find out that she isn't your soulmate.
Her voice echoes in your brain but you don't pay attention. All you hear is green. Bro said her text was green. He said her eyes were too. Bro had said a lot that night about colors and soulmates. He said not to get your hopes up. To him, green is the ache of loneliness.
But you couldn't help but disagree. Green was a color of beauty and happiness, even if you couldn't see it.
Green was her and your hopes were way up.
"Dave!" A voice calls out, exasperated.
You realize that it's her and you've just been standing there.
Your eyes flash open before you can think, and you're left staring into her green eyes.
Except, when you expect to the normal dark blobs you'd grown used to, you're met by a blast of color. You're very thankful for the tree behind you because your knees are buckling and the world is spinning.
You're overwhelmed and you can tell she is too because her fingers are gripping her dress so tight- too tight even because the material is wrinkling up just like your stomach- and she's almost shaking. Her eyes flash over you rapidly behind her round frames, and you don't know what to do.
You stare at her for a bit longer, letting the shock ease a bit. Suddenly, you realize.
"Green," you mumble because it's the only word you can think of.
You feel like the whole world is crashing down on you, and then, suddenly, she is crashing into you. Her hands grip around the brightly colored sleeves of your shirt as tightly as she had been holding onto her dress, and you can feel her nails lightly digging into your shoulders, the pain being the only thing keeping you focused. She's still shaking as she presses her head into your shoulder, and you feel warm tears soaking through your shirt. You move your arms around her waist because you don't know what else to do, and holding her just feels right. She's crying, and you're pretty sure that there are a few stray tears slipping down your own cheeks at this point.
It's a while before either of you move or speak again, but when it happens, it's her that breaks the still silence.
She mumbles something against your shoulder, but you can't hear her.
"Harls," you begin, voice cracking as you say her beloved nickname. "I'm gonna need you to speak up…"
She picks her head up off your shoulder, but keeps it pointed downward.
"I can't believe it's you," she says. Her voice breaks when she says "you" and so does your heart. How could something so obvious be so overwhelming for the both of you.
Before you know what you're doing, you've tilted her head up, forcing those green eyes to stare at you.
You can tell she's at a loss for words by the way her lips stay slightly parted- God they look so soft and warm, and you just wish you could kiss her right this second, but there's more important things to be done. And you wait for her to say something, but all you get is silence.
You can't blame her for not saying anything. You're at a loss for words too.
As your brain scrambles to find something to say, you suck in a breath of sharp, cold air, and let it back out. It's as if she's done the exact same because your breath mingles in puff together of smoke together.
"Can I kiss you now?" You blurt out without thought, mentally cursing yourself once you've realized what you've done.
Things stay silent between to two of you for seconds, and your cheeks burn a bright red as you await her reply.
Her quiet laughter rings out, and you instantly feel your blush darken. Her tears have stopped, and by the stickiness of your face, you're sure your's have too. She's smiling up at you now, and so you give her an awkward half smirk as to say, "Yes, I said that on purpose." because even when meeting your soulmate, the girl you've been best friends with and crushing on for years now, you still have to seem cool. Striders are always cool.
And then, as if the world was working against you and for you all at once, she says, "Yeah, you can kiss me," and any bit of cool composure you had left is gone.
And then you're just nodding because you're so shocked at her response that you don't know what else to do.
And then she starts nodding too, and somehow you can't stop nodding.
And things have gotten quiet and awkward now, and you know you need to make a move, you need to kiss her, but you don't even know how to kiss someone.
And then, all of a sudden, she's leaning up and something pulls you down towards her.
And then your lips meet.
You feel like your hearts dropped to your stomach, and your cheeks are so hot. Your whole body feels hot.
The kiss is brief and innocent. Just a few seconds of the two of you pressing your lips together, but it feels like so much more. And when you pull away, you immediately want to do it again.
Her eyes flutter open, and you hadn't even realized they'd been closed until you see them and their fierce green color.
Your head's still spinning, but by now, you don't mind it. Her hands release the fabric of your shirt, and she rock back and forth on her heels, blushing furiously.
You smile down at her, a genuine smile, and feel the most happiness you've felt in a long time because Bro was wrong. Green is beauty and happiness.
Green is her, and nothing could change that.