A/N: I never really mentioned this before but when I write I usually aim more for a game verse Green and Red, but they do have aspects of their manga counterparts. I hope you all enjoy this part too! Oh, and this part will also stay in Red's POV, the next one might switch, but I think for the purpose of this story it'll stay focused on Red. Also I'm sorry if this chapter seems like its repeating a lot or anything like that. I think in all honesty I'm going to aim at four or five chapters total for this all now? But the first three or four will all be based on this phone conversation, hopefully that doesn't bore you guys!


"That person you're talking about… Is it me?"

The words echoed in Red's head as he held the phone against his ear. His breathing suddenly felt very loud to himself and he tried to quiet it. He was very aware of every sound he was making, every feeling coursing through his body, the largest being panic. Panic at being found out, panic about telling Green, panic at the thought of all of these years of containing himself, of fighting it down, being for nothing. It horrified him. There were reasons why he had never talked about it before, that much was clear. He could feel his throat contracting in nerves, his ability to speak slowly waning. He knew how long it had been since he talked, his thoughts swirling around him. Had it been only a few seconds? A minute? More than that? Green hadn't said anything yet, so it couldn't have been too long. He didn't know why he hadn't said no yet. Nothing was actually stopping him, aside from his nerves… What was stopping him?

It was the thought, that little part of him that did want Green to know, a part that was always silenced and ignored. But what if he did just say it? He felt his throat opening, his clammy hands clenching without him telling them to on his phone, a cheap piece of plastic that he had begged his mother time and time ago to be replaced. Green had a nicer one than him, and that didn't fly well with Red. Not that new gadgets really mattered to him… He was just always made more and more aware how out of style his was when Blue waved her new phone in his face and laughed at him. The only person who had a phone as old as he did was Yellow*. But that was kind of getting away from the point, Red realized. He was just stalling more on the confrontation part. On the lies, again and again. Even though this question had never been asked before, he had always told himself he would say no.

Not really. He had always wondered if when it came down to it, he would actually be able to lie to Green about it after all.

"Yes." He said before he could truly stop himself from making the biggest mistake of his teenage life. Melodramatic? Perhaps, but it was how he felt in that moment. He felt like he was going to shake, even though it was unlikely. But there was a sense of relief running through his body, like something had been released from him. He hadn't known it would feel as good as it did to actually say it, but it did. Part of Red wondered if Green would question him, if he would say "Really?" because if he did, Red didn't think he could tell the truth again. He didn't know what to want more, Green to question him so he could back out, or for him to follow up on what he had replied.

There was an audible pause; it was as if Red could hear Green's brain slowly processing what it had been told. Red could almost hear the gears in the other's head turning as he decided what to say.

"How long?" He finally said. Maybe the pause in Green's mind had felt as long as Red's, if he had milled over just as many thoughts as he had, as many emotions. It was unlikely, although he was positive the other was definitely surprised about it. Or maybe he wasn't… But that would make it so much worse. To know that everything he had done, all the effort he had put forth not to be found out, not to be detected, had been for absolutely nothing.

"Awhile" Was the small answer that Red finally decided on saying. He didn't want it to go this way. He didn't want to be clinging onto his phone in the dark, scared of losing his best friend. But that's how it had gone; this was where it had brought him. It wasn't a fear of Green finding his homosexuality disgusting or anything along those lines, be that the case life would be easier and Red could just be done with him quickly. No, it was the fear that Green would treat him differently, now knowing it. He would be careful about touching him and hanging out often, he wouldn't talk about his girlfriends. They would end up slowly drifting apart and that thought made Red want to curl up somewhere nice and cold just to die. He wanted to know what happened to Green in his life, where he went, if he got that doctorate like he wanted. Red wanted to see him find the love of his life, get married and have kids, everything. Him being in love with him… It was just another fact; it wasn't stopping him or repressing him in anyway. He just wanted Green to be happy, and he wanted to be there to see it.

"How long is that, Red?" Green pressed. It could be heard in his voice, he was worried. He was wondering how long this had been for; if it had been something serious then it meant he had hurt his best friend. He didn't want that, no one would.

"Don't worry about it."

"What? A month? A few months? Come on just tell me." There was false kindness in his voice now. The intoxicating kind that Red just wanted to curl up into, listening to those sweet words all day, pretending he didn't know that it was all a farce. The girls Green dated could never tell the difference, that's what made them lucky. Red whished at least once in his life he could be in their shoes. Just once.

The kindness wasn't faked in the way one might expect, as it may be to add to avoid confusion. It was faked to hide Green's own insecurities in this moment, to make it seem less like he was worried that he had hurt his friend, instead making it seem like he just playfully wanted to know. This would make Red much more likely to talk about it, and Green knew that. He wouldn't feel like he was setting himself up for some kind of failure. He wouldn't be cut off in his question in this way, left to ask himself in a million ways a million different times about the truth behind the entire thing.

"Longer." Red couldn't lie to him, not with that tone in Green's voice.

"How much longer?" Green paused before adding, "When did you start to like me?"

Good question, Red wanted to say. He wasn't sure himself, only when he started to notice, when he truly began to understand what it actually meant to like him.

"More than a few years." Was the answer Red decided. He wanted to be truthful, no matter how much it terrified him, he just didn't want it to end negatively, and he didn't want to lose his friend.

"A few years?!" Green asked in shock, his voice going louder. This hadn't been the answer he had expected, or wanted. Red immediately wanted to take it all back but that wasn't an option. "What the hell, Red, why didn't you tell me?!"