Liar
Red just sat alone in silence and wondered when it started. He should have noticed, in retrospect, how completely how completely obvious it was. Maybe because the process had been so gradual, the changes were too subtle to notice.
He wanted to know why Purple had lied to him. After so many years of faithfulness and devotion, hadn't Red at least earned that much? The truth would have torn into him like shrapnel but he would have been able to come to terms with it. He would not by any means have liked it, but he would have accepted that it was something beyond his control. He loved Purple enough to understand that the universe did not conform to any one person's plans, and he would not have done anything to make the other feel guilty or upset if Purple had just said something.
He felt cruel, now, for having missed the signs. Red had only grown to love Purple deeper and more passionately while Purple's interest and desire only waned. He pretended, though, and Red wanted to know why. If he hadn't wanted to be touched, or if making love had become too much of an effort, Red would have listened. He would have done anything his former lover had asked him, and if Purple needed him to let go, he would have.
He would have liked a chance to say goodbye, maybe even one last "I love you", but only as a statement of fact – not a desperate plea to make him stay. If he'd only been honest, Purple wouldn't have suffered alone, in silence, while Red just served as a constant reminder of his terrible circumstances.
Red might not have been able to change the inevitable, but he could have made it more bearable. He wouldn't have argued so much when Purple tried to suggest that they take some time off, to put Impending Doom on hold for a little while, and maybe take the year to see all those things they used to talk about when they were young. If Red had known he'd find Purple choking and writhing in pain on the bedroom floor, he might not have wasted time with arguments.
Purple had kept himself well-medicated and received constant treatment so his condition only manifested in what Red thought were random and sporadic silly little twitches, and not his partner slowly losing control of his central nervous system. Purple would turn it into a joke, or come up with some sort of distraction, and Red would be none the wiser. He'd sworn his doctors to secrecy, and the few times word would go around that he'd been seen in MedLab, he'd always have an excuse.
He wanted to scream at Purple and call him a liar. He wanted to ask, "how could you do this to me", but he never did because deep down, he knew the answer.
He would have done the same thing.
A/N: sorry for disappearing... I started a new job, and the work has been insane. Still trying to balance everything. Love to everybody reading this; thanks for the encouragement :)
