song inspiration: You Belong With Me, by Taylor Swift

There is no galaxy, nor timeline, nor plane of existence where any of this is Green's fault — this being the last month or so of Green going very slowly spare. Going mad. Nuts. Etc.

No, it is definitely Blue's fault, just like all the other slightly misplaced things in his life. Here he is, sitting on his couch watching a grown woman pace between him and the television set for what is definitely not the first time this week, or even this month. She had stormed in here today — without knocking but with her own copy of his key, neither of which he remembers giving her permission for — looking like a hot mess with her hair and both tall shoes going every which way.

Normally, that would be nothing new, but Blue had gone and found herself a boyfriend a couple weeks ago, which means that now she is here specifically to complain now about how much said boyfriend complained about one of her latest pranks.

Something about her particular brand of humor isn't clicking with the new date, which only increases Green's distaste towards the yet-unseen boyfriend. He has never blown up about her pranks. Geez. And if anybody has the justifiable right to do so, it is definitely Green, who has spent the last six or seven or ten years putting up with her — case in point: she is here, in his house-

Oh, and now she's pulling out her phone. He tries to keep his attention on the screen, pretending that he's into whatever sports-ball game is on, but the best he can do is lose focus on everything but the curl of her lips as she mixes it up between defensive apologies and sarcastic retorts.

And yes, that is probably not a victory to brag about. But it is what it is.

If he is being honest with himself — it is getting harder, these days — this new boyfriend is probably nothing to brag about either. And if he is a little vindictive about that? Well, then. That is just the facts.

Blue hangs up moodily on her new boyfriend before slumping next to him on the couch.

"What's up with this?" she asks, abruptly changing conversational topics as she picks at his sweatpants. "Why aren't you out on the town, too?"

He gives her a look.

"Pallet Town is only-"

"The city, then." Her specification does nothing to ease his passive disbelief.

"It's a Tuesday night."

"And?"

"Not everyone has a date to woo on a weekday." Ooh, does that sound too...bitter? Hmm. He had been going for disdainful.

Sure enough and to his disgruntlement, Blue snorts with amusement and curls up tighter beside him.

"No, some of us have very exclusive television to catch up on," she teases, and he rolls his eyes. "But seriously, when was the last time you went out on a date?" He does not bother to reply, knowing that (a) it is not totally necessary to the conversation and (b) she probably knows the answer and (c) it was a very, very long time ago and did not even go all that well to start with.

"Your makeup is smudged," Green tells her instead, but it does not deter her in the slightest; she just turns those big brown eyes up at him with earnest.

"I've gone on plenty of dates," she tells him, and if his insides start to burn, he refuses to let it show on his face, "but this is the first time I've ever had a boyfriend. It's fun, you know."

The disbelief now is anything but passive.

What? he wants to demand. Are you delusional or in denial? She has been alternatively upset with and simpering over the guy for a month, and Green is as much an expert in dating as Yellow is in public speaking, but even he can tell that that cannot be stable.

But Blue is smart, too, and surely she must see what he does. The real question is why she lets it slide, when there are so many other worthy options available.

Like him.

Maybe.

Not for actual, serious, genuine consideration, of course, but merely as a standard of acceptable behavior.

Obviously.

Because why not him, Green, who actually understands what Blue says, who knows which lines to read between and which to take exactly as they are. Not that that means he's entitled to her or anything, because that is just wrong. Dead wrong. He does not even want to be in a relationship with anyone right now, anyway.

But as Green sinks deeper into his couch and smells Blue's perfume wafting all over his living room, he thinks it might be nice, someday, to see her with someone who respects her back.

movie suggestion of the day: Captain Marvel!