There he is.
"Blue!" Red cries, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's neck. He buries his face in Blue's shoulder, grinning as he takes in the familiar peppermint scent. He hardly cares that they're lingering at the edge of the courtyard, by the benches, where everyone can see them. He's just happy to see Blue.
Blue ruffles his hair, making Red stifle a giggle. "Morning, Velvet. Missed me, huh?" And then Red does giggle, because he loves it when Blue calls him "Velvet." Shadow and Green egged him on about it for the first week, labeling it a "pet name." Blue resented it, but it wasn't until Red told them to cut it out that they listened.
Red takes a step back, his arms still loosely looped around Blue's neck. "I haven't seen you since Thursday!"
"That's three days, Red." Three days I could have been with you.
"It still feels like a long time to me!" Red insists, still smiling wildly.
Blue rolls his eyes, but Red can see his smile.
Red's arms fall to his sides, and he slides onto the bench, next to Blue. "Anyways, I had an idea—"
"This again?"
"—and I wanted to tell you about it."
"Okay, what is it?"
To Red goes on to explain, in great detail, his idea to Blue. He feels a lightness in his chest as he glances at Blue, because he's suddenly aware of how alone they are. Green has flute sectionals, Vio went to the library, and Shadow went with him. With that on his mind, Red's words rush out with waterfall energy. We can just talk to each other and be together. It's so easy.
At last, Blue has to cut him off. "Red, slow down. I can't listen that fast."
Red can't stop smiling. "Sorry, I'm just so happy!"
Blue gives him a lopsided smile in return. "Because you're with me?"
Red's head bobs up and down in agreement. Of course that's why I'm happy. Why else would I be happy?
A quiet sigh escapes Blue. "What on Earth would you do without me…?"
Part of inner-Red jumps, because it's a startling question, 'what would he do without Blue?' Before Blue he had no friends. He was sad and lonely and scared and if someone threatened him, he didn't know what to do with himself. I always count of Blue to be there… and if he just suddenly wasn't…
"Red?"
This time Red really does jump. At that moment in time, he was so wrapped up in his thoughts and emotions that he had felt truly alone. No Blue, no anyone. Just me.
But when Red looks up (he hadn't realized his gaze had drifted to the concrete), he meets Blue's eyes, which are burning into him with a certain wary rawness. Red shivers, because he's suddenly reminded that stuff like that doesn't matter right now. Blue matters.
Just Blue.
He forces a smile back onto his face.
"I don't know."