Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Their skin throbbed, yet they were barely old enough to truly comprehend why. Every limb trembling, they glanced down to see bruises littering his skin, blue-black marks that they could easily tell were turning to more of a purplish hue. They let out a high-pitched whimper, stumbling back as the older children moved ever closer, taunting them.

“We know you won’t fight back, sissy! ” one of them snorted, rolling up his sleeve in the process.

“Yeah!” another responded, smirking, the gap from a missing tooth showing in his mouth. “Nobody’ll come here to save you!”

The smaller kid, their first week of kindergarten, couldn’t muster a response, for they were unsure on whether or not they were correct in that judgement. They glanced behind the group of second-graders, at the crowd on the playground of other children his age and older.

Nobody was moving.

A shrill noise came out of their mouth as the largest of the older kids lifted his leg and deftly kicked the kindergartener down, keeping that leg pinned on their chest. The boy looked down at them, grinning viciously as he dug his heel into their stomach. Laughter erupted from his mouth when they cried out in pain, small hands scrabbling to get the foot off of them.

“You can’t even FIGHT!” he screamed in the kid’s face, leaning down closer to emphasize his point. “You’ll never be able to bea—”

The boy was unable to finish his sentence, and the little kid saw him freeze up, cut off by the sound of a nearby explosion, dirt and debris flying from the site. The kids on the playground were no longer focusing on the five-year-old being beat up, dropping whatever toys they had been playing with as curiosity filled their veins and they ran over to the impact point.

Simultaneously, the kindergartener and their assailant turned to the crater that had been dented into the earth mere feet away. Smoke was billowing out in chalky gray bursts. Craning their head, the kid just barely craned his head in order to look into the hole whilst the second-grader was distracted.

Within the crater was a large, almost conical structure, almost like some sort of pod. The material was metallic and almost stark white, though whatever luster it had previous to the crash had more or less dissipated, the surface being littered with scrapes and dents. The tip of the pod was pulsing with an odd, almost alien glow to it, a milky blue. It blipped red before turning off. Silence filled the playground, not a single soul having an inkling of an idea what to do about this object that had quite literally rocketed into the ground.

Then there was a shrill beep, two short sounds before a shhh sound emitted from the pod, and the top slid open.

Silence.

Then a pale, olive-colored hand shot out, grasping the side of the pod with small hands, a second appearing and copying the first before the owner hoisted themselves up and out of the pod, tumbling over the side and hitting the ground. It wasn’t an object, nor was it a creature. It was…

The kindergartener’s eyes widened in shock, feeling even the pressure the older kid was putting on his chest loosen as everyone on the playground watched in disbelief as a child stumbled to their feet, clothes too big for them and a hat big enough that it was tilted over their eyes. They looked younger than the kindergartener. One would expect someone in such a situation at an age that small to cry, to panic, but the little kid in the big red hat simply laughed.

“That was AWESOME!” Big Hat yelped, jumping up but slipping on their oversized pants and falling over. It was as if whatever had happened to them hadn’t quite hit them yet. They giggled, getting back to their feet and stretching. Most of the kids watched Big Hat in wonder and suspicion, but one couldn’t say the same for the older children, who glared down at this new appearance with a newfound hatred.

“Let’s get ‘em,” one hissed, and the kindergartener could only watch in bewilderment as the older children on the playground rushed forwards, screaming, into the crater. The kindergartener trembled. Such a small kid would never be able to take on that many older kids at once, and their innocence was an easy target, as they’d learned. Big Hat simply blinked up at the kids with big, russet eyes, turned their hat to the back, and swept their leg under the first kid to reach them, causing them to yelp and fall over and knock over yet another kid.

“COME AND GET SOME!” Big Hat screamed, and the older kids roared and began their attack on Big Hat. The other kids on the playground cheered as Big Hat deflected hits and took the big kids down. Their nose was bleeding severely as they cleared out the crowd, but they scarcely seemed to care, wiping at it once before rushing up the side of the crater and seeming to fly before barrelling into the second-grader who had the little kid pinned, sending both crashing into the ground. They gasped for breath, sitting up as there was no weight on their chest anymore.

As the older children scattered, muttering angrily to themselves about how they’ll “get back at that weird kid”, the remainder of children took to either making their own ways back to the playground sets or stealing last looks at the dilapidated pod. The kindergartener, however, had not moved from their spot, still reeling from the events that had occurred in such a short period time. They blinked when an outstretched hand came into view. The kid looked up to see Big Hat, holding out a hand to them with a huge grin on their face.

Gratefully, they took Big Hat’s hand, being helped up until they were both to their feet. The kid shook Big Hat’s hand. “T-Thank you so much!” they gasped, still slightly out of breath. “You saved me!”

“I know,” Big Hat replied.

“You were incredible!”

“I know.”

“I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you!”

“I know,” Big Hat chuckled, wiping more blood from their nose.

The kindergartener blinked at Big Hat. “I-I’m N-Nina!”

Big Hat’s smile widened. “I’m-” The smaller kid hesitated, as if considering options. “I’m Lucy! But you,” they take off their hat, glancing at something on the interior before looking up. “You can call me Red!”

Nina blinked. “...Oh! I’ll be Blue, then!”

Red clapped excitedly. “Great! We’re going to be best friends, Blue!”

“Forever!”

Forever?

Chapter Text

It’s a nice night in autumn.

Blue heaved a happy sigh as he shoved his hands in his coat pocket, swinging back and forth on his heels as he waited outside of a local restaurant for Pink. Assuring himself that this particular location was more elegant than what he used to, Blue was sure to wear the nicest suit he owned. To be honest, he did in fact clean up quite well; he just hoped that Pink would feel the same.

Whilst he waited for her to show up, Blue took the time to survey his surroundings. He’d never been to this part of the city before, neither Red nor himself feeling any need to ever even visit the area. On top of that, elegant and elite areas such as this made Red uncomfortable, only furthering their disdain towards this part of town. But, to Blue’s surprise, the West Side was actually…quite comfortable; the sidewalks weren’t as cramped with people, and the roads were not filled with the resonant noise of cars honking. Truth be told, it was far quieter than the man had expected it to be.

And he liked it.

Skimming the street, Blue took delight in the fact that much of it was food-centric, meaning that him and Pink could definitely return to this part of the city given the opportunity. Maybe, they could—

“ There you are!” called a familiar voice behind him. A grin spread across Blue’s face, and he quickly turned and opened his arms just in time for Pink to jump into them, hugging him tightly. Blue wrapped his arm around her, kissing her on the forehead before returning the hug. It felt as if forever had passed before the two finally broke apart. Pink dusted herself off, bouncing as she looked up at him. “I’m not late, am I?” Pink asked, blinking. “Shit. I’m going to feel horrible if I made you wait for a long time.”  

Blue waved his hands, disregarding it. “No, no!” he gasped, taking her hands. “You didn’t make me wait at all, babe!” In order to prove this, Blue gently kissed her before letting go of one of her hands and smiling at her. “Come on! Let’s go in.” Pink leaned on his shoulder, humming as the two, hand-in-hand, walked into the restaurant, aptly named The Stardust Eats.

The host, a tall, lanky man with a mop of black hair, blinked wearily at the couple. “Welcome to The Stardust Eats. Do you have a reservation?” he asked, voice monotonous as expected. Blue simply nodded.

“We do!” he replied joyfully. “Spencer? Party for two?” The host stared at him in a short swath of silence before tapping something on his screen. He nodded to himself, grabbing two menus from the compartment on the side of his podium before stepping out of his place and beckoning Pink and Blue to follow him. The two grinned excitedly at each other before they let the host lead them to a table by one of the large windows, huge panes taller than any human could possibly be of which lined the front of the restaurant. Aching to be a gentleman, Blue went ahead, pulling out a chair for Pink and humming as she laughed, taking her seat. He pushed her in before skirting the table and taking his own seat, the two both shuffling off their coats and hanging it on the back of the shiny, cushioned chairs that line each and every table. After waiting a couple of minutes for them to do so, their host hands them two menus, and he is gone as quick as he came. Blue raises a concerned eyebrow.

“You think he’s good?” Blue remarks, glancing at Pink and then back at the host, whose head is just barely visible through the swaths of other restaurant patrons. Pink frowned, shrugging.

“I’m sure he’s alright,” Pink replied, grinning. “I’d be exhausted too if I had to work at a high end place like this .”

“Couldn’t imagine,” Blue snorted, opening up his menu as he spoke. The couple sat in silence for a couple of minutes, both concentrating intently on the pamphlets and scanning them over and over and over as if caught in a loop. Given the means of the restaurant that they were in, there were far more than a handful of dishes to choose from. Blue’s brow furrowed as he looked; half of the foods that he was seeing under the “Entrées” section were dishes that the man had simply never heard of before; many of them were quite complex, all meals that he’d never have even dreamed of eating due to the expensiveness of each and every one of them.

But here he was, seated at a pristine set table with the opportunity to delve into any of them. Blue let out a prolonged sigh that, after he closed his mouth, he realized may have been a tad bit too loud. Nervously clearing his throat, Blue tore himself away from his thoughts and returned to his decision. However, his mind still nagged at him even after he made his choice. Blue just couldn’t stop thinking about how he never would have expected affording something like this. And how Red never would. Gritting his teeth, Blue shook his head, silently thanking the fact that his menu was still shielding his face from Pink’s view. This was their special night, a night where he didn’t have to worry, didn’t have to think about his dumbass roommate for once.

A greeting snapped him out of his thoughts. Blue blinked, quickly shutting his menu and looking up at the source. A young woman, tan-skinned with hair tied back into a bun, was smiling down at them.

“Good evening,” she repeats, her expression never swaying. “I’m Clarisse, your waiter for tonight.” Clarisse, as Blue and Pink now know her to be called, dug her gloved hands into the pockets of her apron and fished out a pad of paper and a pen, which she clicked on. “Are you two all ready to order?”

Pink spoke before Blue could even open her mouth. “Yes, we are!” she said, shutting her own menu. “I’ll have the ratatouille, please! Spence?” She glanced at her boyfriend, who appeared to perk up at the mention of his name.

Blue gave Clarisse a small smile. “The chicken galliano, please. And a bottle of white wine for the table?” Pink giggled at his order. Clarisse smirked at the two’s interaction, writing their orders down on her notepad before closing it shut, giving a small bow to the two.

“I’ll be back in just a moment with the bottle of wine! I sincerely hope that you enjoy your time here!” Clarisse said to the two, beaming before she spun on her heels and walking off in the other direction. Pink waited until the waitress had disappeared through the kitchen’s swinging doors before breaking out into quiet laughter, covering her mouth and only growing louder as she noticed Blue visibly blushing and holding back a smile.

“Oh my god , Blue!” Pink gasped, chuckling and her hand not moving from its place in front of her mouth. “I feel so bad for our waitress.”

Blue raised an eyebrow, giving up on fighting back against his emotion and breaking into his own bout of laughter. “Why, pray tell?” He asked, shaking his head as his laughter died out.

“It was so blatantly obvious that this is a date ! You weren’t even bein’ subtle! ” As she spoke, she reached across the table and playfully gave him a punch on his arm.

“Hey!” Blue whined, rubbing at his shoulder. “That hurt!”

Pink stuck out her tongue playfully. “Whatever.” The two readjusted themselves just in time, as Clarisse had returned, holding a pristine bottle of white wine in her left hand and two wine glasses in her right. Without speaking, she set down the items in her hands before curtly bowing once again and leaving as quick as she came.

“...Weird,” Blue said to himself, shaking his head to dispel any worries rattling around in his mind. Flashing a grin at his girlfriend, he popped open the bottle of wine and carefully filled both glasses.

Pink took a long sip of her drink before setting the glass down and starting to speak. “So, Blue…” she started, not making direct eye contact with him. “There was something I actually wanted to, you know, discuss with you.” Blue stared at her.

“What is it?” he asked, clearly confused.

“I think it’s time we started talking about moving in together.”

Blue went silent, as if he’d been hit by a snowball. “What?” he said, not fully understanding what she was proposing.

Pink let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of her neck as she continued. “We’ve been dating, for, well, a really long time, and I feel like it just seems, you know, logical? Instead of us having to constantly go over to each other’s apartments.” She sighed. “Plus, we’re considering putting the apartment up, anyways.” That made Blue’s eyes widen.

“ Sell it? ” Blue choked out. “What about Stacey, though? Where’s she going to go?’

“She’s studying right now. Considering going back to school soon to get her doctorate in the spring, so we’re trying to figure out things earlier.”

Blue grinned. “Whoa, really? Good for her!”

Pink returned the smile. “I know. I’ll be sure to tell her later that you’re happy for her.”

“I don’t quite think she’ll care, but go ahead.”

“Don’t flatter yourself; you know she cares about you. Just because she can be an asshole doesn’t mean she doesn’t care!” Pink chuckles. “Like, I’m pretty sure Red has at least an inkling of respect for me.”

Blue snorted into his glass. “Doubt that.”

For the next half and hour or so, this is how the conversation went, a back and forth conversation about their friends, about their own personal lives, about Pink’s adventures at her job in a local café and Blue’s new profession in IT and computer tech. Eventually, it rescinded into just casual discussion. Pink opened her mouth, about to launch into an anecdote about an odd patron she’d encountered, when she was interrupted by footsteps only growing louder. “Oh. Our f-”

“Your food has arrived,” Clarisse said joyfully, balancing the entire tray on one arm and winking at the two of them before she spun and set their respective plates in front of them. “Enjoy your meal!” The girl was gone as quickly as she came, back through the doors of the kitchen. Blue’s jaw was agape as he stared at his food.

“The fuck,” he breathed out, prompting Pink to burst out into a fit of laughter.

“It’s just food, dude!” Pink said, snickering. “It’s not like she just handed you a fuckin’ plate of gold or something!” Blue waved his hands wildly in indignance.

“That was not my expression, Pink,” he replied a bit too loudly, “And you know it!” Pink could see the laughter that the man was trying to hide.

“Whatever, just eat.” Pink smiled before picking up her fork, stabbing it into her food and humming to herself. Blue felt his heart swell a bit, watching her, before he blinked himself back into reality and lifted his own fork. For a while, the two ate in silence, the only conversation occurring being varied compliments on the foods that they’d ordered. The silence was only broken once both finished their meals.

“...Spencer?”

Blue set down his fork, tipping his head at his girlfriend in genuine confusion. No nickname? “Yes, Min?” he replied, quiet and concerned.

“Well…” Pink twirled a stray hair around her finger, not looking directly at Blue as she searched for the words. She opened her mouth, and after a moment’s hesitation she set both hands on her lap and stared right at Blue before she spoke. “About moving in with you. It’s a great idea, and,” she gestured to herself, “I thought it up! I’m confident that we’re far enough in our relationship that it’s the most viable option! But…” The woman let out a nervous sigh. “What about...What about Lucas?”

Blue went silent. For whatever reason, his own roommate had slipped his mind when the two’d been discussing the aforementioned plans earlier. And it’s not like he forgot about the man entirely, the couple had been joking about him earlier, for fucks sake! But, now that Pink had brought him up, it was all he could think of. And, to be honest, Blue didn’t exactly have an answer for his girlfriend.

“I’m not sure, actually,” Blue replied hastily, having a tone of concern in his voice. “There’s a chance that maybe I could negotiate with him, but...if Lucas really is as indignant as you’re worrying about, maybe we could stay at your place instead?” Blue let out a chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. “I mean, after all, you did say that Stacey was going to be leaving at some point to get her doctorate…” Blue silenced himself, willing himself not to say anything else at the risk of letting out something absolutely stupid.

Pink stared before nodding at his words. “Good plan,” she said matter-of-factly. The woman reached across the table, placing a hand atop his. “We’ll talk about it more, okay? We’ll be able to work this out.” Pink squeezed his hand, and Blue grinned at her happily.

“Uh…” Clarisse said, breaking the moment, “I...have y’all’s check?”

As he stepped out of the elevator in his apartment complex, Blue paused his walk to glance down at his phone which he had powered on mere minutes ago. Pale blue light reflected against his face as he turned it on, glancing at the time. Only 10 P.M.? The man raised an eyebrow before shrugging and shoving his phone back into his right coat pocket. I honestly thought it was far later than that, he thought to himself as the elevator doors closed behind him, But that means I have more relaxation time before I go to sleep . Red most definitely was not home, given the time of night and the man’s tending to go out to something, be a party or some other type of social. This thought added further confusion to Blue as he approached, as light shone from under the door to his apartment. Blue raised an eyebrow. Perhaps Red had neglected to shut off their lights before. He sighed to himself. That idiot.

Blue placed one hand on the doorknob, simultaneously shuffling around for his keys with the other. He, however, paused this hand’s motion, as, with a blink, he realized that the door was unlocked. Though this worried him, the man once again thought nothing of it, releasing his working hand and turning the knob, pushing himself into the apartment.

The first thing that Blue noticed was how clean the apartment was. Anything that was on the walls was scrubbed away, pizza boxes once littering the ground assumed in the apartment’s recycling bins, every surface shining. Blue narrowed his eyes, closing the door slowly and putting his coat up on the rack whilst not averting his eyes whatsoever. This is beyond strange; Red scarcely cleans, and when he does, he doesn’t wait until the dark of night to do so. Blue opened his mouth in question, trying to formulate any possibilities in his mind, when the door to Red’s room creaked open, and the man in question walked out, lugging a duffel with him. His hat was off, it hanging on one of the corners of one of the chairs at their kitchen table. Red did not seem to notice him at first, setting down the duffel and sliding a backpack off his back, carefully setting it atop the duffel bag. He let out a yawn, stretching, whilst simultaneously turning. He froze when he locked eyes with Blue, both arms returning to his sides quicker than a bullet train. Red did not speak.

Blue stepped forwards, his voice fighting to be steady. “...Red,” he said quietly, “What are you doing?”

Red glanced at him, then at his bags, then back at Blue. “Is it not obvious?” he replied, though his voice was wavering, and it did not hold the brashness that Red normally exerted. “I’m,” he hesitated, “I’m leaving.”

Blue blinked in disbelief, before taking another step forwards, tipping his head when Red stepped back . “Why? There’s-There’s no reason why you’d need to leave. You’re fine here, I know that. So why,” his voice was beginning to rise, “WHY would you want to move out—” Red cut him off before he could hit a point of fury by doing one simple thing: pointing right at Blue. Blue’s eyes widened. “Me,” he said quietly, confused. “I’m the reason why you’re moving out.”

“Yes, smart one.”

Blue took a huge step towards Red. As a response, Red moved back once more. “Why,” he repeated. “I’ve-I’ve done nothing but support you throughout—throughout everything , and you’re…” Blue narrowed his eyes at him, eyes going dark. “You’re just going to leave? ” Red lifted up his hands in defense.

“...Dude. Why are you blaming me?” Red asked, sounding annoyed. “I’m leaving. I’m going back to school. I thought that you of all people would be overjoyed about my exodus.”

“Back to school .”

“Are you dense?” Red grit his teeth, hands closing into shaking fists. “I’m going back. Gettin’ my fuckin’ masters or whatever. It’s not complicated at all. Just let me g—”

Red was cut off by Blue grabbing him by the collar of his t-shirt and lifting him up, slamming him against the wall with a force that Red honestly did not know that Blue had. Grunting, Red struggled, his resistance deeming futile as all it resulted in was his hoodie slipping off and silently hitting the ground. Red did not react, glaring down at Blue, who had a ferocity in his eyes he didn’t recognize. “The hell are you doing,” he hissed, kicking his feet to and fro.

“Answer my fucking question,” Blue snapped back, his grip tightening. “Why are you saying it’s my fault?! Answer me! ”

“BECAUSE YOU DON’T NEED ME ANYMORE, OKAY?!”

Blue went silent. He opened his mouth wordlessly, looking up at Red, but the boy was no longer facing him, his head tilted down and to the side with his long red hair covering any sight of his eyes. Finally, the man loosened his grip, blinking. “What...what do you mean.”

“Look,” Red muttered quietly, “I know you better than literally anybody else in the fucking world. I know how you are. I know what you want. And what you want is to be with Pink. To be happy. I don’t fit into that narrative.”

His grip loosened more. “Wh…”

“Shut the fuck up and let me talk,” Red said, gritting his teeth. “I know what you’ll say. That I’ve always been your best friend, that I shouldn’t say that, that it isn’t like me, yada-yada-yada whatever. But that’s not going to make me budge this time. I’m leaving because I want to, and because that’s what good for you...whether you like it or not.”

Blue dropped Red, and the man hit the ground a bit too roughly, though he didn’t even comment on this as he floated himself back to his feet. Blue had no words, watching as Red made his way to the table, picking up his hat and adjusting it to how he usually wore it atop his head. He didn’t turn around. “Just let me go, man.”

Red hoisted his bags up, walking to the door and opening it with a free hand. He glanced one last time at Blue, at the apartment, at what he was leaving behind. “Goodbye, Spencer.”

And with that, the door slammed behind him. He was gone. Blue stood there, a hand still outstretched towards the door, words dying in his throat that could never be said. He felt tears rolling down his face—fury? Dismay? He wasn’t quite sure. But he made no move to stop them as he turned away from the door, closing his eyes.

He barely missed the envelope on the table with his name on it.