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Purple didn’t know why they listened to Second and Gold. This whole plan was awkward at best and disastrous at worst. Just go hang out , they said, What can go wrong? They said. They didn’t say anything about the awkwardness so thick that Purple could cut it with a knife, nor the way that Green stared at them just a little too… intently.
What could go wrong? Purple could fill a book.
Meeting up with Green with other people there was one thing; it happened all the time, and it was easy. They could just fade into each other’s backgrounds, trying to ignore each other as intently as they both were able. There was so much between the two, so much time, so many things between them. Unspoken things. Things that sort of made Purple’s skin crawl.
Green must hate Purple–they knew that if their roles were reversed, they would despise the thing that stole so much of their privacy, even if it was unwilling. Purple had been with Green for nearly every single second since Green had cleaned the final stain off of them. Every little victory, every big battle. Purple had been there for every moment that Green let himself break that he would never dare show in front of others. Purple had been there for every time Green had cried. Every time they had exhausted themself so much that they fell asleep, and had even had the gall to wrap themself around him like they were allowed to comfort a stranger. Every single moment, every single second, with very little exception. It was Green’s doing, Purple wouldn’t have if they had the choice. That would mean very little to Purple, had the roles been reversed.
Purple was a stranger to Green. Green was far from a stranger to Purple. Purple would be terrified of that notion. No, they would be violated . They would hiss and kick and try their damndest and fail at not being hostile towards the person who had stolen so much of their privacy. The person who had seen them for everything.
He didn’t take it out on Purple. Green was too kind to do that, too selfless, far better than they were. However…
Green would avoid them. Look anywhere else but them when they had to work together, and speak stiffly and clipped when they were forced to speak. They looked intently, yes, but only when they thought Purple wasn’t looking–otherwise, he tried to stay as distant as a person could while in the same room. And every other instance, he would stay as far away from them as possible, no matter how nice they were. No matter how guilty they felt. Purple didn’t even feel all that guilty, which made matters worse. No wonder Green did all of that to them. All of that and more.
Purple didn’t even catch them leaving the room sometimes, with how quickly and subtly he did it. They didn’t realize until someone asked where Green went. Purple understood that it was their fault he ditched them. It was also their fault that Green had to tolerate them now, without any way to escape.
They shouldn't have listened to Gold. She had a special way of persuading Purple into making stupid decisions. She was too smart for her own good. No, not smart, she was too persuasive , because if Gold were smart, she wouldn't be encouraging dumb decisions. Let alone this absolutely terrible one, that Purple knew was going to end in disaster.
Make up with Green. Become friends with that guy. Stop avoiding each other. Easier said than done, Gold! Still, Purple would go to unreasonable lengths for that amber, and this certainly proved it.
Purple knocked on the door. Second had already let Green know about the plan, it seemed. More or less. Whatever the hell more or less met. Whatever the hell the plan meant. Purple themself was rather uncertain, considering.
“Ah… hello, Green.”
“Hi! Hello!” Green chirped, so totally out of character that Purple had to glance at his gem for a second, to make sure it wasn't Red playing a prank, “It's nice to see you again, Purple.”
“Uh, right. Nice to see you too.”
Green quickly stepped to his side, gesturing widely to come in with a sort of flair that was comforting in its familiarity. Green may be awkward, but he was always over-the-top. Green was always easy to predict. Perhaps it was just because Purple had the practice. Purple stepped inside.
The house was just as large and open as it had been when Purple was first introduced to the place. They didn't mind it; Purple had to admit that there were too many bad memories associated with the temple to keep them from staying in it full time, but the occasional visit was… tolerable. Especially with Second or Gold at their side. Maybe even Second and Gold. Those were fun visits.
Purple sorely missed both of them as they stepped inside. It felt far more foreboding without someone like them by their side. And far more awkward, when it was just Green, practically hovering, to replace their grounding presences.
“Go ahead and sit down!” Green said, his smile bright and certainly forced. “Do you want anything?”
“Oh uh–no. That’s alright.”
Purple moved to sit down, Green following them all the way to the couch, and Purple had to resist the urge to scoot away a little. Purple had been with Green for a long time, so every part of him felt familiar, but this was an odd sort of familiarity. One that didn’t feel like it came from Green. One that made a memory stand out at the edge of Purple’s mind, but not quite something they could grasp.
“You sure? Maybe another pillow?“ Green glanced around, as if noting the nonexistent disarray. “I can close the blinds!”
Purple knew that Green was a host, but this was a little too much. Was this normal? Purple hadn’t been around that many humans, but this didn't strike them as Green mimicking human behavior, or habits that had rubbed off on him. Purple didn’t know why he was so insistent. Purple shook their head to both, about to ask what the hell he was talking about but being cut off before they could even open their mouth.
“A massage?” What? “A snack? At least let me get you some water!”
Purple didn’t even eat, and–a massage? Was he serious? What the hell was going on?
“I–” Green hung off their every word, far more patiently than they normally were, and Purple realized that he probably wasn’t going to stop unless Purple said yes to something. “Fine. Just some water.”
Maybe after, he’d be more willing to be… normal, again.
“Great! Yes, just give me a moment!”
Green’s voice was like a song, most times. Musical and grandiose. Now, however, it was more like a jingle; a ring. A tone that sounded surface-level and insistent. It occurred to Purple far too late that this adherence to a request was probably going to make Green even worse . Still, it was all Purple could do to wait, still as a cloak, for Green to come back.
They should just leave. Purple really should just leave. Ever since they got here, Green had been acting so… weird. Purple had been around him long enough to know that this wasn’t right. Stars, they really shouldn’t have come here. Why did they listen to Sec and Gold?
Still, they were here, and they were here because they had listened to those two who Purple owed more than anything. Purple had listened to Second’s advice and Gold’s nagging. Gold had told Purple to be civil. To go along with whatever Green said to keep the peace, more like. Purple was always good at being passive–or, no, they weren’t, but after a lifetime of being so, it was hard to go back to activity.
So Purple watched as Green fetched water, and gently took the cup back when he granted it to them, just so. He held it carefully, gracefully, in a way that just made the strange familiarity of the situation grow tenfold. Purple was just about to connect the dots when Green spoke again.
“Here you go! I could get you something to eat too!”
Purple shouldn’t have gone along with it, “Uh… water’s fine, thanks.”
“Okay!” Green clasped their hands together, right in front of his gem. Still smiling brightly, still chirping his words, “Anything else, My Lapis?”
The glass slipped out of Purple’s hands.
“ What? ”
It shattered onto the ground.
It struck Purple all at once why Green was so familiar yet not. Green was being the one thing that he had never acted like in front of Purple before–A Pearl. The light seafoam thing that was delicate and eager-to-please. The gem that only had one purpose, to be of use to others.
The tool.
"What?"
Green kept staring at the shattered glass on the floor, even as Purple snarled,
"What did you just say?"
Green snapped out of it at that, though not in a good way. His shoulders hike up, and his hands come to clasp each other in a way much more nervous than cheerful. The notion was so familiar, Green faced that expression in the mirror so many times with his mind running a mile a minute, that Purple felt odd seeing it without feeling their wings rise with it, resting comfortably on his shoulders. When he spoke, it was with a waver in the voice, "I'm—I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
"Didn't mean what? What the hell did you mean?!"
"I meant Purple , you know I meant to say your name, you know, that is to say, I just, it slipped out!"
"It slipped out. Are you serious?' Purple laughed once, sharp and without a trace of humor, "Is this a joke? It's not funny."
"It's not, it's just, I didn't want to, I mean, I wanted to—"
"You wanted to call me that? To do all of this?!" Purple waved an arm out, gesturing harshly to the rest of the room but meaning the rest of the day. The time they'd spent. The act, the service, the servitude. "Were you trying to weird me out?"
"I was trying to make it up to you!" It seemed to burst out of Green, and finally, here was the Green that Purple knew. The Green that splayed himself out, snapped with anger, took up the whole room and more. It felt familiar, and in that there was comfort. Purple would have felt far more at ease if they hadn't been bursting with rage. "I had done so much to you, I'd forced you to watch as a cloak for so long, and used you!"
Purple swallowed. Yes, that was all true, but—Purple didn't get it. Green was panting a little from the outburst.
"You did." Purple didn't understand.
"So I thought you deserved to use me,”
And then they did.
Purple stared at the Gem they'd unwillingly served for centuries. The one who served no one but their cause, their freedom, their desperation for peace after the war. The one who’d thought the best of people, time and time again.
The one who, despite all of that, thought so unkindly of Purple, that he believed Purple could be so spiteful and cruel. That was the best he could see in them.
Purple stepped over the broken glass, keeping their gaze on the floor. Curled their hands into fists to keep their nerve.
Purple left, without saying a word, just in time for their eyes to start welling up with tears. They hadn't realized Green thought so little of them.