Barriers

chapter 9

When Purple came into the room, Red was laying there on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Narrowing an eye in confusion, Purple eased into the room, gazing unsurely at his partner. "Red? Are you okay?"

"...I'm trying to think, Pur..." Red was still in deep thought, his eyes looking somewhere far away.

"About what?"

"How did we become close?"

"Eh?"

"Zim wants to start as friends. How did we become such good friends?"

Purple frowned, his lekku dropping a bit. "Maybe you should start at the beginning,"

"I went to see Zim again...and he...he told me he knows now. He knows I love him,"

Purple went wide-eyed. "What?"

"And then he asked why. Why do I love him, and why didn't I say anything before? And I said I didn't know...And I apologized for wasting time we could have had. He said...that being torn between me and Spork made him feel cheap,"

"Oh, Irk..." Pur kneeled beside the bed, resting his chin on crossed arms as he listened intently.

"And then...I...I kissed him by his lekku and I left, saying that I'd be honored to be his friend and he should come talk to me once he's had time to think..." Red shook his head to himself. "I don't think I lost, though...I've been thinking and I don't think I lost,"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought I did at first...And then I remembered how Zim looked. Like he was so...so sorry and so...so...Irk, what's the word?" Red huffed, sitting up, crossing his legs as he faced Purple. "I know that he cares about Spork. I know that. But, Pur, he said that he...he respects me. That he has for years..."

"Red, respect isn't love," Purple reminded his friend gently.

"I know...but you didn't see his face, Pur," Red smiled softly.

"And how was his face?"

"Like...It was..." Red hummed. "Well, it was like how your face gets when I'm upset,"

"How my face gets?" That wasn't what Pur was expecting.

"It showed that he cared. Just like how you care,"

Pur looked in shock at Red for a moment, stunned. Normally Red was so clueless about other Irkens and their emotions. It was understandable since most Irkens were discouraged against showing affection or emotion. Knowing that Red was so in touch with how Zim responded...He smiled. "Red..."

The other looked at Pur oddly. "Did I...say something weird?"

Pur shook his head, still smiling. "Red...It was because of moments like this,"

"Eh?"

"We became friends because you spoke to me openly like this," Purple replied. "So..? What are you going to do? Now that you know he cares in some way?"

"What else? I'm going to try and make him love me,"

I thought as much...