Chapter Text
Yellow knows that, in comparison to her friends, she's the weakest, physically.
Of course, that isn't to disregard her own physical prowess. Yellow just has a healthy awareness that the competition is tough, and she's landed herself in fifth place.
It's a fact that's never caused her much trouble. A fact she's known since the beginning, as sure as the desktop is blue and the taskbar is flat.
That's okay.
Sure, Yellow may not have Red's brute strength, or Green's unreal acrobatic capabilities, or Orange's natural battle intuition, but she's smart.
They all are, of course, but it's a very tough competition.
And Yellow has landed herself in first place.
She knows things. Things that easily become helpful, in the heat of battle. Technology and how to make use of it. How to think things through when some of the others may be more inclined to charge in, or think on her feet in situations where time is of the essence.
She knows her friends like the back of her hand.
She knows Orange. Knows that his sleep schedule is often beyond his own control, knows how to reassure him when sudden intrusive thoughts come in, warning of "impending doom" or reminding them of past tragedies.
She knows Green. Knows that he craves validation, and knows how much to give him in order to ease his mind but not stroke his ego. Knows that no matter how many petty insults they throw each other's way, it's all in good fun.
Knows Red. Knows that his hyperactive tendencies often give way to carefully thought out plans. Knows that his capacity for empathy is greater than what most people could begin to comprehend. Knows how to bring him back to the here and the now when his body goes still and his eyes glaze over.
And, perhaps more than most, Yellow knows Blue. A given, she supposed, when the bond they share is on just a slightly different level.
She knows that Blue's favorite food (actual food,) is chicken.
She knows that Blue adds bits of fruit juice into the potions she gives the others so they don't have to taste netherwart.
She knows that Blue's affinity to ranged combat stems from a tendency to get jittery when an enemy is too close.
She knows Blue prefers hip-hop to other genres because it's easier to dance to.
She knows that, despite all the others having hair cropped short for convenience, Blue keeps hers long, simply because she likes how it feels.
She knows-
"Yellow!"
Yellow jumps in her seat with an embarassing yelp, rounding to face Red with an annoyed glare. "What?"
"Orange told me to come get you. We're sparring." He explains, leaning forward with his elbows propped on the back of couch. "What are you doing?"
Yellow hums in question, eyes scanning over the timed-out screen of her laptop. "Research." She decides after a beat, shutting the appliance and setting it aside.
"Then why is the screen black?"
"Got distracted."
"By what?"
Yellow huffs out a steady breath through her mouth, standing up and following Red downstairs. Red doesn't bother prying when Yellow can't think up a valid response.
The fight goes on as it always does between them. Playful trash talk exchanged, punches thrown and expertly blocked, choruses of laughter bouncing off the walls in perfect contrast to the competitive tension in the air.
Yellow often hears a specific laugh over the rest.
She can't be blamed. It's perfectly natural. Blue's voice has always had an alluring quality to it. The whole team attests to it. Soft and tranquil yet bubbly all at once.
And though Blue herself flushes cerulean and smiles in sheepish embarrassment whenever it's brought up, even she can never quite bring herself to deny it.
So it's completely normal for Yellow to still when she hears her laugh. A soft giggle that bubbles up from the pit of her throat into the air, the sound briefly tasting of sugarcane.
It's even more normal when Yellow turns her head to the source of the sound, because who doesn't look at where a sound is coming from when they hear it?
And Blue's adopted a fighting stance, a joyful grin in her face and a slight shake in her shoulders when she attempts to stifle herself. Strands of her hair fall loose from her hastily attempted ponytail, faintly framing her face-
Yellow hears Red's heavy footsteps from behind her just in time to snap her out of her reverie, but not in time to do much more than twist away from him ungracefully, banging the back of her head against the pole in the centre of the room.
The metallic thump seems to stop the fight in its tracks, her friends all calling her name with various degrees of panic. Red crouches down beside her, muttering apologies.
Yellow's a little confused when she's suddenly in her own bed without any memory of getting there. Although with how dizzy she feels, that might be because she's concussed, possibly.
Her eyes are screwed shut, but the sigh above her is unmistakably Blue. Gentle and affectionate, with a slight hint of humor.
Humor that makes itself even more known when she speaks. "You really gotta stop doing stuff like this, Yels..."
Yellow almost responds, but Blue doesn't bother waiting. "Always stuck in your own head... Can't help but wonder what goes on in there that's so important."
She sighs again, and Yellow hears her shift, settling in on the floor next to her bed. (Does she think she's sleeping?)
"You just have a whole world up there, huh?" Blue giggles, and Yellow feels a faint tap on her forehead. "Can't help but wish I was a part of it."
"Of course you're a part of it," Yellow almost protests, but Blue knocks the words out of her with one simple sentence.
"...I think I love you too much."
...
(She definitely thinks she's asleep.)
...
Of course Blue loves her. She says it all the time. Yellow shouldn't feel like it's a shock.
But she never says it so... tenderly, with that slight bit of hesitation.
"I mean, I already knew that." Blue laughs at herself in that slightly deprecating way she often does, a noise that reflects her humble nature. "But honestly, if I'm at the point where I'm talking to you in your sleep, then I must really be down bad."
Down bad.
That all but confirms that this is completely romantic on Blue's side. (At this point, Yellow thinks she might be sleeping.)
"Well, what are you gonna do?" Blue states, so casual Yellow's sure for a moment that she's hallucinating. (She's not. She's just concussed and disoriented and her best friend is in love with her, holy shit.)
Blue shuffles a moment later, standing. "Goodnight." She whispers cheerfully, squeezing Yellow's hand quickly. She giggles again as her footsteps move away and grow silent.
Yellow falls asleep playing that one-sided conversation on loop.