#biosibs au

100 Ways to say ‘I love you’ (2/131)

“Here.” Cold metal pressed to the side of Cardin’s face and he jolted. He looked to the can, now hovering just next to his cheek instead of against it. It was a soda. Something cherry flavoured, though he wasn’t sure past that. Even when he was younger he wasn’t much of a pop drinker. An eyebrow raised, he looked further up to Velvet who held the can. “Drink this. You’ll feel better.”

The other went up to join the first. Velvet rolled her eyes at it. When the can pressed incessantly against the skin of his arm, he took it from her. Once he did she sat next to him, her ankles crossed and her hands clasped in the space between her legs. He tapped the top with a finger. It didn’t look like she’d shaken it beforehand. But it was better to be safe than sorry. Something he’d learned through experience. And plenty pranks. The can fizzed when he opened the tab, but it didn’t overflow. Thankfully. After the cross country run Russel had gotten him to join, he needed something to drink. He’d forgotten to bring a water bottle, mostly because cross country was Russel’s club, not his, and he hadn’t expected to join them today. How Russel could go from running a few miles to marching band, Cardin was a little too scared to ask.

“You seemed tired and dehydrated,” Velvet answered his question with a shrug. “I figured a soda might help. It’s a good one, too. Ginger ale.”

Cardin turned the can to look at the label: cherry Ale-8. He took a sip. Yeah, she was right, it did taste good. Fizz bubbles popped along his tongue. “Does pop actually help with hydration?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Velvet snarked, pushing her shoulder against his. “Next time I’ll bean you with a Gatorade bottle.”

He snorted at that. “Lemon lime?”

“You mean yellow, you fucking cop?” Velvet gasped, all dramatic. Like she wasn’t used to him saying the names instead of the colours. Like she didn’t know he did that just because it jokingly bothered her- and Russel. He smirked at her.

“Yeah, lemon lime.”

Velvet made a face at him. “Weirdo.” There was a smile there, in her eyes, even if it wasn’t on her face. Though he could tell it struggled to be there too. His own expression was attempting to twist from smirk to a truer smile, too. But he bit it down. Hid it behind another sip from the can. Another moment and Velvet smiled unabashedly, unable to hide it behind something like he was and no doubt not caring to hide it anyway. They sat together to watch the rest of Russel’s practice in relative silence. Velvet readjusted to lean back against the bench with a foot up on the seat. Cardin rested his chin against the backpack in the middle of his folded legs. It’d be a while longer before it ended. The music filled the space again as the marching band restarted from the top of their set. He took out his script to memorize his lines as they listened.

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