It had been a long time since either of you had a day like this.

After everything with Grace and the nightmare that followed, the quiet almost felt unreal. No emergency calls. No cryptic government messages. No half-burned cities or biohazards waiting around the corner.

Just time.

You both slept in for once. Actually slept. Then wandered out for breakfast that turned into lunch, which somehow turned into ordering takeout again later just because neither of you felt like cooking.

For the first time in a while, neither of you were soldiers.

Just two people with nowhere to be.

Now you were wandering through the city together, the afternoon sun warm without being harsh. After stopping at a small café earlier, the two of you ducked into a convenience store and came back out with slushies.

You chose red cherry.

Leon grabbed sour blue raspberry.

Neither of you had a better reason than they looked good.

Eventually you drifted toward the quieter end of a public park. Less foot traffic. More trees. A bench tucked along a walking path where you could hear birds and the distant noise of the city without being swallowed by it.

You both sat down.

Leon leaned back comfortably, one arm stretched along the back of the bench behind you while he took a long drink from his slushie. The blue ice rattled softly in the cup.

It was peaceful.

Quiet in the kind of way that didn’t feel empty.

You looked around the park for a moment before glancing sideways at him.

“Y’know,” you said casually, sipping your cherry slushie, “I bet a purple flavor would be pretty good.”

Leon blinked, clearly taking the statement at face value.

Leon looked over at you, brow faintly furrowing as he processed the thought. He took another sip of his blue slushie before answering with complete sincerity.

“Yeah… probably,” he said. “But you got cherry. That’s one of the best flavors they’ve got.”

You snorted, shaking your head.

Of course he didn’t get it.

You turned slightly toward him, giving him a playful look.

“Wanna help me make a purple flavor?”

Leon paused mid-sip.

For a moment he just stared at you, brain visibly catching up.

You, red drink, Red tongue.

Him Blue drink, Blue tongue.

Red+blue=Purple.

The realization hit him all at once.

“…Oh.”