"Can you believe it's been eleven years since they finally gave us back the lime Skittles?"

Alcryst, who did not care for Skittles, put the cap back on his bottle of A&W and looked towards his boyfriend.

"I remember Citrinne saying something about that when we were kids, that they tasted like apple now. I didn't know they brought it back," he said. As far as legendary discontinued snacks went, he'd been more curious about guacamole Doritos and Butterfinger BBs. His cousin Malachite was still bitter they hadn't brought back the latter. Fogado looked at him like he'd just crawled out from under a rock.

"Alcryst, I know you're not that big on sweets, but you can't tell me you seriously didn't at least know about the outcry! People hated green apple Skittles, lime was the only flavor worthy of being green!" Alcryst cringed. He knew Fogado was only teasing, but he felt bad for being so ignorant about his friend's favorite candy.

"Sorry." Fogado dropped a green button shape into his mouth and chewed, zipping the bag shut and stuffing it into his satchel before patting Alcryst on the shoulder.

"Don't apologize, I get you. It's like how you love those awful potato snacks in a can and I'd rather eat dirt than touch them." Alcryst blushed, thinking of the two-pack of Pringles in his bookbag. Ranch flavor, because he'd been on a salt and vinegar kick last month and was tired of them.

"I just never got that into sweets. I mean, on special occasions...I like most cookies during the holidays!"

"Or when the little girl next door comes knocking with her little tablet asking how many dozen boxes of Thin Mints she can put you down for," Fogado chuckled. "We still have five unopened boxes in the cupboard."

"Yeah, that too." Alcryst took another sip of his soda. "But yeah, I just...never got into Skittles. Not for a lack of trying them, either, I wanted to give them a fair chance. And...I'm sorry, I know you're gonna hate my saying this, but the lime was my least favorite." He braced himself for the shock and apall he knew he deserved, but Fogado just squeezed his shoulder.

"Then you've got that in common with Pandreo. He hates lime, liked green apple the best, and once they took that away he swore his alliegance to orange for the rest of his life." Alcryst laughed a little, relaxing as he took another sip of his soda.

"That doesn't surprise me. Honestly, good for him, orange deserves a little more love," he said. "I always felt bad for it, every time I'd see the popsicles in Aunt Lily's freezer all the cherry ones would be gone and they'd be down to the last two grape. Or my mother would buy a roll of Lifesavers and put the orange ones back, Luna always eats the orange M&Ms first so she can save the other colors for last." He sighed. "Poor orange, always so overlooked...sometimes I even ate one or two of the orange popsicles or Lifesavers just because I felt so sad it was left behind."

Fogado ruffled his hair, smiling warmly.

"See, that's why you're so great, Alcryst. You're such a kind person you even feel sorry for candy and popsicle colors, and you don't even like those things." Alcryst blushed, moving a little closer to his friend as they walked.

"You mean it's not silly? Even my family always kids me about it."

"Aww, they're just kidding you out of love, like we kid Timerra for her terrible songs about meat and her need to put bacon on everything!" Fogado chuckled. "It's cute, it's just like Alcryst to do such things!" Alcryst buried his face in his hand, even though he'd gotten used to Fogado calling him cute or adorable or sweet every chance he got it was still a little embarrassing. Mainly because Alcryst was still getting used to the idea that he deserved such praise.

"I did kind of like the bacon flavored cookies. Diamant loved them, he said if more cookies tasted so good he'd eat them outside of the holidays or Girl Scout sales."

They were just outside Fogado's house now, Fogado digging his key out of his pocket and lifting the alarm panel to punch in the code. Alcryst's family had the same system, only with adjacent floodlights thanks to Father's need to have the biggest and best protections for his loved ones. Mother had somehow managed to talk him down from installing spy cameras and bear traps as well.

(To be fair to Father, this was after their neighbor who wasn't Hyacinth had been robbed, and they were all feeling on edge. But Alcryst was glad Mother had talked him out of those cameras.)

He followed Fogado inside, where they found a note on the table in Seforia's handwriting.

"My parents are gonna be home late from a business meeting," he said. "That sounds wonderful."

"And don't worry, we're all out of limes." Fogado winked. "But we've got a few orange popsicles no one wants." Alcryst shook his head.

"You won't let that go anytime soon, will you?"

"Me, let go of one of Alcryst's cutest admissions?" Fogado crunched on another green Skittle, swallowed, and brushed a brief kiss against Alcryst's lips. "Never." Alcryst's blush deepened, and he tilted his head up for another, longer kiss.

The lime flavor didn't taste quite so bad on the other's lips.