More than Friends [Park sunghoon x Female Reader]
Word Count: 5,482.
Warnings: None
Themes: Fluff, Childhood best friends to lover
Now Playing:I Fell In Love With My Best Friend
Sunghoon has always been the quiet type. Maybe not that type where he's too shy to approach someone, rather, he's that type who is happy with the friends he found at the playground 12 years ago and not looking for anyone new. With the exception of two, all his friends have been with him since kindergarten. Though there's a visible age gap in the friend group, they somehow managed to become the most popular of high school students with their charm. Sunghoon is content with his friends and enjoys their company. The only annoying things in his life are the crazy fangirls (he never thought high school guys could have those) and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
Since he had seen the crazy fangirls drooling all over him, any interest in dating or pursuing someone vanished in an instant. Not like he had any before-but the thought had been there. Now even the thought makes him nervous. Dating someone who keeps his hair in her locker? Nah, he'd pass.
Truth be told, he's more interested in enjoying his high school life with his friends rather than spending it with some girl who would get jealous if he even looks at another girl. And he's speaking from experience. That was his first and last relationship, which only lasted for two weeks. And it hadn't ended there like he expected or wished. The girl had some crazy antics up her sleeves, which he only realized later when he found a tweet of hers about how he had used her and dumped her. Though all her tries failed, since it was known around school that Sunghoon is a sweetheart to everyone. He wouldn't do something horrible to a girl. Plus, everyone knew how much of a crazy fangirl Tessa was for Sunghoon, so nobody bothered to believe her.
Currently, he is trying to get through a series of math and physics homework their teacher assigned for them over the weekend. He is over at his best friend Jake's house, eating ice cream and expressing his frustration through chewing the spoon. He heaves a sigh and groans," Jake, please let me copy your homework. I'll pay for the movie tickets next time, I promise."
Jake looked up at him with a mouthful of ice cream and mumbled something. Sunghoon just rolled his eyes in annoyance. "And how many times have I told you to not talk with food in your mouth?'
Jake gulps down the ice cream and looks at his best friend with a sheepish smile." Sorry, old habits-And how many times have I told you that, no, I won't let you copy off me! You should do your own work and be independent. I'll not always be there to be your cheat sheet. And also, you never pay for the movie tickets. You always promise and forget your wallet at home. I end up paying for us."
Sunghoon sighed, knowing it was useless trying to argue with the boy. Usually, Jake lectures him and after Sunghoon pouts or teases him, he gives up. But when it comes to math and physics, he never lets him copy off and starts to teach and make him understand. Sunghoon is happy with that, since Jake can teach way better than their old Ms.Crane ever could, but he is not in the mood for learning today. Like, who wants to learn for an hour on a weekend? Unbelievable. So when Jake offered to teach him, he straight up turned down offer because even though he teaches well, he would drag the lesson just to talk more about physics. Sunghoon wouldn't like this amazing noon to go to waste with long physics lessons. So he just stuffed his mouth with ice cream and hoping he would arrive at school tomorrow in time to copy off Jay or Heeseung.
As he looked back at his book and tried to make sense of what a scientist from two centuries before said, the door creaked open and Jake's older sister, (Name), walked in.
Jake's sister was older than them by two years, if we are only counting these two. She is in her senior year at high school, only a few months away from graduation. She is undoubtedly the most popular person in their whole school, being both pretty and intelligent. The perfect student, a prefect, an athlete and every teacher's favourite (Though Jake teases her by calling her a 'Teachers' Pet'). Oh, did he mention the school heartthrob? Every freaking guy in the school, except Sunghoon and his friends, had a crush on her. Sunghoon had practically grown up with her, being Jake's best friend and all. She is almost like an older sister to all of Jake's friends. She is known as their Friend Group's Special Guest. She pops up time to time. At this point, she might as well as be considered as a part of their group.
(Name) sat down beside them and, much to Jake's dismay, attacked their huge bowl of ice cream. As she picked up a spoonful of ice cream, she asked,"Too much homework?"
Jake put his hands behind his head in frustration and nodded."Too much homework."
Sunghoon saw a perfect opportunity to annoy Jake and grinned. He whined,"Noona, Jake isn't letting me copy off him."
(Name) chuckled while Jake rolled his eyes and shot him an annoyed look. She playfully shook her head and said,"Jake, why aren't you letting Sunghoon copy off you? It's not like he always does this. One time won't hurt."
Jake scowled."Noona, you don't know, this guy copies off me whenever he comes over, and by that I mean every weekend. He doesn't want to "waste" his precious weekend solving math. And it's not like I never let him copy off me. I just don't let him copy math and physics. And I offered to teach him, but he said that I take too much time to teach someone, and he would rather do anything else than spend his weekend noon listening to me ramble about math and physics." Jake shot Sunghoon a scornful look.
(Name) burst out laughing and threw her head back. She looked at Sunghoon and raise an eyebrow. She teased him with an amused tone,"Is that so, Sunghoon?'
Sunghoon blushed slightly and nodded. He sassily replied,"Well, who wants tpo waster their weekend listening to an hour long math and physics lecture?"
(Name) chuckled and nodded."Hmmm, you do have a point there, Sunghoon. But I have an idea. How about instead of Jake lecturing you for an hour, I help you with your homework?'
Sunghoon clapped in excitement and nodded, while Jake protested,"Wait, why him? Your my sister, you're supposed to help me with my homework, not his."
(Name) rolled her eyes and said,"Because I know you already can do your homework, you nerd. Plus, I came here to tell you that Mum told you to get groceries."
Jake's mouth widened."Why me? It's your turn!"
(Name) smirked."Oh, I told her that I have an assignment due and I'll do with you guys, so Mum told me to tell you to get groceries, since you're not busy. And I'm pretty sure I can keep Sunghoon company. Right, Sunghoon?"
She tilted her head and winked at him while Jake was sulking, and a smirk formed on Sunghoon's face. This was their secret gesture, which meant it's time to tease and taunt Jake. It wasn't officially said between them; but whenever they teased Jake, she would tilt her head and wink at him. Sunghoon would also reply with a smirk of his own.
Sunghoon kept the smrik and said,"Oh, it's totally okay. I'm sure I'll survive an hour or so without you. Plus, you could also take a small walk outside in the beautiful sunlight."
Jake groaned in frustration and stood up. He glared at them and whined,"It's not fair!'
The two burst out laughing. As Jake gave them an annoyed look and was leaving the room, (Name) called out,"At least you won't have to worry about homework for a while!"
A curse word was heard as the boy slammed the door and left the room. They both burst into laughter again. (Name) clutched her stomach and almost fell over with her chair. Sunghoon threw his head back and banged on the table with his hand. They had, again, succeeded in teasing Jake and making him curse. Making him curse was always a big accomplishment, since the boy was mostly against cursing.
They somehow pulled themselves together and caught their breathes. (Name) looked up at Sunghoon with a smile and asked,"Another success?'
Sunghoon smiled back at her and nodded."Another success."
She sat up straight and looked at empty bowl of ice cream. A groan escaped her lips."That bastard ate the ice cream while we were busy annoying him. Guess he got his revenge some way." With that, she looked at him and gave a pouty look. She said,"Sunghoon, would you please get more ice cream from the fridge, please?'
Sungoon smiled and shook his head."Nope. Not happening. Jake also made me get the ice cream."
(Name) gave him one of her best puppy eyes and whined,"Please, Sunghoon. Won't you do a small favour for your dear noona?"
Sunghoon laughed at her antics and protested some more. But he gave up after a few minutes and went downstairs to get some more ice cream. As he came back, she pulled the bowl out of his hands and grabbed a spoonful of ice cream. Sunghoon sat back down next to her, she offered him his ice cream and he gladly accepted it.
(Name) sat up straight in her chair and said,"So you were having problems with your math and physics homework, right?'
Sunghoon nodded, and she flashed him a smile."How about I help you with your homework? I promise I won't lecture you for an hour like Jake. How does that sound?'
He smiled and replied,"Offer accepted."
(Name) smiled and he showed her the homework. As she started explaining to him, he couldn't help a smile growing on his face. She had always been like this, helping him with his homework. She explained way better than anyone he knew. Sometimes he wondered how a person could be this perfect. She was perfect from everyway; starting from looks to intelligence to personality. He always felt comfortable around her. She always put people at ease. Though she wasn't really an extrovert, she just had a natural way of talking to people. She never made anyone feel uncomfortable in her presence, and everyone loved her. She would always help the friend group out with homeworks and assignments; and as a Junior year student, Sunghoon really appreciated that.
As the sunlight fell on her face while she explained to him, he couldn't help noticing her beauty. She had a unique beauty. Her features might not have been the uncommon, but somehow her beauty seemed ethereal. Currently, it seemed as if the sunlight was showering her with affection; and it just enhanced her beauty even more. Sunghoon's heart fluttered, and his heartbeat fastened. His mind went into a frenzy as he recognized this feeling. The feeling of falling in love might sound like an exaggeration, but he knew it as what it was. The same feeling he felt in middle school towards that one girl who rejected him on the school rooftop.
Sunghoon wondered about their friendship. He had known her since the day four year old him fell down on the playground, and a four year old Jake and a six year old (Name) came rushing to help him up. From then, they'd been inseperable. It didn't matter that she was older than both of them, his bond with them was stronger than he had with any of his other friends. She was the reason he never got more than a week's detention for skipping class. She always covered for all of them. Even after becoming a prefect, she never reported them for skipping classes. Favoritism? Maybe. But she was all about supporting harmless fun. That's one of the many reasons everyone at school loved her.
She and Jake were the ones who took care of his grandma while she was sick. She was the reason he passed his middle school finals while he was seriously sick and in bed. She and all his friends stayed up all night, watching over him in turns. She was the eldest and in high school, so she helped them study for the finals at daytime. She was the one who ran out at 2 A.M, all alone, to get emergency medicines for him while his condition got worse. She had always been there for him, along with all his friends. They were his life. He didn't know what he'd do without them. They are a part of him.
(Name) tapped his shoulder, and Sunghoon snapped out of his trance. She had been calling him for some time now. He scratched the back of his head and flashed her an embarrassed smile, gesturing for her to continue.
As time went on with her helping him with his homework, he found himself getting butterflies time to time. He tried to fight the feeling, but he just couldn't. Eventually, they finished the homework and as they kickbacked on Jake's bed to watch a movie, Jake came back and joined them. Sunghoon felt bad, thinking what Jake would say if he found out his best friend had started developing a crush on his sister. Not something positive, Sunghoon thought. But as the afternoon and evening went on with them watching the movie, he just couldn't help feeling guilty as his feelings didn't seem to go away at all. Rather, they seemed to grow. When he left their house, he turned to them and gave those two a hug, like he had always done before. But hugging (Name) made him flustered, which never happened before. Thankfully, neither Jake nor (Name) noticed his behavior, or he would be even more embarrassed.
The next two weeks at school, he tried to avoid (Name) as much as possible. But that proved to be hard, as she was almost always hanging out with them at lunch and recess. He even stopped going over at Jake's for the weekend, giving the excuse that he had chores to do at home. Jake was visibly bummed out, but it didn't seem like he suspected that Sunghoon was lying. But all his efforts went in vain, as he couldn't avoid her much. He would have to see her everyday at lunch. He couldn't stop hanging out with his friends, or they would've suspected that something was up. Still, he tried to talk to (Name) as ew times as possible. But he just couldn't help noticing everything about her. How she smiled, how she threw her head back while laughing, how her lips automatically formed a small pout when she was surprised, how her lips parted when she was zoning out. Every small thing. His feelings for her only continued to grow.
And his behavior didn't go unnoticed by his friends too, even though he tried his best to act normal around them. They had known him enough to know that something was up. Every sing le one of them asked what was wrong. Jake and Jay looked really worried for him. Ni-Ki Heeseung even cornered him one day at class.
Heeseung walked up to his desk and leaned against it. He crossed his arms as he looked at the younger. He asked,"What's wrong, Sunghoon? You've been acting really weird these days. Everyone's worried about you. Jake even told me that you didn't go over at his last two weekends, which is really unusual for you."
Sunghoon felt guilty. Of course everyone would be worried for him. But that thought had flown over his head. As he realized that he was making everyone worried for him, he felt really mad at himself. He had been a dumbass by not realizing it before.
He didn't want to worry them even further, so he assured Heeseung that he was okay. But the boy didn't look convinced. He kept shaking his head and asking what was wrong. At last, Sunghoon gave up. He sighed. "I'll tell you, okay? But please don't tell the others. At least, not for now."
Heeseung leaned in closer as Sunghoon started explaining. He looked away and said,"I...How do I say this....Okay...The thing is, I have a crush on (Name)."
Heeseung's eyes widened. (Name) was their childhood friend. She had been a part of their friend group since always. Even though she couldn't always be with them, since she was two grades above them, it didn't matter. She always hung out with them at weekends. And when they finally came to high school, their friend group was complete again. But he never imagined Sunghoon having a crush on (Name). He was under the impression that they were like siblings, but it seems like his thought was wrong.
Sunghoon didn't give him a chance to speak and continued to speak."And I've been trying to avoid her, that's why I don't talk as much as I did before when we are with her; which is almost always. I didn't go over at theirs just to avoid her. I don't want to let my feelings for her grow. She probably sees me as a younger brother, and how could I have a crush on her? I just can't face her."
Heeseung sighed. He stayed quiet for a while, before he started speaking."Sunghoon, you do realize that's not gonna work, right? You'll have to tell her sooner or later."
Sunghoon nodded grimly, and Heeseung said,"You need to tell her. Bottling up your emotions isn't gonna work. Even if she sees you as a brother, she won't be mad. I know her. She's not the type to be mad over something like that."
Sunghoon sighed and said,"But I'm scared. Just because she won't be mad, what is the chance she won't be upset? And even if she wants to be my friend even after that, who's to say our relationship will stay the same after that? It might just break apart."
Heeseung nodded. He agreed,"Yes, that might happen. There's no guarantee for that. But you won't know if you don't confess. And who knows, she migt even agree to go on a date with you.
Sunghoon mumbled,"Might."
Heeseung nodded."Might. Yes. But that's better than nothing."
Sunghoon sighed and looked at the older."Sorry, Hyung, I just can't. I hope you don't mind."
Heeseung sighed and nodded."I don't mind. But don't avoid her or us anymore, okay?'
Sunghoon smiled and nodded."Okay,"he said.
Heeseung smiled and patted the boy on the head before going back to his own seat.
Sunghoon gave his words a thought that night and decided not to confess. But he wouldn't avoid her anymore. So he went to Jake's house the next weekend, as he couldn't use the same excuse over and over. As he sat down with him, discussing what they could do (Thankfully there wasn't any homework that day), (Name) entered the room.
Sunghoon tried to keep his expression normal as she chose to sit down right next to him on the bed. She was looking even more beautiful in her eyes, if that was even possible. He thought of saying something to look normal, but (Name) broke the silence first.
"Jake, you left all the dishes at the sink. Mum's not very pleased."
Jake jumped."Oh my gosh, I totally forgot to do the dishes! Is she angry?"
(Name) shook her head and replied,"Not angry, but not very happy either. I suggest you go down and do the dishes right now before her mood gets worse."
Jake nodded and ran out of the room. She chuckled at his reaction and looked at Sunghoon.
Sunghoon was watching this exchange between the two siblings in complete silence with a smile on his face. As he noticed (Name) looking at him, he flashed her a grin. He asked,"Movie night again today? I'll stay over the night."
(Name) nodded, but their was something off with her expression. Sunghoon felt a bit worried when he saw her. But she started talking before he could speak."Yup. Movie night. Horror movie night. I was also planning on taking you both to McDonalds."
Sunghoon grinned, but his grin faded as he saw her expression. He furrowed his brows and asked in a worried tone,"Are you okay?"
(Name) nodded, and he couldn't help feeling even more worried. This type of unenthusisastic reply wasn't usual for her. He asked again,"You sure? You don't seem like your usual self today."
She sighed and rolled over on her stomach. She put her wrists on the bed and propelled her face up with her hands. She looked up at him with a slightly pouty expression and asked him something that completely caught him off guard.
"Are you mad at me, Sunghoon?'
Sunghoon's eyes widened, and he quickly put his hands up in protest."No! Not at all! Why would I be mad at you?"
(Name) sighed again, and the pout on her face just got bigger. She said,"Then why have you been ignoring me for the past two weeks? You don't talk to me like you used to do. It's almost as if you don't want to see me anymore. Did I do something wrong?"
Sunghoon wanted slap himself. He had completely forgotten about how she would feel when he was trying his best to avoid her and not catch more feelings. And she was thinking that she did something wrong and he was mad at her. He felt so angry at himself and felt guilty for making her feel that way. He sighed."Noona, I'm not mad at you. I'm just feeling a little off these days. You know, school and stuff."
(Name) pouted even more."But you talk to everyone else like usual. You didn't even come over the past two weekends. Sunghoon, can you tell me what's wrong?"
He sighed and said,"Noona, I'm sorry, but it's complicated. I'm not mad at you or ignoring you. I'm just in a kind of complicated situation, that's it.'
(Name) looked at him with her brows furrowed."Tell me what's bothering you then. I want to hear about this complicated situation of yours. I might be able to help."
Sunghoon shook his head. He was sure she would be mad at him after hearing what his complicated situation was. It might even not only ruin their friendship, but also his and Jake's. And she probably thinks of him as a younger brother. How could he confess to her?
She saw him shake his head, and her frown deepened. She asked,"Sunghoon, since when do we keep secrets from each other? I thought we were friends. I thought we always shared everything. I know all your secrets, and you know all of mine. You even told me when you tried smoking for the first time and regretted it. Do you not trust me anymore?"
That sad look on her face broke Sunghoon. This was it. He couldn't hide it from her anymore. It might be the end of everything, but he had to tell her. He thought of Heeseung's words, and decided to shoot his shot. It's now or never. He sighed and said,"Okay, Noona, I'll tell you.' It felt weird to call her Noona, which was a first. Even though he was feeling nervous and his mind was screaming at him to not tell her or lie, he continued."You'll probably get mad at me, and I'll understand if you do. But just please listen to me."
(Name) listened to him carefully as a small smile grew on her face, replacing the pout. Sunghoon took a deep breath and said,"N-Noona, I-I like you. Not in a platonic or siblings way, I like you more than that. I want us to be more than just friends. I tried to fight the feeling, but it just wouldn't go away. So I avoided you. I avoided you in every way I can; so that my feelings won't grow. But it didn't help. My feelings continued to grow. You were just too perfect. I'm sorry, and I know this might even ruin my friendship with you and Jake, but I just can't help it. I'm sorry."
Sunghoon was surprised at how organized his words were, since he always had problems expressing his feelings through words. (Name) must've noticed this too, since she looked a bit suprised. He closed his eyes shut and prepared himself for the blow that was about to come.
But that never came. As he opened his eyes, he found her looking up at him with a wide smile. That helped him calm down. It always did. She suddenly laughed softly, and he felt a pink blush creeping up his cheeks. She playfully shook her head and said,"That was it? I was expecting you found out about my obsezsion with knives and got scared."
Sunghoon's eyes widened. He exclaimed,"Obsession with knives?!"
(Name) smiled, embarrassed."My only secret that I never told you, considering you weren't a big fan of knife handling."
Sunghoon shook his head in disbelief, and she chuckled. Her face was a bit red now, and it made her look really cute. He hadn't seen her blush too many times, but it aways made him smile.
(Name) started fidgeting with her fingers in a nervous manner and said with a smile,"And aboutr what you just said...I'm not mad at you. Not at all. It's not gonna ruin our friendship. I feel like it's kind of adorable how you have a crush on me. And...I might also feel the same."
Sunghoon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He could feel his cheeks burning. He tried to say something, but it came out in stutters."Y-you a-also like m-me?"
(Name) nodded with a small blush. She laughed softly."I thought you saw me as an older sister, so I also didn't say anything. I was kinda internally beating myself up for feeling this way towards you."
Sunghoon also laughed."Really? I was also bashing myself internally."
She nodded with a smile."Mmmhm. Really."
Sunghoon couldn't help the smile on his face growing as he tried to speak, but she spoke before him. She flashed him a smile and said,"Ice cream date tomorrow evening?"
Sunghoon gave her a boyish grin and nodded."Ice cream date tomorrow evening."
(Name) smiled and leaned in close to him. As she saw his eyes widen and his face getting redder, but no signs of protest, she finally kissed him on the lips. Sunghoon kissed back, feeling really embarrassed and happy at the same time. She liked him back and they were going out!
As he wrapped his arms around her and she pulled him closer, the door burst open and a happy Jake entered."Guys, I've finished the dishes! Let's-"
He froze in his tracks as he saw the two of them."What the actual f-"
They had also frozen, but as soon as (Name) recovered from the initial shock, she threw a pillow at his way, not letting him finished his sentence. Sunghoon felt his cheeks grow even hotter, to the point they were burning. Jake yelled,"Ahh why would you throw the pillow at me?! And what are you guys doin-"
Another pillow hit his face, this time thrown by Sunghoon.
Sunghoon dived his face in (Name)'s neck in embarrassment from being caught by his best friend while kissing his older sister. She pulled him closer and yelled at her brother,"Can't you knock?"
Jake yelled back,"Why would I? Since when did we knocked while one of us wasn't alone in the room? And stop throwing these damn pillows at my face!"
They both burst out laughing and (Name) playfully rolled her eyes."I guess you have a point."
Jake pointed at Sunghoon and asked,"And what on earth are you guys doing?"
Sunghoon hid his face even more in her neck in embarrassment while she stroked his hair. She glared at her brother and said,"Don't you have eyes? And you're embarrassing Sunghoon. Look how red his face is."
Sunghoon whined in protest. Jake rolled his eyes and sat down next to them. He shook his head in disbelief."Since when this has been going on? How come I didn't know my best friend was in love with my sister?"
(Name) curled her lips and replied,"Since today, And it will go on."
Jake pulled Sunghoon from his hididng place and shook him with every word he said."Why. Didn't. You. Tell. Me. You. Bastard."
Sunghoon felt a little dizzy from all the shaking and pushed the boy away. He scratched his neck in embarrassment and said,"I thought you'd be mad...so...'
Jake shook his head in exasperation. He said," Mad? Oh boy, I'm mad at you. But not for falling for and kissing my sister. For not telling me you bastard! I am your best friend and you didn't tell me that you have a crush on my sister!"
They both burst out laughing as Jake stared at them in disbelief. He was still pretending to be mad, but as the corners of his mouth twitched, they saw a small smile was slowly forming on his face. He still said in a angry tone,"You'll pay for the movie tickets the whole year, Sunghoon. That's what you get for not telling me."
Sunghoon smiled and nodded. This was a way better price than he thought he would have to pay. He could deal with that. Plus, he was sure Jake would go back to paying after a month or two. So no worries.
Suddenly, another thought crossed Jake's mind. He grabbed a pillow and started hitting them with with it. He yelled,"And this is for throwing pillows at me!"
Sunghoon laughed as (Name) also grabbed a pillow and attacked her brother. As their fight went on, he also grabbed a pillow and joined them. All of them ended up with torn pillows after the fight, with cotton flying all over the room. Jake and (Name) looked at each other with wide eyes, and all three of them burst out laughing. As (Name) blew away a few cottons from Sunghoon's hair, he felt as if he had never been more happy and content. He knew from that moment, with his friends and possibly future girlfriend, he wouldn't have to worry about anything ever again.
And when they started dating from the next day, nobody was happier than Jake and Heeseung. Heeseung boosted around in the friend group that he already knew about Sunghoon's crush on (Name). Knowing that, Jake only got more pissed and demanded two whole years of movie ticket payment. Now Sunghoon knew that he would have to pay the for tickets at least for the next six months. He was seriously worried for himself now. It is the only problem he's currently dealing with now. And since Jake doesn't have to pay, he insists on taking Sunghoon and (Name) to watch a movie every weekend. Sunghoon had hoped that (Name) would tell her brother off, but she seemed to be enjoying the free movies every weekend. At least she insisted on paying for every date they went on, or he would've gone bankrupt by now. He can only hope now that he would still have enough money to buy his friends and girlfriend birthday and Christmas presents.
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behold. me coping with session 9 SL!shinyduo
— — —
The crackle of a lightning strike hits at the exact same moment Pearl hears a resounding crack from her neck. After she had been shot by Scar, the impact of the arrow led her to stumble down the ravine beside Scar’s base, leaving her at the bottom of the pit.
Well, at least it was quick.
She finds herself lying on the stone ground, a view of a clear blue sky above her.
The only thing she could do was let herself breathe. (Do ghosts even need to breathe? Eh, who knows.)
Her eyes close as she builds a steady rhythm with the rise and fall of her chest, willing for the aching and exhaustion riddled all throughout her body to somehow dissipate.
Aside from the sound of her breaths, she can pick up Scar’s voice off in the distance. It doesn’t sound much like a cheer, or a cry, or anything— but then again, Pearl’s not in a fit state to focus on whatever he’s saying.
Instead, she tries to think back on everything that just unfolded, all the deaths, the hunts…the duel. The zombie that had been creeping towards Scar before Pearl warned him.
She sighs, “I swear, if he dies to a zombie, after all that…”
Now, she wasn’t really expecting a reply.
Especially not a reply from a voice that’s so familiar.
“I know, right? It’d be embarrassing for both of us.”
Pearl’s eyes snap open in an instant, as though the answer gave her a surge of energy, overpowering the waves of numbing pain.
“…Gem?”
She looks…just like she used to, when they were red…together.
Pearl blinks, trying to focus on the figure looming over her. It’s only then, that she notices Gem’s body is slightly translucent, allowing rays of sunlight to pass through.
“Hey, Pearl.” Gem extends a greeting they both know far too well. She crouches down, tilting her head. “Are you going to keep lying on the ground, or…?”
“I might.” Pearl chuckles. “It’s pretty comfy down here, actually.”
“I can imagine.” Gem shifts to sitting cross-legged next to Pearl, which prompts her to try and actually sit upright as well.
Pearl grunts when she finally manages to move, scooting over to Gem. Sitting underneath the shades of a bit of overhang of the earth above, they find themselves situated in a corner of the ravine, now further ruined with scorch marks and splatters of blood on the walls.
Despite the destruction, sunlight casts shadows of sunflowers into the chasm. It must be the ones Scar has around his base.
Silence follows. Pearl tries her best to stare only at the walls around, but she ends up glancing at Gem a few too many times. She hopes Gem is too preoccupied to notice. (Pretty slim chance of that happening, considering the fact that there’s nothing of interest nearby but them.)
Eventually, though, something in Pearl pushes her to speak.
“So,” Pearl starts, “what’s got you wanting to give me a visit? I thought you’d be with Scott and Impulse.”
Gem jerks up at the sudden question, then turns away from Pearl. “I— I dunno, I just… We died pretty close to each other, you’re the first one I saw.”
If Pearl’s head had been a bit more clearer, maybe she would’ve questioned why Gem was so insistent on not facing Pearl when she answered. Instead, she accepts the answer with a nonchalant “Ah, I see.”
“Well, I appreciate the company. And…” Pearl adds, pausing as the following words get caught in her throat for a brief second:
“I’m sorry.”
That seemingly got Gem’s attention, causing her to look at Pearl once again.
Just today, Pearl was met with those same pair of eyes on multiple occasions. For some, they sparkled with a sense of joy. For others, they held a flurry of panic behind them.
At this moment, they were glazed with a whirlwind of emotions Pearl couldn’t even begin to decipher.
Pearl can see Gem obviously struggling to find something to say, or to piece together the thoughts in her head. Either way, Pearl waits.
“When you— when Scar was coming for me, you asked me if I wanted to duel it out with you, with swords.”
Pearl nods.
“Why?”
It’s such a simple question, really. Pearl knows exactly why she did it. Just as she knows why she went into the End earlier in the game to fight the dragon, why she rode a camel with the same person who’s killed her twice, why she couldn’t get a successful ambush when she’d been in the siege against Gem and the Scotts.
What leaves her lips is not the answer. Not a clear one, at least.
(It’s never easy, is it? When Scar and Gem had begun fighting, all Pearl wanted was a moment to think. She didn’t know what to do, she didn’t know why she began shooting, she just didn’t know. She couldn’t decide.)
“You said you didn’t want a bow fight.”
“But a sword fight, Pearl?” Gem pushes on in an instant. “I know you, Pearl, I know you prefer using an axe.”
“I do, yeah.” Pearl doesn’t give away any more than that, choosing to give Gem a noncommittal response.
“So— If Scar hadn’t— If I agreed, you—”
“You probably would’ve kicked my butt.” Pearl admits with a smile.
Gem takes a deep breath. Then, in the quietest voice Pearl has heard all day, Gem asks, “And you would’ve been fine with that?”
(I would’ve been more than fine with it.)
“You would’ve beat me fair and square, I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
“But you—” Gem cuts herself off with a groan, growing more and more frustrated with Pearl’s vague replies. It’s no use when they’re both dancing around the topic, even though all Gem wants is to ask: would you have let me kill you? Could we have stayed friends? What went wrong?
Gem recalls Pearl backing away after one swing of her sword, when she was fighting Scar, she caught a glimpse of Pearl leaving the fight to them. She remembers how Pearl could’ve pulled out her bow, could’ve ended her right there.
(Do I forgive you?)
A breeze blows past the Sunflower Valley, leading the flowers above, along with their shadows, into a gentle dance.
Nearly every question Gem has dies on the tip of her tongue, leaving only one:
“What now?”
Pearl gives it some quick pondering, before stretching her legs out and bracing herself to stand. “I wanna check on Mailbox and Matchbox.”
“Then,” She helps herself up by leaning on a wall. “I wanna see if I can find my Mounders anywhere.”
Lastly, she extends a hand out to Gem. “After that… I think I remember Scott saying something about a spare camel around Etho’s?”
Gem returns the smirk on Pearl’s face with one of her own. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“The Murder Camel rides once more!” Pearl cheers as she pulls Gem up with her.
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(Happy end AU, Pac gets his ugly as fuck peach bathrooms because Fit and Mike care too much about his happiness to say no. This is like.. Not just the end of the series but like a post-credits bonus scene, and I'm missing so much of the middle, but after writing about them talking about the house last night how could I not? It heavily references the fic I wrote yesterday [here], but... tldr: there's a plan to build a new town in a new world with the island residents once they escape the island. This is probably like 3 years beyond canon, where they have escaped. Some day I might fill in the rest, but I am /horrible/ at long projects.)
There is a six bedroomed house on the south-east side of town. It is large, but unlike its neighbours it looks like a very normal house. Four walls, three floors, a roof, a basement, an attic, built of brightly coloured concrete. The front garden is paved over, the back garden left mostly untamed. There's a single football goal on the grass, and a bit further back an extensive vegetable garden the inhabitants only sometimes remember to tend - a contraption will harvest and replant, but nobody ever remembers to turn it on. Some trees, some flowers - all of the plots of land are large, here.
The bedrooms are upstairs, all six of them. On the ground floor is the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, each an explosion of the inhabitants colours, while the conservatory is simple in brick and glass. The hallways are painted not cream, but to look like danger tape instead.
Then there is a patio, a barbecue, an attic to store things and a basement with warp-plates to the adult's places of work and a little extra room for the mechanics to mess around.
Richas and Ramon chase each other across the grass. Dapper, over to spend the day with Ramon, reads under the shade of a hawthorn tree. Pac sits up on the roof, terracotta in hand as he tries to rebuild it into something prettier. Mike, meanwhile, works in the basement, adjusting their heating for the coming winter. They rebuilt Chume Labs at the outside of town, and with all the machinery it is always warm, but now, for the first time in so long, they have a home.
"Oi!" Comes the call from the street, and Pac would know that voice anywhere these days.
Recklessly, ridiculously, with full knowledge that even if he misses he'll just wake back up in his room, Pac runs to the edge of the roof and throws himself off, laughing all the way.
Fit catches him, swinging him around to burn the momentum, and keeps him in his arms. It's obvious that Fit showered and changed over by the portal network, but beneath the smell of communal bodywash the blood and dust and death remains apparent. It does not scare Pac. Both a lot of things and not much at all scare him these days.
"How was it?" Pac asks, looping his arms around Fit's neck.
"Let me sit down first," Fit laughs back. "But, there were plenty of idiots. Like always."
"Did you kill anyone?" Pac continues to question, hopping down from Fit's arms to open the door. "Can we come next time?"
"Yes, and if you arrange a babysitter."
Mike meets them at the hatch to the basement, wiping oily hands on his lab coat.
"Hear that?" Pac grins. "Fit says we can go kill people with him next time!"
Mike's returning smile is a little sharp, just as it always has been. "Richas has more than enough parents," he agrees. "And Bad or Philza or someone will take Ramon."
Fit laughs again, and it's such a good sound. Pac never wants it to wnd.
"Alright, alright," Fit waves them down. "I'll take you both next time. I don't see the appeal, though."
Before they can argue their point Ramon runs in to the room, trailing mud, and throws himself at Fit's leg. Fit pats his head, and hands him a gift from the Wasteland - mechanical components, looted from a corpse no doubt.
Ramon slams down a sign. Pac doesn't quite catch what it says, but he sees Fit scoop his son up with an "I missed you too, Ramon."
Pac hands out the coffee while Mike starts instructing Fit on the new heating controls.
"A story?" Fit asks - glancing over, that is exactly what Ramon's latest sign asks. "Someone did try to set up a government again. Someone else had already blown it up by the time I got there, but I lava-casted the ruins."
Pac and Mike both know there is more to it than that - they know his work, and how it goes. There will have been death and murder and strife, pain for all parties, but this way the children laugh about it.
Mike leans against Pac, and Pac wraps an arm across his back as they listen to Fit describe some ruins he found, and the narrative he constructed about them. A campfire, a river, and an illegal End Portal, all wrapped into one.
"And then I came home," Fit ends his stories. "To my beautiful baby boy."
Ramon squirms his arms free of Fit's hug, earning laugh after laugh. Again, Pac does not see the question asked on the sign, but Fit softens at it. Looks to Ramon, to Richas and Dapper, to Mike and then to Pac.
"Yes, this is home," Fit says, a little wonder in his voice. "Do you like it, Ramon?"
Ramon nods vigorously.
"We haven't had a home before," Pac says, a little light. "But I like this one. I tried with Ilha Chume Labs, but…"
"But that fucking bear," of those resident in the house, Mike always speaks most easily of the holiday island turned prison. "I know. You tried."
"It's funny," Fit says. "The Wasteland was my home for so long that I forgot what loving it felt like. Leaving... Here I can love forever, there I can only love by its absence in my like."
"We've always had our labs. Those were home enough for then," Mike replies.
"I nearly died our first lab," Pac points out.
"You lived, didn't you?"
"You saw my attempt at a home," Fit cuts in. "Your lab on the island at least had bedrooms."
"Pac's island didn't."
Pac pulls his hands from Mike to hide his face, and the laughter all over it, "I tried, okay? I tried!"
"We know," Fit's voice is soothing, but amused. "We all did. And then, together, we did better."
They failed, but they tried, and what the three of them can build together will always be greater than one alone. Even with Fit's ugly preferences, and the colour scheme.
They built a six bedroomed house on the south-east side of town, with materials they carved themselves from the land, and painted with flowers from the garden. Fit built the walls, strong enough for any blast that the god and goddesses ensure will not touch them here, and sorted the plumbing when they realised he was the closest thing their community had to one. Mike wired all the redstone and the warp plates, and made Fit rebuild his initial, ugly design. Ramon and Richarlyson became lords of the gardens, mostly to keep them away from the building equipment, but also to give them a challenge to do.
Pac chose all the colours, because he wanted to, and has not wanted anything in a very long time; there is a green bedroom and a blue bedroom, one for each scientist, and a yellow bedroom for the son they share with so many other households. A bedroom decorated white for the owner of the local gym, and one with wood paneling for his inventor son. The spare bedroom is an ugly shade of red, but Pac chose it himself, and so the colour stays.
And then there are the bathrooms - one on each floor. A bath on the ground floor, a shower on the first, and a shower-over-bath on the second.
And the bathrooms, of course, are tiled peach.
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