Post by Zuyuri on Dec 9, 2017 8:47:57 GMT
Shadow hadn't been kidding when he said he was going to talk to Sunshine about hsi feelings privately. That time had come with the annual 'hanging of the greens' as Sunshine called decorating her loft for Christmas. It had been a tradition since she and Shadow had met, and the two of them helped one another decorate. The best part was seeing the unique styles of decorating. He shut one of the last few boxes shut and sped out to the recycle bin, running back into her loft to find her pouring cider from a slow cooker.
"Okay, Shadow, here's your reward for helping me out," Sunshine chirped. The mug she presented him with was purple, her signature color, and he accepted it. He would have been more at home with his black mug or ones that had turned brown from lack of proper washing, yet Sunshine's unshakable happiness kept him from objecting to the color. She had also set out fresh chai gingerbread, one of the staples at Nevermore.
"Free samples. Sunshine you spoil me some times," he said.
Sunshine laughed. There she was, being cute again. No wonder Riku had fallen for her or looked to her during the 'Harvey' crisis. She could be so bright, and in a town so dark, that light needed to stay bright. He knew what he was going to say would darken it. There was a bit of silence as she helped herself with one hand in a box She gasped at the contents and started laughing again. "Oh my gosh, remember the ugly sweater slash ugly cupcake party last year?"
"And we had that awful photobooth? Charity ball my ass."
Sure enough, the pictures she had were the cheap prints from a camera. In the picture, both cops wore sweaters - one in a red one that seemed to swallow him, the other literally wrapped with cheesy ribbons, even in a side braid - and were forcing themselves to smile. Well, Sunshine's was more a smile while Shadow's looked more like a grimace. They each held up a cupcake that seemed to be the remains of Frosty the Snowman's brethern. A crime scene of a winter wonderland.
"Oh, I need to hang this up," Sunshine snickered. She went to the fridge of her loft. It had everything from pencil sketches to grocery lists to sticky notes with reminders about events. A board was to the left with only a small checklist. Shadow studied it while her back was turned. In glitter pen, gold glitter pen, were a few small items;
GRIS GRIS RESEARCH
DRESS SHOPPING (MAYBE FOR MY M.O.H. TOO)
WIN CIRI LAFAYETTE'S APPROVAL
Three things all for a wedding. Shadow had to give Riku Lafayette all the more credit. The man had been born from a rich family and instead wanted to keep things humble. Maybe that was what Sunshine saw in him. Shadow felt guilty for being so judgmental of him. He was a good man and he could talk easily with the cops, even hard-boiled ones like Shadow.As Sunshine turned back around, he chewed on the gingerbread. She pointed to the picture, now framed by a torn up remains of a grocery list on pink stick-it note.
"Ta-da!"
Shadow nodded in approval. "Looks good. I keep mine taped near my plate cupboard. You know, the ones your mom gave me?"
Sunshine grinned. "You kept those?"
"I've kept a lot of things from you. Oh, and by extension, your family." Shadow's usual serious tone of voice was softer. This side of him only came out to those he trusted. He had let Omar and Yang see it, and he had told the truth of his emotions. Guns were blazing quietly. "There's...there's something else I've kept myself from saying..."
"Saying?"
"Sunshine...I..." He couldn't even look her in the eye. But he brought himself to do it. He was looking at her, red eyes to green eyes. He had to rip off the band-aid. The sooner he did it, the more he could just move on with his life. It would probably hurt their friendship, the one he cherished the most out of all the connections he had made over the years. He was never a beat around the bush person. It just came out.
"I love you."
Her face...was what he expected. The glint in the eyes dulling to confusion and surprise. Her mouth fell from a semi-smile to a low set frown. She was processing it all. It took her a solid few minutes to silence. The Pandora radio seemed to quiet down, replaced with the white noise of anticipation. She didn't look ready to smack him or cry. Instead, she looked at the ring on her finger, and then at Shadow. Her eyes fell on her twin emerald bracelets and his inhibitor rings. Two sides of the same coin with remarkable differences. Sunshine sipped her cider and said,
"I know."
He blinked. "You do?"
"Yang sort of...dropped hints about it." She played with the ring on her finger. "And I..." she slumped back against the seat, "I admit, you were," she blushed and giggled nervously, "kind of hot when you were taking Sapien and I may or may not have had been developing a crush on you then...But," she sighed sadly. Shadow didn't need her to explain. Her feelings for Riku were stronger than just a crush. He had been selfish and ruined any chances of her wanting to take her out. Even just looking at him with those big, beautiful green eyes had cut him. She wasn't angry at him. She wasn't even doing anything that was hurting his feelings or saying things that would have been awkward comforts.
The solace he was taking was that, at one point, she did care about him. In another life, they probably would have gotten together. The price of immortality was a hefty one that Shadow was willing to pay. He remembered Aqua mourning Terra at his funeral and how, when that time came, he would probably do the same. He would be the emotional mess. He set his mug down, just staring into the abyss of cinnamon-apple. Sunshine had been crushing on him for a while, and she was telling him now. It explained the more than friendly hand-holds and shy smiles.
He hadn't realized that he had shed a tear until a tiny drop of warmth fell onto his hand. Sunshine and he exchanged looks of questioning and then of understanding. It was an emotional rollercoaster. For once, it wasn't the human in the front seat. It was the one cop that people thought was jaded by his job to express anything beyond determination. A wad of kleenex was handed to him, and Sunshine placed her hand over his.
"Hey," she said. "you'll find a girl who's just as badass as you are. If she breaks your heart, you know I'll be spearheading the angry mob running her out of the village. No one puts my best friend in the corner."
Best friend. At least they had that sentiment in common. They would go into intense monster nests or lairs to make sure the other came out okay. They fought off reporters for one another. They knew who preferred hazelnut creamer yet hated Italian sweet creme and who preferred to keep fights close range as opposed to a distance. Not too many cops to say their partner was also their best friend and others had been in the relationship bind but never could make a marriage work. In the end, maybe best friend was the greatest kind of love Sunshine could give Shadow. So, she loved him, but not in the way the storybooks and movies made it out to be. He could accept that.
"If you're planning on setting me up, forget it." He was half-joking.
"Aww," she pouted, "I was hoping to get you and that one redhead in IT together. You know, the one with the sunday school outfits?"
"Please. She'd speak in code and my brain would hurt trying to follow it."
"What if she likes Pick Your Poison? By the way, I have their Christmas album. Think you can put that on?"
The harmonies of the mermaid-sisters played as Shadow and Sunshine's conversation shifted, along with the focus. Christmas wasn't going to decorate itself. Paper snowflakes were being hung from the rafters. The white christmas tree, pre-lit, was being plugged in and hung with pictures. Crafts from old school days were sorted. Shadow had vacuumed the carpet and Sunshine swept the kitchen floor. Through it, Sunshine was picking out details in what he looked for in a girl. He was invested in people that could take care of themselves but not be afraid to ask questions. Oh, the girl radar was going to be on now that they holding onto emotions was out of the way. Sunshine was also grateful he was using the frustration to channel his rocket skates as he decorated by stringing lights. The house was a cozy winter wonderland now, finished off with a gold-spangled pinecone wreath on the door.
Shadow and Sunshine sunk into the purple loveseat, cider mugs in hand. Their work was done, at least the work that didn't involve catching monsters. They also had a whole new mystery; who could they hook the 'ultimate cop' up with?
"I swear to God, Shadow, if you date a blonde..." Sunshine threatened.
"What are you implying?"
"You possible Oedipus complex...thingie. I don't know, what's it called when you associate something with someone?"
"Sunshine, it's called having a type. Last I checked, your last boyfriend before you got engaged also had white hair and blue eyes, so don't..."
"Please, Riku's hair is silver, it has a sheen, damn it."
Bickers turned into giggles. Genuine giggles. The kind of laughs best friends shared.
"Okay, Shadow, here's your reward for helping me out," Sunshine chirped. The mug she presented him with was purple, her signature color, and he accepted it. He would have been more at home with his black mug or ones that had turned brown from lack of proper washing, yet Sunshine's unshakable happiness kept him from objecting to the color. She had also set out fresh chai gingerbread, one of the staples at Nevermore.
"Free samples. Sunshine you spoil me some times," he said.
Sunshine laughed. There she was, being cute again. No wonder Riku had fallen for her or looked to her during the 'Harvey' crisis. She could be so bright, and in a town so dark, that light needed to stay bright. He knew what he was going to say would darken it. There was a bit of silence as she helped herself with one hand in a box She gasped at the contents and started laughing again. "Oh my gosh, remember the ugly sweater slash ugly cupcake party last year?"
"And we had that awful photobooth? Charity ball my ass."
Sure enough, the pictures she had were the cheap prints from a camera. In the picture, both cops wore sweaters - one in a red one that seemed to swallow him, the other literally wrapped with cheesy ribbons, even in a side braid - and were forcing themselves to smile. Well, Sunshine's was more a smile while Shadow's looked more like a grimace. They each held up a cupcake that seemed to be the remains of Frosty the Snowman's brethern. A crime scene of a winter wonderland.
"Oh, I need to hang this up," Sunshine snickered. She went to the fridge of her loft. It had everything from pencil sketches to grocery lists to sticky notes with reminders about events. A board was to the left with only a small checklist. Shadow studied it while her back was turned. In glitter pen, gold glitter pen, were a few small items;
GRIS GRIS RESEARCH
DRESS SHOPPING (MAYBE FOR MY M.O.H. TOO)
WIN CIRI LAFAYETTE'S APPROVAL
Three things all for a wedding. Shadow had to give Riku Lafayette all the more credit. The man had been born from a rich family and instead wanted to keep things humble. Maybe that was what Sunshine saw in him. Shadow felt guilty for being so judgmental of him. He was a good man and he could talk easily with the cops, even hard-boiled ones like Shadow.As Sunshine turned back around, he chewed on the gingerbread. She pointed to the picture, now framed by a torn up remains of a grocery list on pink stick-it note.
"Ta-da!"
Shadow nodded in approval. "Looks good. I keep mine taped near my plate cupboard. You know, the ones your mom gave me?"
Sunshine grinned. "You kept those?"
"I've kept a lot of things from you. Oh, and by extension, your family." Shadow's usual serious tone of voice was softer. This side of him only came out to those he trusted. He had let Omar and Yang see it, and he had told the truth of his emotions. Guns were blazing quietly. "There's...there's something else I've kept myself from saying..."
"Saying?"
"Sunshine...I..." He couldn't even look her in the eye. But he brought himself to do it. He was looking at her, red eyes to green eyes. He had to rip off the band-aid. The sooner he did it, the more he could just move on with his life. It would probably hurt their friendship, the one he cherished the most out of all the connections he had made over the years. He was never a beat around the bush person. It just came out.
"I love you."
Her face...was what he expected. The glint in the eyes dulling to confusion and surprise. Her mouth fell from a semi-smile to a low set frown. She was processing it all. It took her a solid few minutes to silence. The Pandora radio seemed to quiet down, replaced with the white noise of anticipation. She didn't look ready to smack him or cry. Instead, she looked at the ring on her finger, and then at Shadow. Her eyes fell on her twin emerald bracelets and his inhibitor rings. Two sides of the same coin with remarkable differences. Sunshine sipped her cider and said,
"I know."
He blinked. "You do?"
"Yang sort of...dropped hints about it." She played with the ring on her finger. "And I..." she slumped back against the seat, "I admit, you were," she blushed and giggled nervously, "kind of hot when you were taking Sapien and I may or may not have had been developing a crush on you then...But," she sighed sadly. Shadow didn't need her to explain. Her feelings for Riku were stronger than just a crush. He had been selfish and ruined any chances of her wanting to take her out. Even just looking at him with those big, beautiful green eyes had cut him. She wasn't angry at him. She wasn't even doing anything that was hurting his feelings or saying things that would have been awkward comforts.
The solace he was taking was that, at one point, she did care about him. In another life, they probably would have gotten together. The price of immortality was a hefty one that Shadow was willing to pay. He remembered Aqua mourning Terra at his funeral and how, when that time came, he would probably do the same. He would be the emotional mess. He set his mug down, just staring into the abyss of cinnamon-apple. Sunshine had been crushing on him for a while, and she was telling him now. It explained the more than friendly hand-holds and shy smiles.
He hadn't realized that he had shed a tear until a tiny drop of warmth fell onto his hand. Sunshine and he exchanged looks of questioning and then of understanding. It was an emotional rollercoaster. For once, it wasn't the human in the front seat. It was the one cop that people thought was jaded by his job to express anything beyond determination. A wad of kleenex was handed to him, and Sunshine placed her hand over his.
"Hey," she said. "you'll find a girl who's just as badass as you are. If she breaks your heart, you know I'll be spearheading the angry mob running her out of the village. No one puts my best friend in the corner."
Best friend. At least they had that sentiment in common. They would go into intense monster nests or lairs to make sure the other came out okay. They fought off reporters for one another. They knew who preferred hazelnut creamer yet hated Italian sweet creme and who preferred to keep fights close range as opposed to a distance. Not too many cops to say their partner was also their best friend and others had been in the relationship bind but never could make a marriage work. In the end, maybe best friend was the greatest kind of love Sunshine could give Shadow. So, she loved him, but not in the way the storybooks and movies made it out to be. He could accept that.
"If you're planning on setting me up, forget it." He was half-joking.
"Aww," she pouted, "I was hoping to get you and that one redhead in IT together. You know, the one with the sunday school outfits?"
"Please. She'd speak in code and my brain would hurt trying to follow it."
"What if she likes Pick Your Poison? By the way, I have their Christmas album. Think you can put that on?"
The harmonies of the mermaid-sisters played as Shadow and Sunshine's conversation shifted, along with the focus. Christmas wasn't going to decorate itself. Paper snowflakes were being hung from the rafters. The white christmas tree, pre-lit, was being plugged in and hung with pictures. Crafts from old school days were sorted. Shadow had vacuumed the carpet and Sunshine swept the kitchen floor. Through it, Sunshine was picking out details in what he looked for in a girl. He was invested in people that could take care of themselves but not be afraid to ask questions. Oh, the girl radar was going to be on now that they holding onto emotions was out of the way. Sunshine was also grateful he was using the frustration to channel his rocket skates as he decorated by stringing lights. The house was a cozy winter wonderland now, finished off with a gold-spangled pinecone wreath on the door.
Shadow and Sunshine sunk into the purple loveseat, cider mugs in hand. Their work was done, at least the work that didn't involve catching monsters. They also had a whole new mystery; who could they hook the 'ultimate cop' up with?
"I swear to God, Shadow, if you date a blonde..." Sunshine threatened.
"What are you implying?"
"You possible Oedipus complex...thingie. I don't know, what's it called when you associate something with someone?"
"Sunshine, it's called having a type. Last I checked, your last boyfriend before you got engaged also had white hair and blue eyes, so don't..."
"Please, Riku's hair is silver, it has a sheen, damn it."
Bickers turned into giggles. Genuine giggles. The kind of laughs best friends shared.
