A young woman hit her alarm. She sat up with a stretch, a yawn, and soon she set about her morning routine.
She stared at herself in the mirror as the water ran. 'Another day.' She thought simply. 'Don't look so down. You're in a good place now, Sour.' She told herself, reaching to the medicine cabinet, taking a bottle out. She glared at it.
Taking out the offending pill...she filled a cup and downed it with a groan. 'They say these help...but how much longer do I live with these..?' She asked herself. 'I'm...not a violent girl...I don't fight anymore...or is that from those?' She looked at the bottle before putting it back in the cabinet.
'How much of me...is me?' She asked, her heart dropped at the thought before stepping back. 'You're being stupid. Stop it. Just...an idiot.' She turned to the shower and stepped in a moment later.
The water running through her hair, the heat in the room... She stared at the drain. 'I'm an idiot, this is to help me. Then why do I feel so...helpless? Just...going off of what someone else says to do.' She crossed her arms, thinking back to when she had no other choice than to see a doctor.
***
"Sour! Stop!" Indigo's voice grunted. The shorter girl flailed her arms at her as Lemon and Sunny tried to restrain her.
"Lemme go! I'm gonna rearrange her face!"
Indigo took the beating to block her from getting to the underclassmen that was running away. "C'mon, calm down! You’re better than this, Sour!"
***
She covered her face, her hair falling down past her shoulders.
She bit back a shudder, remembering how scared the underclassman looked. How Indigo held her face afterwards... She left a significant bruise on her arm and her eye had swollen.
Guilt knotted in her stomach. Their voices...encouraging and calm. Even Indigo didn't hold that against her.
'It's not okay...it wasn't okay... Why do they still put up with me?' She thought darkly. 'Maybe I should go away...'
Only the pattering of the water hitting her back and the floor sounded in the room.
She took a deep breath, righting herself and actually beginning her shower.
***
She walked to the bus stop, eyes on the ground.
Flashes of Dean Cadence and her mother talking. The doctor's office. The therapist. Her prescription.
Her friends were scared of her. Was that why? Was that why they stuck around? Too scared of her snapping at them if they distanced themselves?
She squeezed the handle of her bag into a tight fist. 'I'm not...scary am I?'
"Hey, Sour! Mornin'!" Indigo called waving as she approached the bus stop.
"Hey."
"Something's bothering you." Sugarcoat's blunt statement tore her back to reality.
"What? Is not!" Sour crossed her arms.
"Sweety, is something wrong?" Lemon asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"No..."
"You know you can talk to us, right?" Sunny asked, now also concerned as the wall Sour was preparing to build was torn down almost immediately.
"Are..." She cleared her throat. "Nevermind, its nothing."
"If you don't want to talk about it, we can't rightly make you." Indigo said. "But we're here for you. Okay?"
"Why don't you hate me?" Sour blurted out before covering her mouth.
The athlete blinked, taken aback. "What?"
Sour shook her head. "Forget it..."
"Is this about the black eye? That was an accident. Everyone saw it." Indigo smiled softly.
"'Accident', huh? Didn't feel like one when I did it..." She looked down.
"Sour." Indigo took her shoulders gently. "We're your friends...and I got that shiner from keeping you from making a big mistake. That, in turn, led you to getting the help you actually needed. We care about you so much, I'd take more than a punch for you, got it? We love you and want to support you...you just need to speak up if you need us, okay?" She asked.
Sour Sweet stepped closer, hugging her tightly. Indigo simply returned it, stroking her back as she felt the shorter hold onto her.
The others smiled softly, letting her have a moment. The shuddering and sniffles obviously giving away her crying.
'I know they care...why does it feel so much better to hear it though?'
It's not true.
Her body stiffened again, the thought rooting her in place.
You're not okay. Normal people don't break down when shown kindness. You're wrong. A mistake.
"Sour..?" Indigo asked as the girl shook. "Sour, talk to me..."
"Sorry. I'm just...I had a bad morning." She lied, wiping her eye.
"Its okay, we're here whenever you slip." Lemon said with a smile.
Sunny handed her a tissue, letting her clean her face up before the bus pulled up.
They climbed in, Lemon plopping down beside her. Indigo and Sunny sitting in front of her and Sugarcoat behind.
She was literally surrounded by her friends, though she looked out the window with a faint frown. Today was going to suck…
***
The teacher droned...but his words were static to her. She couldn't make anything out. The world around her was hazy. She let her hand write as she tried to clear her mind, everything looked unintelligible...a piercing noise rang in her ears as she tried to calm her breathing...the room felt hotter for some reason and sweat began to run down her forehead.
The color of the room around her felt dull. Everything felt off. She had to get out...
She lifted her hand.
"Miss Sweet?"
"May I be excused, please?"
"...yes. Take the hall pass." He nodded before turning back to the board.
She quickly took the slip, exiting the room, her eyes never leaving the floor. She traveled through the halls, the fog still as thick as before, opening the bathroom door, she pushed open a stall, locking it behind her and resting her back against the door.
‘Deep breaths.’
'In.'
'Out.'
She repeated as she felt her eyes welling. 'What's wrong with me?!' She asked herself, clenching her fist, she took a seat on the lid, staring at her hand before bringing it up and slamming it against her leg in frustration. The pain was immediate...but she didn't know what else to do. 'You fucking mistake.'
She brought her knees up as she hid her face and the tears flowed.
She only looked up when the bell rang. 'Crap! I'm so getting written up...'
She stood, exiting the stall and bathroom, immediately bumping into Lemon. "Sour! There you are!" She hugged her tight. "Mr. P asked me to see if you were okay, I couldn't find you..." She frowned. "You've been crying..."
"No I haven't..." She lied. "Back off, I have to get to class."
Lemon held her wrist. "Sour...you're hurting. Tell me what I can do..."
"You can't do anything. Just...leave me to feel like shit."
"I won't."
"Let go."
"Sour, please."
The shorter caught the look of concern...fear, maybe desperation in her friend's eyes.
She stopped trying to pull away. Lemon taking the moment to step closer, hugging her again as the smaller girl hid her face against her shoulder.
"C'mon...you need to get away from this." She said, taking her hand and leading her to her previous class. "Get your stuff...I'm gonna talk to Mr. P, okay?"
Sour nodded before Lemon headed to the teacher at his desk.
She watched, the man nodding in understanding. "Miss Sweet, you're excused, I'll talk to Dean Cadence...please feel better." He said. "Make sure she gets home safe, miss Zest."
Lemon pat her chest. "You can count on me." She grinned.
The green haired girl walked back to meet Sour who numbly followed her out, hand in hand. The man frowned, sure Sour could be a problem sometimes...seeing one of his students like this just hurt.
***
Lemon led her out of the school. "C'mon. Let's go to my place. Your parents will make a big deal about this...and I know you need some time." She suggested.
"Yeah." Sour managed to answer, sounding quieter than ever.
'Now I'm dragging people into my mess...'
They walked to a decent two floor home. The plate read 'Zest'. Lemon opened the door for Sour, who stepped in, breathing in the warm air.
"Aw, dad forgot to turn the heat down...we may have saved them some money by running home!" She grinned, poking the buttons on the thermostat. Sour glanced around...the front door led to a staircase hallway, to the left was a small step down into a den with lots of books, a computer on the desk.
To the right, a living room. Tv, fireplace...pictures of the family adorning the walls and tables. Beyond it she could see the open door to the kitchen.
One thing she noticed on all the walls...photos. Framed glimpses of Lemon's home life. Proud parents. This...was Lemon's home. It suited her.
She smiled inwardly at the image of a young Lemon Zest smiling into the camera next to a terrible excuse for a sandcastle. She thought back to herself at that age...she never liked pictures being taken of her. She looked back down to the floor, her mom loved pictures...she probably ruined her mother's experience of raising a child...by not letting her have these keepsakes.
"C'mon." Lemon took her hand. "Comfort time. A soft blanket and cheesy movies." She smiled sweetly, leading her up stairs.
Lemon's room suited her...pink and yellow accessories...like 6 visible pairs of those headphones. 'No wonder she always has a pair...' Dirty clothes were strewn about the floor, Sour stepping over them. "Your room is a mess." She said quietly.
"Ignore the clothes." Lemon shrugged. "I'll clean it up when you're set." She assured.
Sour was guided to the bed, a blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. "Since I turned down the heat, it may get chilly, sorry." She smiled, turning to begin picking up the clothes.
She bobbed her head to some beat...but her phones were off. Sour watched her...hugging the blanket. It smelled like her friend. Like she was being held by her.
"Oop, there you are. Under the clean pile." Lemon smirked, Sour looked up, seeing her holding up a pair of underwear. "Thought I lost these." She grinned. "Better redo the clothes on top to be sure..." She thought aloud.
Sour shook the blush off. "You're a slob."
"Sometimes." She shrugged. "Now! Wanna watch some old cartoon movies? Slashers?" She asked, turning on her tv. Sour shrugged.
"It doesn't matter."
She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. "It does, because you do." She said, resting her cheek against her head. "Now, how do I stop that pout?" She asked with a smile.
"You drop dea-" Sour stopped herself, very obviously fighting internally. "J-Just...stay near me..." She said.
Lemon frowned, taking the blanket off her shoulders. "I have an idea." Lemon shifted to sit behind her, wrapping the blanket around them both. Sour blushed feeling the taller girl's arms wrap around her. "I'll be here until you tell me you've had enough." She assured, the breath against her ear making her shudder...a reaction Lemon made note of.
After a moment...Sour leaned back in to her embrace. "...Thanks." She mumbled.
"Of course."
The tv played some movie...Sour wasn't paying attention. She focused on calming her breathing. The taller rested her chin on Sour's crown, watching the... Sour made out jingling bells...so she assumed christmas movie.
"I love this time of year." Lemon piped up. "You can get cocoa and wear lame sweaters, and marathon movies in your undies with the heat blasting." She smirked.
"Is that why you had so many dirty clothes on the floor?"
"Guilty." Lemon giggled. "And when you find someone special...you can do that with them." She said with a wistful smile.
"Maybe you can manage that...I'm probably too damaged to ever get that lucky."
"Please!" She scoffed. "You see how I live. I'm a total slob, not just anyone would accept that. Besides, you're super cute and smart. You'll have no problem finding someone."
She blushed lightly. "You may be a slob...but its not like you're lacking in either of those departments..."
Lemon hugged her. "Did you just say I'm pretty?" She smirked.
"You are..."
"Aww, Sour... You're actually sweet." She giggled.
"I take it back."
"Noooooo! I'm sorry! Compliments from you are really important!"
"Why?"
"Because I care about you and your opinion."
"Huh?"
"Is that such a surprise?" Lemon asked, squeezing her gently. "You've...got some stuff going on though. Let's talk about that when you're ready."
"No. What do you mean..?" She shifted to look up at her.
Lemon frowned for a moment. "I said too much, didn't I?" She asked herself. "Sour...I like you. Like...more than a friend."
The girl blushed dark. "Wh-"
"Don't ask 'why'. Because you're cute, and really considerate...especially knowing now what I do..." She said. "I understand if you're not into girls...I would have tried to help you even if I wasn't... Your mental health matters...so...while this?" She motioned to the cocoon they'd rest in. "May not exactly be necessary...it's all I could think to do. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"N-No...you deserve better than me."
"Sour...You're a perfectly fine girl. Whatever hangups you have about yourself...they don't change that. You deserve happiness. Please don't deprive yourself because you think you don't deserve it."
Sour fell quiet for a moment. "Would...were you serious about liking me..?
"I wouldn't screw with your heart..."
"Do you...want to try..uh...being...with me..?"
"Only if that's what you want..."
"Not the most traditional way to ask a girl out..."
"I'm an odd one." Lemon shrugged.
Sour rested her head against the taller girl. "If we're bearing all right now...I feel a lot better in your arms..." She admitted.
"I'm glad..."
"Do you wanna go...get some cocoa together?"
"Miss Sweet. Are you asking me on a date?" Lemon smirked.
"I'll be honest. I can do the cocoa. But I don't think we're at 'lounge in underwear watching movies' yet." She said, a half smirk playing at her lips.
"I'd love to."
"Later though...I kinda like where I am right now." She admitted.
"Whenever you're ready." She smiled, squeezing her gently.
***
'That day went by quickly...we watched two more movies...before we went out. Lemon is weird. Someone like her could land any guy, and I'm sure more than a few girls...but I'm glad for whatever reason she looks at me with those...blugh, I'm getting sappy already.'
"Something on your mind, babe?" Lemon asked, kneeling to rest her chin on the edge of Sour's desk.
"Thinking back to some darker times..." She admitted. "Don't worry. You're there to keep me in line." She smirked.
"Thank goodness. Now c'mon. I'm gonna go with you to therapy today." She smiled.
"I hate that I still need to go..."
"You've made a lot of progress since last year...c'mon." She took her hand.
***
"Sour? Did you nod off?" Lemon asked, shifting her gently.
"Wha?" She asked, looking around.
"You fell asleep." Lemon chuckled, looking to the clock. "Let's go get that cocoa." She suggested.
"Yeah...sure." She shifted away...immediately feeling the difference in temperature. "Oh man..."
"I have a spare jacket you can wear, no worries." She assured, standing.
"Please." The girl grumbled, before a black and pink running jacket was put on her shoulders.
"It's actually really nice." She assured.
Sour put her arms through the sleeves, annoyance marking her face at how much longer the sleeves were than her arm.
"You look cute."
Sour flushed. "I'm not cute."
"I think you are." Lemon pulled on a jacket as well. "Before Sugarcube Corner gets flooded, lets go." She offered her hand.
***
Lemon led her to the cafe, Sour allowing the taller to hold her hand as they walked. She watched the ground...but did her best to pay attention to her companion.
“DJ Pon-3 has a show coming up soon, I’m thinking about going to see it.” She said, looking back to her.
“That sounds cool.” She mumbled.
“You wanna go with me?”
“I...dunno if I can manage that...but I’ll try.”
“Take your time. I’m in for the long haul.”
Sour smiled softly, squeezing her hand gently.
Lemon held the door open and led her to a booth. The waitress stepping over to them with a smile. Cocoas and a couple slices of cake.
“So...are we...actually a thing?”
“Unless you don't want us to be, then yes.” Lemon smiled.
“So...this is a date…”
“Mmmhm.” Lemon nodded, reaching out her hand. Sour looked at it before placing her hand on top of her’s.
"You're gonna regret it, you know."
Lemon squeezed her hand gently. "Never. I've been looking for an opportunity to tell you since junior high. Like hell I'd waste this chance now." She smirked.
"How many of those saves do you have left?" Sour asked with a half smirk.
"Mm, I can make up some on the spot if I have to." She assured with a grin.
The shorter girl sighed. "Fine...as long as you can handle my fu-"
"You're perfectly fine. You just need guidance." She said, taking her hand with both of her's now. "Please, try not to talk about yourself like that."
"This last year has been bad for me…" She said, looking out the window.
"It's only bad in the moment...because you haven't had us with you before this, think back, what would you do after school back then?"
"Go home and study...or play games."
"And now that you have more of a social life, you're finding out more about this pre-existing condition. Yeah, you've got your issues...but does that make me like you any less? No. Does that make you less of a good friend? No." She shook her head. "The difference? Now your mental health can be your goal...and we're here to support you."
"Fuck...why are you so…" She sniffled. "You're a goddamn after school special."
Lemon giggled. "Right, Right. Laying on the cheese pretty thick, huh?"
"You think?" Sour asked with a watery chuckle.
"But I made you smile. That's what's important. You have such a pretty smile, you know?"
"Shut up." The shorter girl huffed, blushing as she sat back.
"Only because you asked so nicely." Her girlfriend grinned. "Now! How about we get back to that movie marathon?"
"Sure...but only if I get to keep my clothes on."
"Rats!" She snapped her fingers. "You've figured out my game." She pouted before brightening up again. "But! You never said anything about mine~"
"I thought that went without saying!"
The green haired girl stood to grab the waitress, Sour following behind her. They paid at the counter, exiting the diner hand in hand.
Author's Note
I felt like I did an okay to good job describing Sour's shut down early on. I had something like that happen when I was in school...
This ship is cute to me. And I feel like Lemon would be that person who tries really hard to get someone to see what she sees...and Sour is a good pair to that. With the unnamed condition, she questions herself and a lot of her confidence was lost when she noticed how little control she had over her mood swings and how scary that was.
Tell me if you like this ship, I tried for a bit of drama here. I got one more Shadow bolt to ship...and she's next.
These are in the same continuity as my SunDash fics!
