Sugarcoatingby Draxonos135ChaptersSourer Than UsualSweeter Than ExpectedCoated in SugarSourer Than Usual*BANG* The door to the classroom was kicked open by none other than Sour Sweet, who stomped into the classroom and walked up to her locker, which she loudly opened as a certain someone approached her. This someone was none other than Sugarcoat, who got a slightly less upset look from Sour Sweet. "What do you want this time, Sugarcoat?" "I couldn't help but get worried about you," Sugarcoat answered in her usual deadpan tone. "Call it intuition, but you kicking the door open and your notable glare might have also given me the idea." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes, saved her stuff, closed her locker and began to walk back home. "Whatever, if you have something to ask, just shoot the question. I'm not in the mood to be messed with." Sugarcoat clutched a book close to her chest, and asked with a little smile. "Did you study for next week's exam?" Sour Sweet stopped right on her tracks, eyes opening as wide as plates. "Would you like to study together?" Sour Sweet's shocked look contorted into a frown, and she stomped her way to a pillar, where she held her hands at it before she slammed her head against it repeatedly, leaving more and more cracks behind. By the time she finished, the pillar looked like it was about to collapse, but her face didn't show any significant damage once she turned "Yes, that would be lovely! I'd love nothing more than to study for something that could come out of nowhere, and mess up my day in one single sitting! I'd love to study with you, but before we do that, is there anything else you want to say?!" Sugarcoat held back her shivers. "Y-You're supposed to knock the door, S-Sour Sweet, not the pillar." Sour Sweet rubbed her forehead. "Tell me something I don't know!" Sugarcoat frowned. "Y-You're supposed to use your hand, not your head?" Too angry to reply back, Sour Sweet threw her hands in the air and walked out, leaving Sugarcoat to collapse and take a deep breath, finally relaxing from the opressive atmosphere. And as if that wasn't enough, a certain Suri Polomare watched from the door Sour Sweet kicked open, sporting a concerned look for Sugarcoat... Suri grabbed a tray of food and a drink and walked to her table, her concerned expression still visible on her face. Oh man, Sour Sweet must've been at her angriest today. I'm amazed the teacher was able to give her class with her imposing aura tainting the classroom's atmosphere. Suri took a deep breath. But I'm more concerned for poor Sugarcoat. Sour Sweet's supposed to be her girlfriend, and yet, she snapped at her like that, not even bothering to adopt a nicer tone to talk to her. I can only imagine how she's holding up after all that... And then, as if on cue, Suri spotted Sugarcoat sitting on her table, the girl also noticing Suri walking towards her, and engaging in a little stare between the two. However, while Suri put up a nervous smile and continued to walk, Sugarcoat quickly went back to her book, and acted like she hadn't seen Suri. "Hello, Sugarcoat," Suri greeted as she sat down. Sugarcoat briefly glanced at Suri, before she went back to her book. "Hi." ... ... ... "So, uh," Suri scratched the back of her head. "What a nice weather we're having, right?" Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's such a lovely weather, especially the part about Sour Sweet being at her sourest yet." "Right, that was actually something I wanted to talk to you about!" Suri grabbed her soda. "You and Sour Sweet are friends, right?" Suri took a sip of her drink as Sugarcoat bluntly answered. "We're girlfriends, yes." Suri spat out her drink and coughed, Sugarcoat putting a little effort in helping Suri catch her breath. "I... uh, I uh... sorry about that," Suri took a couple more breaths. "I just-I just didn't think that was something you'd admit so sloudly and so casually." Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with that?" "Oh no no, not at all, don't get me wrong. I just thought you might... um, try to be a bit more discrete or subtle about it." Sugarcoat blinked once. "Suri, you do know who I am, right?" "Yeah, on second thought, you not being blunt about something doesn't sound like something you'd do," Suri took another sip of her drink. "Anyway, do you have any idea why Sour Sweet has been so... well, sour, lately?" Sugarcoat sighed. "I can't give you much of an answer. The only thing I know is that she started acting like this ever since the surprise pop quizzes last week." "Right, those ones caught practically everybody off-guard," "In fact, I think most of the classroom failed those quizzes, too..." Then, Suri got an idea. "Do you think she's been so sour because she thinks she failed all those quizzes?" "Well, Sour Sweetie's never been one who takes failure lightly," Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Then again, when you fail something you couldn't even see coming, who wouldn't be upset?" "True, but Sour Sweet's anger seems to be far too extreme for it, don't you think?" Suri smiled sheepishly. "Could you please do something about her little anger? I mean, she's your girlfriend after all." Upon hearing that, Sugarcoat's eyes widened, seemingly realizing something important, which made her close her book and stand up. "D-Did I say something insensitive?" Suri asked. "No, you didn't say anything insensitivie, Suri," Sugarcoat answered with a smile. "If anything, I think you've reminded me of something I wasn't taking into account." With that said, Sugarcoat grabbed her book and left the food court, leaving Suri to eat her food in peace. Confused, concerned peace. Sugarcoat was in her bedroom, laying on her bed as she marked Sour Sweet's house number on her phone, a single thought crossing her mind. If Sour Sweet is going to act sourer than usual, I might as well find out more about it. Once marked, Sugarcoat held her phone close to her ear as she waited for her girlfriend to hopefully respond... "Who is it?" Sugarcoat smiled. "Sour Sweet, it's me, Sugarcoat." The other line remained silent for a few minutes before Sour Sweet answered once again. "R-Right, you asked me if I wanted to study with you, right?" "Yeah, but we never really agreed on who should go to who's house," Sugarcoat played with her hair. "So, if you don't mind, would you like to go to my house?" Again, a silence came and went. "S-Sure, I have no problem... of course, if you have a-" "I don't have a problem with that. In fact, I'd be delighted to have you over. Can you come at 4 PM?" "S-Sure... yeah, I... I can-" "Great, see you then." "W-Wait, Su-!" *click* Sugarcoat dropped her phone and took a deep breath. I don't know what's upsetting you so much Sour Sweet, but whatever it is... Sugarcoat narrowed her eyes with determination. I'm going to help you with it. Sweeter Than ExpectedAt Sour Sweet's bedroom, the girl sat on her bed and took a deep breath as she calmed herself down, trying to go back to her usual state of in-between sweet, and sour, just like her name implied. She put a hand close to her chest with one final breath... then clutched it tightly. "What have I done?!" Sour Sweet leaned back and pulled her hair. "Of all the people I could've snapped at today, why did it have to be Sugarcoat?! She was just trying to see if I was feeling alright, and I up and shout at her face like that!" Sour Sweet kicked the air as she covered her eyes with her hands. "I don't even know how I'm supposed to make it up for her, if I can even do that!" Sour Sweet planted her face on her pillow, but just as she continued to bemoan what would certainly worry her for the remainder of the day, her phone rang. Nevertheless, the longer she kept it ringing, the more annoying it'd get, so Sour Sweet grabbed it, took it close to her ear, and took her face out of the pillow to answer clearly. "Who is it?" "Sour Sweet, it's me, Sugarcoat." A thousand chills went down Sour Sweet's spine as her face slowly turned blue. Sugarcoat? So early? She's calling me this early? Why? I mean, I was expecting her to call me eventually, but not this early! Sour Sweet bit her lips as her mind began shooting disturbing ideas at her. Again. Does she want to break up with me? She wants to break up with me, doesn't she?! And even if she doesn't want to break up, she wants to talk about me snapping at her, certainly! What am I supposed to tell her then?! "Oh hey, Sugarcoat, I'm sorry for shouting at you like that, I was having a bad day," what kind of excuse is that!? Sour Sweet shook her head. N-No, don't lose your head yet, Sour Sweet! M-Maybe she just wants to talk, right? Then, Sour Sweet finally remembered. M-Maybe... she wants to talk about our study date? "R-Right, you asked me if I wanted to study with you, right?" "Yeah, but we never really agreed on who should go to who's house. So, if you don't mind, would you like to go to my house?" Sour Sweet gulped, but remained calm nonetheless. "S-Sure, I have no problem... of course, if you have a-" "I don't have a problem with that." Sour Sweet flinched. "In fact, I'd be delighted to have you over." Sour Sweet winced, and clutched her chest as she sweated bullets. "Can you come at 4 PM?" "S-Sure... yeah, I... I can-" "Great, see you then." "W-Wait, Su-!" *click* And with that single sound, a dozen shivers went down Sour Sweet's spine, now expecting the worst. She's going to break up with me, isn't she? The next day, Sour Sweet was on her way to Sugarcoat's house a little bit over ten minutes before the planned 4 PM time slot. It did take a little while to go from her house to Sugarcoat's after all, if she had left any later, she probably would've arrived late. Then again, it's not like Sour Sweet was eager to go. Great, first I snap at the girl I love, and now I'm more than likely going to get an earful from her once I go to her house, if she doesn't break up with me right then and there. Sour Sweet stopped by a fountain and took a deep breath. Who's going to help me now? "Sour Sweet!" Sour Sweet flinched and turned around, instantly seeing a familiar figure approaching her in the distance: Suri Polomare, who waved her hand with a cheerful smile. "Suri?" "Sour Sweet! What a coincidence to-" Suri tripped on a rock, and wobbled forward towards Sour Sweet, who tried to stand her ground as Suri got closer and closer... only for her to slow down bit by bit until she only lightly nudged her in the shoulder. This was still enough to send her flying into the fountain. "Oh my gosh, sorry, Sour!" "I already told you, I prefer to be called "Sweet," Sour Sweet said as she got off the fountain, with Suri's help, and shook off the water like a dog. "Anyway, what do you want?" Suri blocked the water and dusted herself. "W-Well, I noticed you looked rather sad, and not in an angry way like yesterday," Suri clasped her hands. "And I thought that, well, maybe you'd like someone to talk to about it-" Sour Sweet stomped to Suri, until the girls were face-to-face. "And who asked you to put your nose in my private life!?" "Nobody! Nobody did!" Suri screamed. "I-I-I just wanted to help a classmate!" Seeing how scared Suri was reminded Sour Sweet of how surprised and shocked Sugarcoat was when she snapped at her, so she took a deep breath and scratched the back of her head. "If I tell you about it, do you promise not to tell any of our classmates?" Suri smiled, did the "my lips are sealed" gesture, and nearly threw the air key away before Sour Sweet grabbed her hand and opened her free palm. "Give me the key." "S-Sweet, it's not an actual key-" "I'm not taking any chances! Give me the key!" Suri dropped the air key on Sour Sweet's palm, and she saved it on her real pocket as she released Suri, then explained herself. "Listen, yesterday I was really angry because of a rumor I heard about there being a surprise pop quiz once every week from now on, and the idea of my perfect record being tainted by something beyond my control just made me boil with fury!" Sour Sweet grabbed her arm and lowered her head. "A fury that blinded me so much I yelled at so many people that didn't deserve it: Miss Cadence, you-" "I'm used to it, really," Suri frowned. "Prim Hemline has some pretty high standards." "And worst of all, I yelled at Sugarcoat too, who's only crime was to try see if I was doing okay," Sour Sweet put her hands on her cheeks. "And I know Sugarcoat seems like a girl who could take a lot without flinching, but she's still just a girl. One can only imagine how scared she was when I snapped at her like that." "And since you're going to go study with her today, you're worried that this "Study date" is going to turn for the worse?" Sour Sweet lowered her eyelids, and nodded twice. Suri, for ther part, smiled and reached for her pocket. "You know, every time I make Coco upset, an apology gift with some words usually cheers her up." Suri took out some dollars and extended them to Sour Sweet. "Maybe you could give Sugarcoat a gift and see if she likes it?" Sour Sweet's eyes widened upon seeing the money, and she reached for them for a moment before she paused, glared at Suri, and folded her arms with a stern look. "Nice try, Suri, but I know what you're trying to do: once you give me this money and I fail to pay you back when you ask for it later, you'll force me to do you a favor in order to pay my debt to you. Well, it might've worked before, but that's not going to work today!" Suri, in returned, scowled. "Sour Sweet, this is your relationship with Sugarcoat we're talking about! I may do some shady stuff sometimes, but even I wouldn't take advantage of a girl who snapped at her girlfriend just to get a favor from them later." Suri forcefully handed Sour Sweet the money. "I'm giving you this money with the purpose to help your relationship sta afloat, so take it and use it to do just that!" With the money now in hand, Sour Sweet clenched her fist as sighed. "Even if you give me this money with no strings attached, what am I supposed to use it for? Sugarcoat doesn't really like jewelry or clothing since she gets that in every single one of her birthdays." "Well, buy something you can both enjoy," Suri shrugged. "Maybe then, the feeling of just having a good time together will help you make amends." Sour Sweet smiled. "That could actually work." Then, she turned to a nearby confectionery. "And I know exactly what to buy." Sugarcoat sat on her living room's couch, looking at her watch as she waited for Sour Sweet's arrival. Both this, and the ticking of the clock in the living room, did nothing to calm her down as it had already been ten minutes past their established date. Sour Sweet doesn't usually take this long. Sugarcoat looked at the ceiling. Maybe she got caught up with something and that's why she's taking longer to arrive? I mean, I don't think she just forgot about our study date, did she? And then, she heard the door being knocked. Sugarcoat got off the couch, walked to it, and opened the door to find Sour Sweet outside, holding a box of donuts. "Sour Sweet, you came!" "Of course I did, I wouldn't forget our study date like it was nothing," Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. "I just got caught up talking with Suri, and she gave me some money to buy you something, so I went to a confectionery and bought us some donuts." Sugarcoat's smile turned into a frown. "Suri gave you some money? She wasn't trying to trick you into owing her a favor, right?" "I thought she was trying to do that, too, but once I threw the accusation at her face, she told me she just wanted to do something nice for once." Sour Sweet walked to the couch, sat down, and put the box on the table. "Anyway, now that we're here, how about we start our study date?" Sugarcoat raised an amused eyebrow. "Study date?" "Well, yeah, we agreed to go at your house, we're going to be studying for a while, I brought some sweets." Sour Sweet paused to process what she said, then asked with a concerned tone. "D-Did I get the wrong idea?" Sugarcoat thought about it as she walked to and sat next to Sour Sweet, who clasped her hands and frowned as she expected Sugar's undoubtedly blunt answer. Then, Sugarcoat smiled and responded. "No, you're right, this is a study date-" Which summoned Sour Sweet's sourer side. "Don't mess with me like that, dang it! You honestly scared me for a second there!" Sugarcoat let out a little chuckle, which somehow managed to calm down Sour Sweet back into a neutral state. "Anyway," Sugarcoat opened the box. "How about we take some donuts and begin studying." Sour Sweet, sensing that things were going well so far, smiled and nodded. "Sure, let's do that." Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet were starting their study session, the former preparing the sheets containing the problems for the session, while the latter tried balancing a pencil on her lips. "Okay, Sour Sweet, I've already compiled the papers," Sugarcoat said as she laid the papers on the table. "Are you ready to start studying?" Sour Sweet said nothing, being focused on the pencil. "Sour Sweet!" She flinched and shouted "Y-Yes!" at the top of her lungs, also causing her pencil to hit the ground. "Aw man, I was about to beat my personal record." "Sour Sweet, I asked you to come here so I could help you get prepared for the surprise pop quizzes," Sugarcoat stated, folding her arms. "The least you could do is act like you're interested in passing them, don't you think?" Sour Sweet put her arms on the table and rested her head on them. "I know, but... I just feel so dismotivated." Sugarcoat frowned, and brushed Sour Sweet's head. "If something's upsetting you, tell me about it and I'll see if I can help you." Sour Sweet slowly raised her head. "It's just not fair: we already worked so hard to get into Crystal Prep Academy, and now they're apparently trying their hardest to make us flunk it with all the complicated lessons, and the quizzes, and all that other junk!" Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow. "It's not that difficult, really." Sour Sweet slammed her fist and narrowed her eyes. "For somebody as smart as you and the rest of our classmates, of course it's not that difficult!" Her anger quickly swapped for sorrow as she continued. "But for somebody like me... it's like they're telling me to just, give up and look somewhere else." Sugarcoat's eyes widened, and she narrowed them as she grabbed Sour Sweet's cheeks, and made her look at her right in the eyes. "Don't you ever say that about yourself, ever again. I'll admit, the quizzes and all that other stuff is going to be pretty hard for somebody who isn't smart or a genius, but you have something that nobody else does: you have me, a smart person that's willing to help you pass these ridiculous tests!" Sour Sweet's eyes shined with hope. "Sugarcoat..." Sugarcoat returned the shine with a hopeful smile. "I promise you, one way or another, we'll work this out together." "Sugarcoat... Sugarcoat..." "Sugarcoat!" Sugarcoat blinked twice before she finally returned to reality, seeing that she and Sour Sweet were not just starting their study session, but were actually nearly done, both with the practice and the donuts. Guess time flies when you're having fun inside a fantasy. Unfortunately, Sour Sweet was decidedly not having fun. "I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minues! This is the last problem I need you to check, so please don't leave me hanging!" Sugarcoat blinked one more time, then shook her head, adjusting her glasses as she grabbed the sheet. "R-Right, sorry. Give me a moment." "Please don't space out again." Sugarcoat grabbed a donut as she mentally checked the problem done by Sour Sweet, all while she kept a sharp looking at her bespectacled girlfriend. It didn't take long for Sugarcoat to finish the examination, although unlike the usual reason, it wasn't because everything was wrong. In fact, everything was... "Correct." Sour Sweet smiled, lifted her arms victoriously, and stretched as she leaned back. "Oh, thank goodness, that'll certainly get a weight off my shoulders!" "Thanks a lot for helping me study, Sugarco-" "Please stop calling me that." Sour Sweet flinched as Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "I've been thinking about it for a while: if we're really going to be girlfriends, we should make up a pet name for each other, don't you think? Even if we don't use them in public, we should at least use them while we're by ourselves." Sour Sweet scratched her chin. "I see where you're coming from. So, what should I call you?" Sugarcoat smiled. "Split my name in half." "Sugar Coat." "Now take the first part of each half." "Su Co." Sugarcoat lightly chuckled. "Okay, let's try something else: just take the first two letters." "SC... sounds like Susie. Or Suzy? "Either way." Sugarcoat rested her chin on her palm. "I'd like it if you called me that." Sour Sweet didn't take long to realize Sugarcoat wasn't just saying that, but she was requesting her to call her that. So, since this was going to be something they were going to from now on, Sour Sweet took a deep breath, gathered the strength to start the trend... and meekly spoke. "Susie." Sugarcoat smiled widely, nearly ear-to-ear, as she blushed and let out a little giggle, immediately sending Sour Sweet's heart aflutter. "O-Okay, I called you by your pet name, so now it's your turn!" Sour Sweet exclaimed, blushing as well. "What pet name are you gonna give me?" Sugarcoat didn't hesitate. "Sourpuss." "Denied!" a furious Sour Sweet pointed at Sugarcoat. "Try again!" Sugarcoat let out a couple chuckles before she calmed down, and adjusting her glasses once again, she spoke with a sultry tone: "Sweetheart." Sour Sweet's blushing intensified. "C-Could you please say it without that tone again?" Sour Sweet looked elsewhere and clutched her chest. "It makes me feel... weird." Sugarcoat tilted her head. "Sweetheart." Sour Sweet smiled and turned back to her girlfriend. "Much better." What followed was a small bit of silence between the pair as Sugarcoat looked at Sour Sweet with a little smile, and Sour Sweet grabbed her arm and tried to keep her eye contact focused on Sugarcoat, thinking this was the perfect time to talk about... what happened earlier. "S-So... u-um... Sugarcoat, I... I'd like to-" "Sour Sweet?" She shut her trap, a dozen chills going up her spine this time. "Y-Yes, Sugarcoat?" Sugarcoat played with her hair and looked elsewhere for a moment. "Look, there's something I want to talk to you about, but I feel like this place isn't... personal enough to do it." Sugarcoat smiled and blushed a little. "So, would you mind going with me somewhere?" Oh no! Not the cute face! Anything but the cute face! You know I can't say no to that face! Sour Sweet smiled nervously. "I-I wouldn't mind, but-" Sugarcoat chirped up, ran up to Sour Sweet, and grabbed her hand before she dragged her out of the house, Sour Sweet only being able to ponder to herself: Where is she taking me? Coated in SugarSour Sweet and Sugarcoat continued to run around the city, the latter sporting a wide smile while the former tried her hardest to keep up with her. After all, if she got stuck even once while Sugarcoat was still running, Sour Sweet was gonna be dragged across the floor. "S-S-Sugarcoat, wait! Please, hear me out!" Sour Sweet called, grabbing Sugarcoat's hand with both her hands. "I-I can follow you just fine by myself, j-just please, tell me where we're going!" "Trust me, it'll speak for itself when we get there!" Sour Sweet would've liked a more conclusive answer, but oh well, what could she do? The pair kept running for a while until they arrived at a fountain. And this time, Sour Sweet didn't somehow get pushed into it. That was a plus, anyway. "And here we are," Sugarcoat said as she released "Sorry that I had to drag you here before telling you where we were going." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes and rubbed her hand. "Oh no, don't worry, it's okay; you just nearly ripped my hand off!" Then she looked around, and failed to get even the slightest hint of where they were. "Anyway, where are we?" "We're at the city plaza," Sugarcoat answered, her smile slowly faltering. "Don't you remember this place?" Sour Sweet, noticing Sugarcoat slowly getting upset, took a deep breath and frowned. "Sorry, my hand hurts so much from being pulled around, and you just grabbed it and ran so suddenly, that I'm still trying to recover from the shock. H-However, the plaza, it's special to you right? Surely that has to be for a reason." Sour Sweet took a couple steps forward. "Let me take a look around, maybe I'll find something that'll refresh my-" Suddenly, Sour Sweet felt a sharp pain in her legs before she collapsed, prompting Sugarcoat to run to her, grab her shoulder and lift her. "Sour Sweet, are you okay?!" "Y-Yeah, I think my legs just gave in since we were running so fast." Sugarcoat helped Sour Sweet sit on a bench. "I forgot your legs aren't anywhere near as strong or as durable as mine." "And I want to sue magic for that! I mean clearly, the nerdy one of us should have the bad stamina, not the girl with attitude!" "Then I'll act as magic's defendant to keep the blatant privilege they've gifted me!" They girls paused for a second, before their cheeks puffed up and they laughed out loud, their laughter slowing down as Sugarcoat sat next to Sour Sweet. "Now, try to look around this place for a moment," Sugarcoat said as she brushed Sour Sweet's head. "Are you remembering yet?" Sour Sweet looked around for a moment... and then, she suddenly remembered. "This is...!" Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat stood in front of the fountain, the evening sun illuminating their surroundings and giving everything a glowing shade of orange. Sour Sweet placed her arms behind her back and looked elsewhere, blushing a little as she tried to think of what to say. Sugarcoat? She was as stoic as ever. "S-So... S-Sugarcoat, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now." Sour Sweet put her hand on her chest. "It's something that's been in my heart for a while now, and which developed before I had even noticed." Sour Sweet clutched her chest. "Even now, I don't know when did this feeling developed, but... what I'm trying to say is..." Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow as Sour Sweet hesitated, her blushing intensifying until she finally spoke: "I... I like you..." Sugarcoat's eyes widened. "Would you go out with me?" Sour Sweet closed her eyes and clutched her chest even tighter, expecting Sugarcoat's answer any minute now. It could be a rejection, it could be an agreement to date, whatever came next, Sour Sweet had already gone past the point of no return. "That's it?" Sour Sweet flinched and looked at the confused Sugarcoat. "I like you too, we're friends after all, but did you have to call me here to tell me that?" Sour Sweet blinked twice. "N-No, I don't mean that I like you as a friend." "Then what do you mean?" Sugarcoat folded her arms. "Just because I'm pretty blunt myself doesn't mean I can get the message right away: I need you to be blunt with me too." "Yeah, I figured you wouldn't get it," Sour Sweet took a deep breath. "Sugarcoat... I like you, as in, like-like you." "I said be blunt, not redundant." Sour Sweet narrowed her eyes. "I like you as something more than a friend." "And now you're being vague." Sour Sweet clenched her fists and stomped the ground. "I love you!" Sugarcoat paused to process this revelation... and responded with the same stoic tone as before. "Could you be a little bit more specific-?" Sour Sweet finally snapped. "Ugh, how much more blunt can I get?! I just said I loved you! Not as a friend, not as something more than a friend, as a love interest! As a significant other! As someone I want to spend with every day, and possibly the rest of my life, together!" Sour Sweet got up close with Sugarcoat's face. "How much more blunt do I need to be for you to get it?!" Sugarcoat chuckled, startling Sour Sweet. "You don't have to be blunt: I got it the first time." ... "W-What?" "Yeah, I understood what you meant when you said you liked me," Sugarcoat smiled. "I just wanted to play a little with you before I gave you my actual answer." Sour Sweet's rage turned into concern as she took a step back. "W-Which is?" Sugarcoat grabbed Sour Sweet's chin, pulled her a little bit closer, and with their eyes locked in a stare, she answered with her usual bluntness. "I wouldn't mind giving it a shot." Sour Sweet lowered her eyelids and smiled. "S-So... you're okay with me?" Sugarcoat smiled, and silently edged her and Sour Sweet's close together... and kissed. "Yup, this is the place where you asked me out, and our relationship blossomed," Sugarcoat said as she looked at the sky with a cheerful smile. "Ever since then, I often come back to visit this place when things between us can get a little heated. Or just to have a trip through memory lane." Sour Sweet remained silent as Sugarcoat stood up and took a couple steps forward. "Anyway, about the thing I wanted to talk to you about-" *sniff* "Please..." Sugarcoat flinched and turned around, finding out that Sour Sweet not only stood up with her legs trembling, but was shedding tears in the process. "Don't do this to me... do anything else, but..." Sour Sweet covered her face with her hands and dropped to her knees. "Anything but this... anything but this, please..." Sugarcoat immediately ran up to Sour Sweet and crouched down. "Sour Sweet! What's wrong this?!" Sour Sweet lowered her head. "I-It's just *sniff* I just *sniff* I didn't think *sniff* you'd *sniff* be so mad *sniff* as to make me *sniff* remember what I *sniff* how our relationship began..." Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow, but quickly went back to looking concerned for her girlfriend. "What are you talking about?" "I-I know I *sniff* I did a bad thing by *sniff* snapping at you at the school *sniff* and I *sniff* a-and I-" "Sour Sweet, calm down," Sugarcoat said, putting her arm around Sour Sweet's shoulder. "What I want to tell you isn't related to how you snapped at me at the school!" Hearing that, Sour Sweet's mind slowly processed what the bespectacled girl had said, her tears and sobbing slowing down to almost a halt as she lifted her head and looked at Sugarcoat, immediately spotting her concer for her. "B-But... I snapped at you... when you were just trying to see if... if I was feeling okay..." Sour Sweet lowered her eyelids. "Aren't you angry about that?" "Well, I'm not really used to such extreme mood swings from you, so I'm still a little shaken," Sugarcoat scratched her back of her head. "But getting angry at you? I've seen how some people have reacted after those pop quizzes, and trust me, you're not even among the top five worst breakdowns." Sour Sweet blinked twice. "S-Sugarcoat-" Sugarcoat put both her hands on Sour Sweet's shoulders. "What I wanted to tell you, was to remember what I told you when we did start going out at first: We'll both have our backs when times get tough, and we'll be there for each other, no matter what." Sour Sweet started crying again. "So if you're feeling pretty angry or upset, or whatever over something, just remember you have me by your side. Granted, there's quite a lot of things I won't be able to help you with-" Sour Sweet narrowed her eyes. "Don't ruin the moment, please." Sugarcoat giggled. "But the point is, remember you can count on me." Sour Sweet smiled, and shed some tears as Sugarcoat embraced her in a hug, patting her back as off in the distance, Suri Polomare watched the duo from a cafe, sipping her drink with a smile on her face. The next day at school... felt kinda weird. And not just because of how both Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat noted how things seemed to have resolved a little bit too easily. No, the weirder thing was that, while there was a surprise pop quiz as expected, it somehow felt less demanding than the previous ones before. Indeed, Sour Sweet managed to be the second student to complete the quiz, after Suri and Sugarcoat, of course. She didn't expect to get anything more than a B, but it was infinitely better than getting a -F grade. Up to this day, nobody knows how that was even a thing. Regardless, once the bell rang and everybody walked out, Sour Sweet was approached by Suri. "Are you feeling okay, Sour Sweet?" Sour Sweet blinked twice. "Why do you ask?" "You were pretty calm the entire class: even when the pop quiz appeared, you didn't do much more than groan in frustration," Suri answered, scratching her cheek. "It's certainly calmer than when you threw your desk over the window last time." "I still hope that cat's okay," Sour Sweet bemoaned. "But yeah, I see what you mean: I just can't angry as before, knowing there's something I can count on." Suri raised an eyebrow, but soon got what Sour Sweet meant when the duo reached her locker, and found Sugarcoat standing nearby, sporting a little smile. Sour Sweet returned the smile, and Suri glanced at the duo. "I'll, uh, go see if Trenderhoof wants to walk back home." Suri ran out of view, jumping and clapping in the air as she did, leaving the girls to walk closer to each other, eyes interlocked and cheeks blushing as red as tomatos. "Hello, Susie." "Hello, sweetie." Author's Note And this marks the ending of my first venture on Drama and Romance, as well as what I think might be the first original pairing I try out: Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet. What would the ship name be called? Sourcoat? Sugarsweet? Sour Sugar? Sweet Sugar? Whatever the case, this was certainly something interesting to try out. I hope you guys enjoyed this little story. Draxonos135, flying out.
Sourer Than Usual*BANG* The door to the classroom was kicked open by none other than Sour Sweet, who stomped into the classroom and walked up to her locker, which she loudly opened as a certain someone approached her. This someone was none other than Sugarcoat, who got a slightly less upset look from Sour Sweet. "What do you want this time, Sugarcoat?" "I couldn't help but get worried about you," Sugarcoat answered in her usual deadpan tone. "Call it intuition, but you kicking the door open and your notable glare might have also given me the idea." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes, saved her stuff, closed her locker and began to walk back home. "Whatever, if you have something to ask, just shoot the question. I'm not in the mood to be messed with." Sugarcoat clutched a book close to her chest, and asked with a little smile. "Did you study for next week's exam?" Sour Sweet stopped right on her tracks, eyes opening as wide as plates. "Would you like to study together?" Sour Sweet's shocked look contorted into a frown, and she stomped her way to a pillar, where she held her hands at it before she slammed her head against it repeatedly, leaving more and more cracks behind. By the time she finished, the pillar looked like it was about to collapse, but her face didn't show any significant damage once she turned "Yes, that would be lovely! I'd love nothing more than to study for something that could come out of nowhere, and mess up my day in one single sitting! I'd love to study with you, but before we do that, is there anything else you want to say?!" Sugarcoat held back her shivers. "Y-You're supposed to knock the door, S-Sour Sweet, not the pillar." Sour Sweet rubbed her forehead. "Tell me something I don't know!" Sugarcoat frowned. "Y-You're supposed to use your hand, not your head?" Too angry to reply back, Sour Sweet threw her hands in the air and walked out, leaving Sugarcoat to collapse and take a deep breath, finally relaxing from the opressive atmosphere. And as if that wasn't enough, a certain Suri Polomare watched from the door Sour Sweet kicked open, sporting a concerned look for Sugarcoat... Suri grabbed a tray of food and a drink and walked to her table, her concerned expression still visible on her face. Oh man, Sour Sweet must've been at her angriest today. I'm amazed the teacher was able to give her class with her imposing aura tainting the classroom's atmosphere. Suri took a deep breath. But I'm more concerned for poor Sugarcoat. Sour Sweet's supposed to be her girlfriend, and yet, she snapped at her like that, not even bothering to adopt a nicer tone to talk to her. I can only imagine how she's holding up after all that... And then, as if on cue, Suri spotted Sugarcoat sitting on her table, the girl also noticing Suri walking towards her, and engaging in a little stare between the two. However, while Suri put up a nervous smile and continued to walk, Sugarcoat quickly went back to her book, and acted like she hadn't seen Suri. "Hello, Sugarcoat," Suri greeted as she sat down. Sugarcoat briefly glanced at Suri, before she went back to her book. "Hi." ... ... ... "So, uh," Suri scratched the back of her head. "What a nice weather we're having, right?" Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's such a lovely weather, especially the part about Sour Sweet being at her sourest yet." "Right, that was actually something I wanted to talk to you about!" Suri grabbed her soda. "You and Sour Sweet are friends, right?" Suri took a sip of her drink as Sugarcoat bluntly answered. "We're girlfriends, yes." Suri spat out her drink and coughed, Sugarcoat putting a little effort in helping Suri catch her breath. "I... uh, I uh... sorry about that," Suri took a couple more breaths. "I just-I just didn't think that was something you'd admit so sloudly and so casually." Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with that?" "Oh no no, not at all, don't get me wrong. I just thought you might... um, try to be a bit more discrete or subtle about it." Sugarcoat blinked once. "Suri, you do know who I am, right?" "Yeah, on second thought, you not being blunt about something doesn't sound like something you'd do," Suri took another sip of her drink. "Anyway, do you have any idea why Sour Sweet has been so... well, sour, lately?" Sugarcoat sighed. "I can't give you much of an answer. The only thing I know is that she started acting like this ever since the surprise pop quizzes last week." "Right, those ones caught practically everybody off-guard," "In fact, I think most of the classroom failed those quizzes, too..." Then, Suri got an idea. "Do you think she's been so sour because she thinks she failed all those quizzes?" "Well, Sour Sweetie's never been one who takes failure lightly," Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. "Then again, when you fail something you couldn't even see coming, who wouldn't be upset?" "True, but Sour Sweet's anger seems to be far too extreme for it, don't you think?" Suri smiled sheepishly. "Could you please do something about her little anger? I mean, she's your girlfriend after all." Upon hearing that, Sugarcoat's eyes widened, seemingly realizing something important, which made her close her book and stand up. "D-Did I say something insensitive?" Suri asked. "No, you didn't say anything insensitivie, Suri," Sugarcoat answered with a smile. "If anything, I think you've reminded me of something I wasn't taking into account." With that said, Sugarcoat grabbed her book and left the food court, leaving Suri to eat her food in peace. Confused, concerned peace. Sugarcoat was in her bedroom, laying on her bed as she marked Sour Sweet's house number on her phone, a single thought crossing her mind. If Sour Sweet is going to act sourer than usual, I might as well find out more about it. Once marked, Sugarcoat held her phone close to her ear as she waited for her girlfriend to hopefully respond... "Who is it?" Sugarcoat smiled. "Sour Sweet, it's me, Sugarcoat." The other line remained silent for a few minutes before Sour Sweet answered once again. "R-Right, you asked me if I wanted to study with you, right?" "Yeah, but we never really agreed on who should go to who's house," Sugarcoat played with her hair. "So, if you don't mind, would you like to go to my house?" Again, a silence came and went. "S-Sure, I have no problem... of course, if you have a-" "I don't have a problem with that. In fact, I'd be delighted to have you over. Can you come at 4 PM?" "S-Sure... yeah, I... I can-" "Great, see you then." "W-Wait, Su-!" *click* Sugarcoat dropped her phone and took a deep breath. I don't know what's upsetting you so much Sour Sweet, but whatever it is... Sugarcoat narrowed her eyes with determination. I'm going to help you with it.
Sweeter Than ExpectedAt Sour Sweet's bedroom, the girl sat on her bed and took a deep breath as she calmed herself down, trying to go back to her usual state of in-between sweet, and sour, just like her name implied. She put a hand close to her chest with one final breath... then clutched it tightly. "What have I done?!" Sour Sweet leaned back and pulled her hair. "Of all the people I could've snapped at today, why did it have to be Sugarcoat?! She was just trying to see if I was feeling alright, and I up and shout at her face like that!" Sour Sweet kicked the air as she covered her eyes with her hands. "I don't even know how I'm supposed to make it up for her, if I can even do that!" Sour Sweet planted her face on her pillow, but just as she continued to bemoan what would certainly worry her for the remainder of the day, her phone rang. Nevertheless, the longer she kept it ringing, the more annoying it'd get, so Sour Sweet grabbed it, took it close to her ear, and took her face out of the pillow to answer clearly. "Who is it?" "Sour Sweet, it's me, Sugarcoat." A thousand chills went down Sour Sweet's spine as her face slowly turned blue. Sugarcoat? So early? She's calling me this early? Why? I mean, I was expecting her to call me eventually, but not this early! Sour Sweet bit her lips as her mind began shooting disturbing ideas at her. Again. Does she want to break up with me? She wants to break up with me, doesn't she?! And even if she doesn't want to break up, she wants to talk about me snapping at her, certainly! What am I supposed to tell her then?! "Oh hey, Sugarcoat, I'm sorry for shouting at you like that, I was having a bad day," what kind of excuse is that!? Sour Sweet shook her head. N-No, don't lose your head yet, Sour Sweet! M-Maybe she just wants to talk, right? Then, Sour Sweet finally remembered. M-Maybe... she wants to talk about our study date? "R-Right, you asked me if I wanted to study with you, right?" "Yeah, but we never really agreed on who should go to who's house. So, if you don't mind, would you like to go to my house?" Sour Sweet gulped, but remained calm nonetheless. "S-Sure, I have no problem... of course, if you have a-" "I don't have a problem with that." Sour Sweet flinched. "In fact, I'd be delighted to have you over." Sour Sweet winced, and clutched her chest as she sweated bullets. "Can you come at 4 PM?" "S-Sure... yeah, I... I can-" "Great, see you then." "W-Wait, Su-!" *click* And with that single sound, a dozen shivers went down Sour Sweet's spine, now expecting the worst. She's going to break up with me, isn't she? The next day, Sour Sweet was on her way to Sugarcoat's house a little bit over ten minutes before the planned 4 PM time slot. It did take a little while to go from her house to Sugarcoat's after all, if she had left any later, she probably would've arrived late. Then again, it's not like Sour Sweet was eager to go. Great, first I snap at the girl I love, and now I'm more than likely going to get an earful from her once I go to her house, if she doesn't break up with me right then and there. Sour Sweet stopped by a fountain and took a deep breath. Who's going to help me now? "Sour Sweet!" Sour Sweet flinched and turned around, instantly seeing a familiar figure approaching her in the distance: Suri Polomare, who waved her hand with a cheerful smile. "Suri?" "Sour Sweet! What a coincidence to-" Suri tripped on a rock, and wobbled forward towards Sour Sweet, who tried to stand her ground as Suri got closer and closer... only for her to slow down bit by bit until she only lightly nudged her in the shoulder. This was still enough to send her flying into the fountain. "Oh my gosh, sorry, Sour!" "I already told you, I prefer to be called "Sweet," Sour Sweet said as she got off the fountain, with Suri's help, and shook off the water like a dog. "Anyway, what do you want?" Suri blocked the water and dusted herself. "W-Well, I noticed you looked rather sad, and not in an angry way like yesterday," Suri clasped her hands. "And I thought that, well, maybe you'd like someone to talk to about it-" Sour Sweet stomped to Suri, until the girls were face-to-face. "And who asked you to put your nose in my private life!?" "Nobody! Nobody did!" Suri screamed. "I-I-I just wanted to help a classmate!" Seeing how scared Suri was reminded Sour Sweet of how surprised and shocked Sugarcoat was when she snapped at her, so she took a deep breath and scratched the back of her head. "If I tell you about it, do you promise not to tell any of our classmates?" Suri smiled, did the "my lips are sealed" gesture, and nearly threw the air key away before Sour Sweet grabbed her hand and opened her free palm. "Give me the key." "S-Sweet, it's not an actual key-" "I'm not taking any chances! Give me the key!" Suri dropped the air key on Sour Sweet's palm, and she saved it on her real pocket as she released Suri, then explained herself. "Listen, yesterday I was really angry because of a rumor I heard about there being a surprise pop quiz once every week from now on, and the idea of my perfect record being tainted by something beyond my control just made me boil with fury!" Sour Sweet grabbed her arm and lowered her head. "A fury that blinded me so much I yelled at so many people that didn't deserve it: Miss Cadence, you-" "I'm used to it, really," Suri frowned. "Prim Hemline has some pretty high standards." "And worst of all, I yelled at Sugarcoat too, who's only crime was to try see if I was doing okay," Sour Sweet put her hands on her cheeks. "And I know Sugarcoat seems like a girl who could take a lot without flinching, but she's still just a girl. One can only imagine how scared she was when I snapped at her like that." "And since you're going to go study with her today, you're worried that this "Study date" is going to turn for the worse?" Sour Sweet lowered her eyelids, and nodded twice. Suri, for ther part, smiled and reached for her pocket. "You know, every time I make Coco upset, an apology gift with some words usually cheers her up." Suri took out some dollars and extended them to Sour Sweet. "Maybe you could give Sugarcoat a gift and see if she likes it?" Sour Sweet's eyes widened upon seeing the money, and she reached for them for a moment before she paused, glared at Suri, and folded her arms with a stern look. "Nice try, Suri, but I know what you're trying to do: once you give me this money and I fail to pay you back when you ask for it later, you'll force me to do you a favor in order to pay my debt to you. Well, it might've worked before, but that's not going to work today!" Suri, in returned, scowled. "Sour Sweet, this is your relationship with Sugarcoat we're talking about! I may do some shady stuff sometimes, but even I wouldn't take advantage of a girl who snapped at her girlfriend just to get a favor from them later." Suri forcefully handed Sour Sweet the money. "I'm giving you this money with the purpose to help your relationship sta afloat, so take it and use it to do just that!" With the money now in hand, Sour Sweet clenched her fist as sighed. "Even if you give me this money with no strings attached, what am I supposed to use it for? Sugarcoat doesn't really like jewelry or clothing since she gets that in every single one of her birthdays." "Well, buy something you can both enjoy," Suri shrugged. "Maybe then, the feeling of just having a good time together will help you make amends." Sour Sweet smiled. "That could actually work." Then, she turned to a nearby confectionery. "And I know exactly what to buy." Sugarcoat sat on her living room's couch, looking at her watch as she waited for Sour Sweet's arrival. Both this, and the ticking of the clock in the living room, did nothing to calm her down as it had already been ten minutes past their established date. Sour Sweet doesn't usually take this long. Sugarcoat looked at the ceiling. Maybe she got caught up with something and that's why she's taking longer to arrive? I mean, I don't think she just forgot about our study date, did she? And then, she heard the door being knocked. Sugarcoat got off the couch, walked to it, and opened the door to find Sour Sweet outside, holding a box of donuts. "Sour Sweet, you came!" "Of course I did, I wouldn't forget our study date like it was nothing," Sour Sweet rolled her eyes. "I just got caught up talking with Suri, and she gave me some money to buy you something, so I went to a confectionery and bought us some donuts." Sugarcoat's smile turned into a frown. "Suri gave you some money? She wasn't trying to trick you into owing her a favor, right?" "I thought she was trying to do that, too, but once I threw the accusation at her face, she told me she just wanted to do something nice for once." Sour Sweet walked to the couch, sat down, and put the box on the table. "Anyway, now that we're here, how about we start our study date?" Sugarcoat raised an amused eyebrow. "Study date?" "Well, yeah, we agreed to go at your house, we're going to be studying for a while, I brought some sweets." Sour Sweet paused to process what she said, then asked with a concerned tone. "D-Did I get the wrong idea?" Sugarcoat thought about it as she walked to and sat next to Sour Sweet, who clasped her hands and frowned as she expected Sugar's undoubtedly blunt answer. Then, Sugarcoat smiled and responded. "No, you're right, this is a study date-" Which summoned Sour Sweet's sourer side. "Don't mess with me like that, dang it! You honestly scared me for a second there!" Sugarcoat let out a little chuckle, which somehow managed to calm down Sour Sweet back into a neutral state. "Anyway," Sugarcoat opened the box. "How about we take some donuts and begin studying." Sour Sweet, sensing that things were going well so far, smiled and nodded. "Sure, let's do that." Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet were starting their study session, the former preparing the sheets containing the problems for the session, while the latter tried balancing a pencil on her lips. "Okay, Sour Sweet, I've already compiled the papers," Sugarcoat said as she laid the papers on the table. "Are you ready to start studying?" Sour Sweet said nothing, being focused on the pencil. "Sour Sweet!" She flinched and shouted "Y-Yes!" at the top of her lungs, also causing her pencil to hit the ground. "Aw man, I was about to beat my personal record." "Sour Sweet, I asked you to come here so I could help you get prepared for the surprise pop quizzes," Sugarcoat stated, folding her arms. "The least you could do is act like you're interested in passing them, don't you think?" Sour Sweet put her arms on the table and rested her head on them. "I know, but... I just feel so dismotivated." Sugarcoat frowned, and brushed Sour Sweet's head. "If something's upsetting you, tell me about it and I'll see if I can help you." Sour Sweet slowly raised her head. "It's just not fair: we already worked so hard to get into Crystal Prep Academy, and now they're apparently trying their hardest to make us flunk it with all the complicated lessons, and the quizzes, and all that other junk!" Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow. "It's not that difficult, really." Sour Sweet slammed her fist and narrowed her eyes. "For somebody as smart as you and the rest of our classmates, of course it's not that difficult!" Her anger quickly swapped for sorrow as she continued. "But for somebody like me... it's like they're telling me to just, give up and look somewhere else." Sugarcoat's eyes widened, and she narrowed them as she grabbed Sour Sweet's cheeks, and made her look at her right in the eyes. "Don't you ever say that about yourself, ever again. I'll admit, the quizzes and all that other stuff is going to be pretty hard for somebody who isn't smart or a genius, but you have something that nobody else does: you have me, a smart person that's willing to help you pass these ridiculous tests!" Sour Sweet's eyes shined with hope. "Sugarcoat..." Sugarcoat returned the shine with a hopeful smile. "I promise you, one way or another, we'll work this out together." "Sugarcoat... Sugarcoat..." "Sugarcoat!" Sugarcoat blinked twice before she finally returned to reality, seeing that she and Sour Sweet were not just starting their study session, but were actually nearly done, both with the practice and the donuts. Guess time flies when you're having fun inside a fantasy. Unfortunately, Sour Sweet was decidedly not having fun. "I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minues! This is the last problem I need you to check, so please don't leave me hanging!" Sugarcoat blinked one more time, then shook her head, adjusting her glasses as she grabbed the sheet. "R-Right, sorry. Give me a moment." "Please don't space out again." Sugarcoat grabbed a donut as she mentally checked the problem done by Sour Sweet, all while she kept a sharp looking at her bespectacled girlfriend. It didn't take long for Sugarcoat to finish the examination, although unlike the usual reason, it wasn't because everything was wrong. In fact, everything was... "Correct." Sour Sweet smiled, lifted her arms victoriously, and stretched as she leaned back. "Oh, thank goodness, that'll certainly get a weight off my shoulders!" "Thanks a lot for helping me study, Sugarco-" "Please stop calling me that." Sour Sweet flinched as Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "I've been thinking about it for a while: if we're really going to be girlfriends, we should make up a pet name for each other, don't you think? Even if we don't use them in public, we should at least use them while we're by ourselves." Sour Sweet scratched her chin. "I see where you're coming from. So, what should I call you?" Sugarcoat smiled. "Split my name in half." "Sugar Coat." "Now take the first part of each half." "Su Co." Sugarcoat lightly chuckled. "Okay, let's try something else: just take the first two letters." "SC... sounds like Susie. Or Suzy? "Either way." Sugarcoat rested her chin on her palm. "I'd like it if you called me that." Sour Sweet didn't take long to realize Sugarcoat wasn't just saying that, but she was requesting her to call her that. So, since this was going to be something they were going to from now on, Sour Sweet took a deep breath, gathered the strength to start the trend... and meekly spoke. "Susie." Sugarcoat smiled widely, nearly ear-to-ear, as she blushed and let out a little giggle, immediately sending Sour Sweet's heart aflutter. "O-Okay, I called you by your pet name, so now it's your turn!" Sour Sweet exclaimed, blushing as well. "What pet name are you gonna give me?" Sugarcoat didn't hesitate. "Sourpuss." "Denied!" a furious Sour Sweet pointed at Sugarcoat. "Try again!" Sugarcoat let out a couple chuckles before she calmed down, and adjusting her glasses once again, she spoke with a sultry tone: "Sweetheart." Sour Sweet's blushing intensified. "C-Could you please say it without that tone again?" Sour Sweet looked elsewhere and clutched her chest. "It makes me feel... weird." Sugarcoat tilted her head. "Sweetheart." Sour Sweet smiled and turned back to her girlfriend. "Much better." What followed was a small bit of silence between the pair as Sugarcoat looked at Sour Sweet with a little smile, and Sour Sweet grabbed her arm and tried to keep her eye contact focused on Sugarcoat, thinking this was the perfect time to talk about... what happened earlier. "S-So... u-um... Sugarcoat, I... I'd like to-" "Sour Sweet?" She shut her trap, a dozen chills going up her spine this time. "Y-Yes, Sugarcoat?" Sugarcoat played with her hair and looked elsewhere for a moment. "Look, there's something I want to talk to you about, but I feel like this place isn't... personal enough to do it." Sugarcoat smiled and blushed a little. "So, would you mind going with me somewhere?" Oh no! Not the cute face! Anything but the cute face! You know I can't say no to that face! Sour Sweet smiled nervously. "I-I wouldn't mind, but-" Sugarcoat chirped up, ran up to Sour Sweet, and grabbed her hand before she dragged her out of the house, Sour Sweet only being able to ponder to herself: Where is she taking me?
Coated in SugarSour Sweet and Sugarcoat continued to run around the city, the latter sporting a wide smile while the former tried her hardest to keep up with her. After all, if she got stuck even once while Sugarcoat was still running, Sour Sweet was gonna be dragged across the floor. "S-S-Sugarcoat, wait! Please, hear me out!" Sour Sweet called, grabbing Sugarcoat's hand with both her hands. "I-I can follow you just fine by myself, j-just please, tell me where we're going!" "Trust me, it'll speak for itself when we get there!" Sour Sweet would've liked a more conclusive answer, but oh well, what could she do? The pair kept running for a while until they arrived at a fountain. And this time, Sour Sweet didn't somehow get pushed into it. That was a plus, anyway. "And here we are," Sugarcoat said as she released "Sorry that I had to drag you here before telling you where we were going." Sour Sweet rolled her eyes and rubbed her hand. "Oh no, don't worry, it's okay; you just nearly ripped my hand off!" Then she looked around, and failed to get even the slightest hint of where they were. "Anyway, where are we?" "We're at the city plaza," Sugarcoat answered, her smile slowly faltering. "Don't you remember this place?" Sour Sweet, noticing Sugarcoat slowly getting upset, took a deep breath and frowned. "Sorry, my hand hurts so much from being pulled around, and you just grabbed it and ran so suddenly, that I'm still trying to recover from the shock. H-However, the plaza, it's special to you right? Surely that has to be for a reason." Sour Sweet took a couple steps forward. "Let me take a look around, maybe I'll find something that'll refresh my-" Suddenly, Sour Sweet felt a sharp pain in her legs before she collapsed, prompting Sugarcoat to run to her, grab her shoulder and lift her. "Sour Sweet, are you okay?!" "Y-Yeah, I think my legs just gave in since we were running so fast." Sugarcoat helped Sour Sweet sit on a bench. "I forgot your legs aren't anywhere near as strong or as durable as mine." "And I want to sue magic for that! I mean clearly, the nerdy one of us should have the bad stamina, not the girl with attitude!" "Then I'll act as magic's defendant to keep the blatant privilege they've gifted me!" They girls paused for a second, before their cheeks puffed up and they laughed out loud, their laughter slowing down as Sugarcoat sat next to Sour Sweet. "Now, try to look around this place for a moment," Sugarcoat said as she brushed Sour Sweet's head. "Are you remembering yet?" Sour Sweet looked around for a moment... and then, she suddenly remembered. "This is...!" Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat stood in front of the fountain, the evening sun illuminating their surroundings and giving everything a glowing shade of orange. Sour Sweet placed her arms behind her back and looked elsewhere, blushing a little as she tried to think of what to say. Sugarcoat? She was as stoic as ever. "S-So... S-Sugarcoat, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now." Sour Sweet put her hand on her chest. "It's something that's been in my heart for a while now, and which developed before I had even noticed." Sour Sweet clutched her chest. "Even now, I don't know when did this feeling developed, but... what I'm trying to say is..." Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow as Sour Sweet hesitated, her blushing intensifying until she finally spoke: "I... I like you..." Sugarcoat's eyes widened. "Would you go out with me?" Sour Sweet closed her eyes and clutched her chest even tighter, expecting Sugarcoat's answer any minute now. It could be a rejection, it could be an agreement to date, whatever came next, Sour Sweet had already gone past the point of no return. "That's it?" Sour Sweet flinched and looked at the confused Sugarcoat. "I like you too, we're friends after all, but did you have to call me here to tell me that?" Sour Sweet blinked twice. "N-No, I don't mean that I like you as a friend." "Then what do you mean?" Sugarcoat folded her arms. "Just because I'm pretty blunt myself doesn't mean I can get the message right away: I need you to be blunt with me too." "Yeah, I figured you wouldn't get it," Sour Sweet took a deep breath. "Sugarcoat... I like you, as in, like-like you." "I said be blunt, not redundant." Sour Sweet narrowed her eyes. "I like you as something more than a friend." "And now you're being vague." Sour Sweet clenched her fists and stomped the ground. "I love you!" Sugarcoat paused to process this revelation... and responded with the same stoic tone as before. "Could you be a little bit more specific-?" Sour Sweet finally snapped. "Ugh, how much more blunt can I get?! I just said I loved you! Not as a friend, not as something more than a friend, as a love interest! As a significant other! As someone I want to spend with every day, and possibly the rest of my life, together!" Sour Sweet got up close with Sugarcoat's face. "How much more blunt do I need to be for you to get it?!" Sugarcoat chuckled, startling Sour Sweet. "You don't have to be blunt: I got it the first time." ... "W-What?" "Yeah, I understood what you meant when you said you liked me," Sugarcoat smiled. "I just wanted to play a little with you before I gave you my actual answer." Sour Sweet's rage turned into concern as she took a step back. "W-Which is?" Sugarcoat grabbed Sour Sweet's chin, pulled her a little bit closer, and with their eyes locked in a stare, she answered with her usual bluntness. "I wouldn't mind giving it a shot." Sour Sweet lowered her eyelids and smiled. "S-So... you're okay with me?" Sugarcoat smiled, and silently edged her and Sour Sweet's close together... and kissed. "Yup, this is the place where you asked me out, and our relationship blossomed," Sugarcoat said as she looked at the sky with a cheerful smile. "Ever since then, I often come back to visit this place when things between us can get a little heated. Or just to have a trip through memory lane." Sour Sweet remained silent as Sugarcoat stood up and took a couple steps forward. "Anyway, about the thing I wanted to talk to you about-" *sniff* "Please..." Sugarcoat flinched and turned around, finding out that Sour Sweet not only stood up with her legs trembling, but was shedding tears in the process. "Don't do this to me... do anything else, but..." Sour Sweet covered her face with her hands and dropped to her knees. "Anything but this... anything but this, please..." Sugarcoat immediately ran up to Sour Sweet and crouched down. "Sour Sweet! What's wrong this?!" Sour Sweet lowered her head. "I-It's just *sniff* I just *sniff* I didn't think *sniff* you'd *sniff* be so mad *sniff* as to make me *sniff* remember what I *sniff* how our relationship began..." Sugarcoat raised an eyebrow, but quickly went back to looking concerned for her girlfriend. "What are you talking about?" "I-I know I *sniff* I did a bad thing by *sniff* snapping at you at the school *sniff* and I *sniff* a-and I-" "Sour Sweet, calm down," Sugarcoat said, putting her arm around Sour Sweet's shoulder. "What I want to tell you isn't related to how you snapped at me at the school!" Hearing that, Sour Sweet's mind slowly processed what the bespectacled girl had said, her tears and sobbing slowing down to almost a halt as she lifted her head and looked at Sugarcoat, immediately spotting her concer for her. "B-But... I snapped at you... when you were just trying to see if... if I was feeling okay..." Sour Sweet lowered her eyelids. "Aren't you angry about that?" "Well, I'm not really used to such extreme mood swings from you, so I'm still a little shaken," Sugarcoat scratched her back of her head. "But getting angry at you? I've seen how some people have reacted after those pop quizzes, and trust me, you're not even among the top five worst breakdowns." Sour Sweet blinked twice. "S-Sugarcoat-" Sugarcoat put both her hands on Sour Sweet's shoulders. "What I wanted to tell you, was to remember what I told you when we did start going out at first: We'll both have our backs when times get tough, and we'll be there for each other, no matter what." Sour Sweet started crying again. "So if you're feeling pretty angry or upset, or whatever over something, just remember you have me by your side. Granted, there's quite a lot of things I won't be able to help you with-" Sour Sweet narrowed her eyes. "Don't ruin the moment, please." Sugarcoat giggled. "But the point is, remember you can count on me." Sour Sweet smiled, and shed some tears as Sugarcoat embraced her in a hug, patting her back as off in the distance, Suri Polomare watched the duo from a cafe, sipping her drink with a smile on her face. The next day at school... felt kinda weird. And not just because of how both Sour Sweet and Sugarcoat noted how things seemed to have resolved a little bit too easily. No, the weirder thing was that, while there was a surprise pop quiz as expected, it somehow felt less demanding than the previous ones before. Indeed, Sour Sweet managed to be the second student to complete the quiz, after Suri and Sugarcoat, of course. She didn't expect to get anything more than a B, but it was infinitely better than getting a -F grade. Up to this day, nobody knows how that was even a thing. Regardless, once the bell rang and everybody walked out, Sour Sweet was approached by Suri. "Are you feeling okay, Sour Sweet?" Sour Sweet blinked twice. "Why do you ask?" "You were pretty calm the entire class: even when the pop quiz appeared, you didn't do much more than groan in frustration," Suri answered, scratching her cheek. "It's certainly calmer than when you threw your desk over the window last time." "I still hope that cat's okay," Sour Sweet bemoaned. "But yeah, I see what you mean: I just can't angry as before, knowing there's something I can count on." Suri raised an eyebrow, but soon got what Sour Sweet meant when the duo reached her locker, and found Sugarcoat standing nearby, sporting a little smile. Sour Sweet returned the smile, and Suri glanced at the duo. "I'll, uh, go see if Trenderhoof wants to walk back home." Suri ran out of view, jumping and clapping in the air as she did, leaving the girls to walk closer to each other, eyes interlocked and cheeks blushing as red as tomatos. "Hello, Susie." "Hello, sweetie." Author's Note And this marks the ending of my first venture on Drama and Romance, as well as what I think might be the first original pairing I try out: Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet. What would the ship name be called? Sourcoat? Sugarsweet? Sour Sugar? Sweet Sugar? Whatever the case, this was certainly something interesting to try out. I hope you guys enjoyed this little story. Draxonos135, flying out.
