smashacademy | 12th bloom; renewal

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12th bloom; renewal

[Video feed turns on, and a face that has been somewhat absent from the school this past month greets the screen. He is astoundingly disheveled, covered in a mossy beard, long, wild hair the usual facial piercings. For some reason he's also got monk's robes on? You can probably imagine he smells pretty strong right now too. Because he does. He smells overwhelmingly of flowers.

Vinnie's still a little out of breath and maybe a bit red in the face for some reason, but he's home. And looking a good deal happier than he did when he left in December.]

Al'right, I'm pretty sure I was gone at least 5 months, so... [He glanced at the calender on the computer.] Is this right? It's still Feburary here? Shit, no wonder nothing's blooming yet.

Uh, I dunno if you got all my letters then. Well. [Pause.] S'that mean there's another one of me runnin' around in Johto right now...?

[Time travel, you were really weird. But he wasn't going to think too hard on that right now. Vinnie shrugged and smiled.] I guess I'm back. Did I miss anything important? Has everyone been okay? Red? Where is everyone? I really miss the shit out've you guys.

((ooc note: thanks to Celebi, Vinnie's been 'ported back to school! His solo logs will, however, continue in 'real time.' So if he mentions something that hasn't happened to him in the logs... chronologically, it hasn't yet.))

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[Marie could have left before Vinnie got there. He had definitely considered it. But, no. He stayed exactly where he was. Even when the door opened, Marie didn't even bother looking over. He tensed up, but he hardly moved.

It was tempting to not say anything.]

What?

[Well, he was going to walk in and close the door behind him, then. Vinnie leaned against the wall, like some aromatic punk hobo monk. He had his cellphone.]

I'm sorry I didn't get your text before I left. I'm sorry for leavin', too. I know I gotta lot t'apologize about.

[He still kept his eyes away from Vinnie. Not like he made a ton of eye contact when he wasn't upset, though...]

I don't want to talk about it right now.

[Truthfully, he didn't want to talk about it ever. But he really couldn't stand being looked at while he was... in Bulba's body. Augh.]

If it were up t'you, M, we'd never talk about it.

[Yes he knew you. He knew you. And he was having none of this. Even if it was super weird talking to... uh, Bulba's body.]

You need t'get some sun. You're gonna starve if you don't.

I don't want to go out.

[He had been feeling pretty crappy, but he attributed it to the whole heartswap thing rather than anything to do with getting sun. Even though Bulba had warned him.

He really didn't feel like getting up. He felt so incredibly heavy and terrible. Conflicting feelings about Vinnie being in his room, and generally hating life. Getting up and leaving the comfort of his dorm sounded like the most terrible idea of all time.]

[Vinnie approached Marie, but stopped at the edge of his brother's personal bubble. The worry was clear in his voice.]

M, it's not like bein' a Bulbasaur. You need a lot more sunlight once you have leaves.

I promise you'll feel better once you're outside. Please...?

[Bitch, moan, resist. That's what he wanted to do, anyway.

Marie's personal bubble might've been a smidge bigger than Vinnie remembered it being. His posture tensed even more when his brother got closer.]

... Fine. Only for a little bit.

[Ugh. Why did he feel like crying again?]

[Alas. Vinnie tried to smile in an encouraging manner as he waited for Marie to stand up and follow him. Fortunately the afternoon was still young, and there was plenty of sun to be had even with the still early sunsets of winter.]

Thanks...

[Marie sluggishly managed to peel himself away from his desk. He dragged his feet as he followed Vinnie.]

Whatever.

[He didn't feel like being thanked for anything.]

[And then they were outside. After a short walk in awkward silence that felt ten times longer than it took, Vinnie lead the heartswapped Squirtle to the grassy courtyard.

He plopped down onto the grass and suggested to Marie;]

...This really works better if you take your shirt off.

[Silently, Marie sat down next to Vinnie. He gave him a look that suggested he'd rather die before taking off his shirt.

Realizing that was the first time he had really looked at Vinnie in person since he'd been back, his expression faltered and he was clearly a little flustered.

Everything sucked.]

[Suit yourself. Being just being outside at all should help to alleviate some of the anxiety fatigue. Vinnie, however, was gonna disrobe his upper half and get some sunlight on his back.

The scars draped across his shoulders hadn't gotten any smaller with time. But he seemed more comfortable wearing them out in the open, now.

Vinnie closed his eyes and breathed out, not saying anything.]

[Admittedly, he did feel significantly less... blah. The majority of his upset feelings stuck around, though. Mostly because he actually was just upset. And he was still anxious, but that was because he was Marie.

And the inevitable happened. They hadn't even sat there for a full minute before Marie started crying.]

[It was inevitable, but it did break Vinnie's heart to hear it. If you thought it was impossible for a springtime Venusaur who hasn't bathed to smell sweeter, you were wrong. With a sympathetic sigh, he pulled Marie into his arms and hugged him. He was not going to take no hugs for an answer.

Vinnie was still quiet, though his breathing was slow and deep. Calming.]

[That was... okay. No. Actually, it was kind of exactly what he wanted in a I-don't-want-to-admit-that kind of way.

Just because he was sort of melting into Vinnie's hug didn't mean Marie had forgiven him. He was still angry, and he was still bitter, and he still didn't want to talk about it. But Vinnie smelled good and being hugged was incredibly comforting. Especially being hugged by his brother who, even through the anger, Marie had missed tremendously.

He wasn't finished crying, either. There was still that.]

[That was the thing about plants. Sometimes, you didn't need to talk. Vinnie sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the core of his self that traveled down his spine.

It took a lot of concentration the way he was now, but he could still reach out to the flora around him. They hummed at the edge of his senses, each one a unique component of harmony. And with an unseen touch, he let his heart ripple out into the sea of voices.

Bulba's flower was there too - a confused, off key belonging to a Squirtle twisted up with conflict. And in the purest way he knew how, the Venusaur spoke to him, flower to flower.

I love you. I will always love you. No matter what happens, you are a part of us.

You are loved by us and you are needed by us.

We are not whole without you. We are all one.

The effect couldn't last long with Vinnie's weakened state, but something once said could not be unheard. With an exhausted sigh, the elder saur all but collapsed against him.]

[Well, that was something that Marie hadn't quite expected. Being a part of this mysterious plant network was a side-effect of the bodyswap that Marie had resented up until that moment. He was sure he'd hate it again later, but the delivery of Vinnie's sentiment carried a particular weight to it that made Marie feel ... was there a word for it?

Marie wrapped his arms around the Venusaur instead of just letting himself be held. At some point or another, he'd let out a loud sob. He was completely overcome with what felt like every single emotion at once.

He wished he knew how to respond. But he didn't. Not entirely sure what he was apologizing for, Marie blurted out a mumbled:]

I'm sorry.

[It was an overwhelming thing, that feeling of being so dwarfed by the sea of life around you. To someone who had never felt it before, it made you feel absolutely insignificant. Lost in the crowd.

But perhaps that one moment was enough to let Marie glimpse into what Vinnie experienced, day by day. Never feeling alone, never isolated.

The Venusaur's breathing was heavier now, more laboured from the strain of exerting his floral half. But he hugged Marie back as tightly as he could manage.]

It'll be okay...

[Just a day or two ago, Bulba had insisted the same thing. It felt like it had come from the wrong person, and Marie had a difficult time accepting the good-natured comment coming from him.

When Vinnie said it, Marie... well, he sobbed. Quietly this time, but thankfully it lacked the pathetic, desperate quality of the previous one. He was comforted. For the first time in a long while, Marie wasn't angry with his brother.]

I missed you.

[He wasn't just talking about while Vinnie was away...]

I missed you too.

[Vinnie craned his head to nuzzle Marie's cheek encouragingly. He'd spent too long trying to cut himself off from everyone in pursuit of what he thought were his obligations, what he had mistakenly called strength.

Ever since his injury, the Venusaur had felt diminished in every way possible, and frightened. But trying to hide his vulnerabilities only managed to distance himself from the people who made him whole. It was agonizing. He wasn't healing.

The idea seemed outrageous, now. How could he ever have removed himself from his family?]

I'm back now. I promise I won't leave again.

[Admittedly Marie wasn't usually the type to take promises too seriously, but he'd definitely hold Vinnie to this one. His crying was starting to make him uncomfortable and embarrassed, so he opted to nod instead of say anything in return.

It was weird, he thought, how quickly his anger dissipated. But it was hard to stay mad when he was so tired of it. He had spent so much time stewing and hating recently that it was getting exhausting. It was especially hard to stay mad when all he wanted was to stay in his brother's arms for the rest of his existence.

Although it would have been ideal if he was in his own body, and if he could stop crying. Neither of those seemed to be options, though. He'd just have to settle for what he got.]

[Even in a different body, Marie's tear ducts seemed to be an infinite resource. Alas that Ivysaurs weren't as suited to water as Squirtles were. Vinnie tried to wipe the tears from the younger Saur's face with the sleeve of his robe, but it wasn't doing much to stop the tide.]

Do you want me t'get some tissues? Anythin'?

[Bringing attention to Marie's tears wasn't necessarily the best idea. He sheepishly withdrew from Vinnie, cast his eyes away from him, and attempted to wipe his own tears away.]

I'll be okay.

Al'right.

[Vinnie paused, then leaned in to give one more quick nuzzle to Marie's cheek.]

I got a new satellite phone anyway, so even if I'm not near the city, you can still text me. Just in case.

[Embarrassed as he was, Marie still leaned into Vinnie's nuzzling. He made a lame attempt at cracking a smile, but still looked away.]

Heh. Just remember to bring it with you...

12th bloom; renewal

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this tag... took me too long to write /flops

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