Chapter Text
Spring arrived swiftly to Wuhu Island as baseball teams from all over prepared to head back to their homes. Lucía's arms sagged to the floor, the weight of her luggage an ache that ever so dutifully reminded her of it every time she moved. By the pier stood her friends, or maybe co-workers would be a better term. Underlings? Whatever. All she had to do was get ready and get out, she told herself, she'd already been humiliated enough with what went on on the island, even moreso with how she'd lost the final match - yet again - to the Stoke-on-Trent Steamers.
A groan emanated from deep in her throat just at the thought of the steamers - that newbie Pipe who somehow managed to outplay her despite having barely spent time in the game aside from the last world cup, their leader Engineroom who she was once able to ridicule without remorse who now held not one but two consecutive wins in the most prestigious baseball tournament in the world over her, and most of all Beanus.
That quiet mii who'd never spoken a word so long as she could remember, who'd been nothing more than a figure in the background with an unfortunate yet forgettable name, the smirk on his face so smug without reason she just wanted to smack him across it with her baseball bat so he'd stop. But... he was the only one to listen. To actually, genuinely listen. He didn't make a face or laugh at her frustrations, he didn't try to manipulate her after he'd gotten her wrapped around his finger (he probably hadn't even noticed), he never once laughed when she came to the realisation of why she acted the way she did.
Though she'd hate to admit it, a fondness grew within her for the strange person, how his eyes were always half-lidded without a thought behind them, how he'd burst into the sweetest smile she'd ever seen whenever he was even the slightest bit excited, her heart hammered against her chest even just thinking of his stupid face.
”Beanus, I think I love you!”
She shook the memory from her head.
Obviously, she couldn't care any less about him. Especially not when she'd just received a ping on her phone from a familiar number.
"Wh-!" Within an instant Lucía's bags hit the floor, hands scrambling to her pockets in search of- ah, there it is, her phone.
Lo and behold, in whistles and all was a voice message from Beanus; the very mii her thoughts had led her to just moments ago.
"Hey, will you still be here tomorrow? We accidentally booked ferry tickets for a week from now, and I just wanted to know if you'd want to hang out!"
Surely she looked like an absolute fool to her team right now, her mouth gaped and closed like that of a fish as she stammered endlessly to the sudden invitation. Truth be told, everyone was supposed to have gone an hour ago, but it took a while to board cause her things were a hassle to bring and her team had been threatened, no, kindly asked to wait for her before boarding.
And she couldn't give any less of a damn to quite literally drop everything she had as soon as she'd heard.
"Erm, Lucía?" came the confused voice of Ren, his glasses slipped ever so slightly off his nose as he asked. Anna and James looked at her expectantly, having had already hauled over half of her numerous boxes and luggage onboard. Marco cut in when no one dared speak up, "Are you getting on the boat or what?"
Lucía wrung her hands together, eyes darting to the side. Should she give them some excuse? She could say she'd left something back at the hotel? Or... maybe she had some important business she needed to finish?
"I'll see you guys next week okay bye!" And she shoved everyone aboard and severed the rope from the harbor. Okay, that works too.
Did she leave herself stranded on Wuhu island with nothing but the things in her pockets and the clothes on her back? Yes. Did she act like a complete and utter moron making impulsive decisions all cause some gender-ambiguous smug-looking ping-pong-playing baseballer? Also yes. But did she give herself more time to spend with him despite it all and maybe apologise for all that happened back then? Absolutely.
To Lucía, that was enough of a win to bring a smile to her face.
She crouched down by the sidewalk cradling herself and hunching over her body till her back arched like a shrimp's, flowers spilled forth without abandon. Red painted the slate beneath her feet in crimson hues. In her delirium, she almost would've called it beautiful.
Even after all that's happened, she missed him, needed him.
Pink petals clung to her clothes, her skin, her lips. Lucía couldn't bring herself to get rid of them.
It was the heavy slam of the hotel door - far louder than she thought it'd be - that brought her back to reality. She'd slipped off her shoes without another word, her pockets emptied out onto the bedside table. Her phone (beeping incessantly with messages from her team), her wallet (crying out for help after poorly-managed expenses - shouldn't have let them borrow my wallet, the sods they are, Lucía thought to herself), and the room key she luckily forgot to return when she left the hotel that morning.
All alone with no one but herself, no one would judge her if she squealed for an hour or two (or twelve).
And that she did.
"Wait, no, stop," Lucía told herself. Her face was pressed up against her pillow as she spoke muffled words, "I'm Lucía the Unvanquishable, I can't be acting like this over a silly crush!"
"I am not so childish as to stoop that low!" she said childishly as she kicked her feet back an forth and flushed at the very thought of him in a very childish manner.
Indignant as ever, she huffed at no one but herself and the air around her. Herself as ever, she quickly turned to her phone again and giggled over the message as if hearing it anew. It was silly, yes, to be this head over heels for someone, especially to have realised that almost a year ago during a table tennis match of all things, but after all the tiresome games, why not let herself be silly for once?
The snarky voice in the back of her mind would say there was barely ever a time she wasn't acting cartoonish, but she silenced that thought with the sound of the message repeated yet again.
Once night had closed in and the stars shone above in brilliant blinking polygons, Lucía's eyes slipped shut to dreams of curly brown hair and a bashful grin.
They sprouted from her endlessly, spilling forth without mercy. Entwined around her bronchi, stuck to the walls of her lungs like creeping vines. Blood watered them generously, flesh gave the nutrients they'd need, the love that nestled deep in her heart fertilized the twisting roots.
She was too far gone. She knew.
Lucía twiddled her fingers as she waited by the sidewalk. Beanus said to wait here just earlier this morning, hadn't he? Well, Pipe was being quite loud on the other end, and it was kind of hard to decipher what his whistles meant over call.
Did I not hear him right?
At the rate she was worrying herself, the nail on her thumb had whittled down to the roots.
What if he's not even coming?
Any and every worry that seemed even the slightest bit feasible came to mind one after the other, not a second left to think. Of course he couldn't be bothered to come over, why would he want to spend the last of his time on this island with her? Though it pained her to think that way, she couldn't deny how he looked so... happy... with the others. And with her-
"Mr Nobody they should call you, Mr Irrelevant!"
"Lucía?" whistled a certain someone.
Ah. So that's what it feels like to have butterflies in your stomach.
Every little anxiety that plagued her mind washed away with waves upon waves of pure warmth, cheeks flushed red - from embarrassment at her hasty thinking, obviously.
"Beanus!" A quick whack over the head came in place of greeting. "What took you so long?!"
A cool breeze pushed past the two, dappled sunlight through the canopy of trees hit Beanus in such a way he'd appeared almost angelic. He whistled apologetically, a bundle of purples and pinks came into view. Each flower curled out to her with pointed ends like blades, the deep magentas a stark contrast to pastel violets. It was in her hands before she could even blink, or maybe her thoughts had blacked out here and there. How could she not?
"Sorry to keep you waiting, I had a bit of a hard time finding where to pick these," chirped Beanus under his breath.
Lucía couldn't help but stare - at him or the flowers, she couldn't tell anymore. Despite how he'd already struck a chord in her heart, he continued. "It's sharp, yet sweet- just like you!"
That was it. That was the last straw.
Beanus grabbed her by the arm, and with the grace and gentleness only a Beanus could have, led her to the Evergreen Grove.
Evergreen Grove was a must-see among the spots on Wuhu Island, often visited by those seeking Island Fly-overs. That much was obvious with how people had pooled in left and right before they'd even arrived. But to see the sea of trees for herself, hues of green far past what could be reached by the naked eye, oak and pine climbed to the skies till the tips were far from view. Very few actually got close enough to feel the tree bark, smell the flowers, hear the critters clambering among branches. And Beanus here held her hand tight as he brought them deeper and deeper into the untouched woodlands.
Wind whistled past her and ran through her hair, their walk bringing them further past the line of trees. She couldn't quite pinpoint the moment when she couldn't see the rest of the island any longer. Birdsongs rang out into the all but quiet forest in a way almost out of a fairytale, and Lucía sure felt like she was royalty whisked away to a grand adventure.
Before she knew it, Beanus collapsed onto the cold grass, dewdrops sticking to his skin with the sweat that pooled above his brow. In quick succession, she fell too, her legs barely able to hold herself up any longer. The bouquet she'd had in hand slipped from her grip at some point, vibrant petals against pale green akin to a painting.
"Nice out here, isn't it?" Beanus heaved a heavy breath he didn't know he needed. "My dad used to take me out here to relax whenever I'd come close to beating him in a match."
Words climbed up her throat and caught on the tip of her tongue. Not a single one slipped out.
Rather, she'd resorted to an outstretched hand along the glades of thistle and thyme, clasping against Beanus's with fingers intertwined. A satisfied hum came forth.
A smile etched itself across Beanus's face at how calm Lucía was in the moment. Compared to the mii he'd met years ago always jeering with brows knotted and furrowed, she'd come a long way. She looked happier. Without much of a thought, Beanus began to whistle to himself a gentle melody. Unknowingly, to Beanus and to herself, Lucía whistled along. The song was a breath of fresh air, filling her lungs in every nook and crevice. Her heart thumped an ever-present rhythm that echoed in her ears. All the while, Beanus held her hand, the two pressed against one another like puzzle pieces snapped in place.
It wasn't much, just a day out in the forest and flowers, but it took a weight off her chest she never knew was there.
"You know, there was a time when miis would live in large communities in the mii plaza, not a care in the world if not for each other," Beanus whistled out of the blue, a butterfly resting upon his shoulder as he spoke, "as if a hand would reach down from the skies and bring us food to eat, shelter to stay, friends and family, anything and everything we could ever imagine."
Lucía choked on air. An awkward smile flashed across her face. "What's with the big talk all of a sudden?"
"Ah, it's nothing!" He shrugged. "Just used to hear stories about it when I was a kid!"
Melancholy made itself evident not too long after, though, gaze downcast. "Things just- aren't the same. Over in the plaza. Here at Wuhu Island. People haven't exactly been as... nice, for lack of a better word."
"But with you..." A hand found its way into her hair, tousling it lightly "...it's almost like the world's bright again."
A rainbow of emotion bloomed within her chest, explosive as it coursed through her veins with every gasp of air. She took a sharp breath - words formed before she could even think.
"You're my world," Lucía whispered just loud enough to be heard.
"Huh?"
Oh shit wait what.
The air went thick with tension in Lucía's mind, suffocatingly so. A shiver ran up her spine at his unresponsiveness, though she wouldn't dare let that be known.
She coughed up a laugh - hesitant hands grabbed his shoulders and attention. "Lighten up, man! I'm just messing with you!"
Still quiet as ever, Lucía wished to bang her head into a wall. But then- Beanus smiled. Beanus laughed.
"Weirdo," he finally whistled, joyful and teasingly.
Lucía chucked a fistful of grass blades at him and curled up her nose, faux scorn betrayed by the raucous snort of hers that followed.
He was just her Beanus, as he always was — lighthearted and caring and adorable as ever. And she was his Lucía.
A feeling of unease grew steadily on her way home — from where, she didn’t know. It was simply an annoying discomfort that just wouldn’t go away. She shut the door behind her with the click of a lock closed, the bouquet placed delicately upon a countertop before she unceremoniously went limp upon a kitchen chair.
It was exhilarating. It was fun. It was…
”Downright exhausting, that’s what.”
While, yes, the scenic route under the blanket of trees had been a beautiful experience, the sight of Beanus’s face illuminated by starlight just enough to make out his tired eyes and signature smirk forever making its place in her memory, it was a tiring uphill trek to get there, and a long – long – walk home. Worth it in the end, certainly, but that didn’t mean she had to be all peachy about it.
Through all that travel, Lucía was surprised she didn’t notice how winded she’d gotten. She could hardly get a breath in nor out, practically panting by her pantry with the occasional cough interrupting her as she caught her breath.
Breathe in, breathe out. Lucía played sports all her life, she should be able to handle a little walking. Yet, her breaths remained short and shallow, and no attempts made could calm her faltering lungs.
Finally, she felt it.
Something trickled up her throat in place of air, clogging her mouth with a horribly bitter taste. Out. I need it out. It was a dull ache that thrummed from her chest. It was a sharp prick as she spluttered out cough after cough. It was a lasting sting once she’s finally pushed it out of her system, left a bundle in her hands with the red that poured from her lips.
Petals. Leaves. Flowers.
Faintly through her panic she recognised what they were.
Horrified, she turned to the countertop, and surely enough there it was; innocently on marble and wood, the very same flowers that shot from her lungs, was a bouquet of clematis.