Work Text:
It was late right now. The moon was high in the sky, not quite full, but still providing a low light to the clearing both Taco, and Lightbulb found themselves in.
They were stargazing currently. Taco had invited her out, not liking to be cooped up in the hotel much, even with so much forgiveness, and she really just… Wanted company. So who else than one of the few who had been willing to truly give her a chance after everything?
Surely, everything turned out… Fine, but of course, the residents, the ex competitors, the only people she was created to know, and strive to want to be around, they weren’t too fond of her company. She had been narrowly accepted into a room, from a lot of convincing from both MePad, and… Microphone-- A last favor while she took time and space away from the british mexican food to heal from everything, and even though the space and distance hurt at first, she understood.
She was really trying to grow past who she was made to be. So was everyone else, currently, but she felt like she had to strive really hard for that goal. She was made to be a villain, she supposed. Made to act the way she was, but she could see the others breaking out of that set programming. She was told Marshmallow managed it after leaving the show. She saw that Bow physically was, even if that was through death. Even if she still wasn’t too fond of the pink headwear, but…
That wasn’t the point.
A sigh escaped her, a gaze straight up at the sky as she laid in the grass. The view right in front of her, but impossible to reach. Just like so many of her goals. Just like so much she strived for.
Honestly, she didn’t understand why anyone was giving her a chance. Even with her doing her best to grow. It was difficult, and most days, it felt like she wasn’t even making any progress.
And yet, here she was tonight, lying in the grass with none other than Lightbulb. The bright light. The team captain two seasons in a row. An outward optimist despite all the odds as often as she could be, despite clearly having her own internal struggles. The truth or flare let Taco know that. A lot of other small clues, too. It was easier to pick up on when getting to know her more.
Really, she was picking up on a lot of information these days, but for once, she wasn’t using any of it for her own selfish, personal gain. It was just knowledge. Things to know. Clues to tell her how to act around certain objects. Ways to figure out what to say. A good way to calculate how things needed to go.
“You good?” Lightbulb asked.
Taco blinked back into focus of the present, her current surroundings again, away from the thoughts that seemed to be flooding her mind. Dangerous. Any stray thought could surely send a tidal wave of the worst of it down on her. But she took a moment, silent, before speaking.
“Yes, I am perfectly fine.” She answered. A lie, but the other didn’t need to know that, yet she picked up on it anyways, like she always did.
Lightbulb remained silent though, not commenting further. She had gotten a little better at not being so silly during what she could understand was serious, managing it with this situation as she shifted in her position, lying on her side to stare at Taco, who was still staring at the unobtainable night sky. Taco couldn’t exactly return her look without it being awkward. Trying to lie on her side with her shape was odd, so she’d have to sit up if she wanted to look at the other.
But she didn’t, so she stayed put, refusing to acknowledge this.
“What’s behind that shell of yours?”
Taco mulled it over for a moment, before answering;
“Currently, lettuce, and tomato, though I’m thinking about--” A deflection that didn’t work.
“You know what I meant,” Lightbulb moved a hand, running her fingers through the lettuce that was on the outside of her shell, a gesture she knew the other found comfort in by now.
Taco shut her eyes, letting out another sigh, knowing lying and deflecting and anything else she wanted to try probably wouldn’t even work.
“I just don’t understand why you did it, Lightbulb,”
“Huh?”
“Giving me a chance. Keeping me close to you when the list of others that I’ve done nothing but hurt is as big as it is. Are you not afraid I’d hurt you, too?”
“I mean, not really,” An answer she hadn’t expected at all, opening her eyes again to look at the other, despite the awkward positioning. Lightbulb took a moment to sit up now to make it easier, still rustling her hands through the lettuce.
“... What?” Taco was sure she looked pitiful. Unsure. She genuinely didn’t understand.
“Sure, you did that before, and uh, that stunt you pulled in season one was pretty bad, and even in season two-- but… That’s back then, y’know?” the bulb shrugged, really not seeming bothered.
“And yeah, I know a lot of my friends don’t like you, but they understand it’s my choice to stick around you anyways. I can see you’re trying, at least,” She smiled, sounding so genuine. Her words not exactly eloquent, but they worked.
Taco finally sat up now, sliding her hands out of her shell as Lightbulb scooted back, the warmth of her hand bringing a cold she was so used to, though she still wished the warmth had remained. She wouldn’t ask, though.
“Trying is the best you can do right now, anyways. You already apologized, and even if you didn’t get a lot of acception, you’re able to live with that, right?”
“It’s rather difficult, though,”
“Yeah, well it doesn’t have to be easy.”
“I had a conversation a lot like this with Microphone a while back,”
“Yeah, she’s probably better at words than me,” Lightbulb just continued to smile, not moving much, letting Taco do what she felt she needed as she scooted closer, leaning against the other.
“Thank you, honestly. For sticking with me, even if I’m not always pretty.”
“Well to be fair I always think you’re pretty, but--... haha-- I know what you meant,” Lightbulb just giggled at the immediate flustered reaction from the other girl, a slightly annoyed glance away, but she knew she didn’t hate it. She would’ve quipped back quickly if she had minded, like usual, but along with all the changing, and growing, the flirting was getting easier to deal with.
Taco didn’t mind it from Lightbulb, anyways, even if it was absolutely horrid at times. Some part of her found comfort in it, like tonight.
After a few moments, they remained close, though they laid back down, to look at the starry night sky.
Taco’s thoughts less flurried and unpleasant, all in the company of someone she could accept cared about her, even if just for tonight.