#i need sol's card so we could hate the ocean together

[warper-in-training]

No Diavolo I'm not cold I'm fucking

*°• Traumatized °•*

[spell-card-fusion]

Day 1 - Valentine’s Day (or something like it).

Summary: Rollin’s world has always been diverse, and with the introduction of humans and aliens into it it just seems to get more diverse over time. Rollin and Blaze talk about the various holidays in their respective world.

Rollin loved her planet, that much was obvious for anyone to see. She loved travelling and exploring every inch of Mobius. She loved trying all the new foods, meeting new people, learning about all the different plants and wildlife, that sort of stuff. Something she loved above all else about her planet was the different cultures and holidays. It was always interesting to see just how different people were all because of their roots, it always tended to be fun to join people in their celebrations even if she had been raised differently. Her world had many facets, and all of them were worth exploring, acknowledging, and accepting. It’s partially why she spent so much time in Station Square and other human territories once they rose up from the ocean, she couldn’t stand there being new places to run through and not exploring every inch of them.

Her wanderlust only increased when she learned of other worlds. It’s only been a year since she’s been dating Blaze, and this will be their first Lover’s Hunt together, just as it will be their first Lover’s Labour as well! Their world’s different holidays is something they both had discussed at length before, and that Blaze had actually convinced Rollin to help plan to some degree. They were very different holidays after all. As the couple made their way through the woods they both began to reminisce about the conversation they had about this a few months back. It had been near the end of the year. The Annual Descent was coming soon to Mobius, and Rollin couldn’t have wished for a single gift except to get to party with her packmate, exchange gifts, enjoy all kinds of good food, and kiss when Little Planet finally showed up at Midnight.

Sadly they both knew this couldn’t happen, as Blaze had The Annual Invasion to worry about back home. Rollin would’ve happily missed her favourite holiday to spend time with Blaze back in Solace, but the Prince had been adamant about avoiding any kind of meeting between Rollin and her family. She respected it, if only because she had her own family issues, but it didn’t stop her from worrying a bit. The hedgehog instead proposed to celebrate early, which Blaze had ALSO been hesitant about.

“I’m not sure it's a good idea,” She sat on the edge of the top of one of Green Hill’s loops. Her legs were carefully kept close together and her hands rested on her lap. She was sitting all fancy again, which Rollin knew was a sign she was growing less comfortable. “I’ve never been one for the holidays.”

“I get what’cha mean,” Rollin was laying on her stomach, legs kicking the air absentmindedly, an elbow resting on the grass, hand on her cheek. “But this is different! Different world, different rules, different holidays, different people! You’re not being forced to spend time with people you don’t actually like! It’ll be a good chance to loosen up!”

Blaze hated when Rollin made sense like that, just as she appreciated her for it. She was still apprehensive, but thinking about it she was really just going to spend time with Rollin’s-with both of their friends, and with Rollin’s family. It wasn’t the world she knew, or the same holiday season she often dreaded. She guessed in a way there was nothing to fear, except of course her brain still made her feel anxious for no reason.

Rollin picked up on it, she always did. “But you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, dude! I’m sure we can have fun some other way.” She reassured with that ever-present smile, so much warmer than anything Blaze could ever produce.

She wanted to give back to that smile, so she kicked her anxieties down a flight of stairs and said yes to her initial proposal. If her brain had anything to say about it then it can climb back up the stairs later with those two broken metaphorical legs it has.

The party was actually fun. Blaze got to try more of Mobius’ cuisine, she got to get closer to her friends. One particular conversation however had baffled her at the time. One with a Mx Amy Rose.

“Ugh! You two are so lucky!” Amy said with a clear tone of frustration. “You’re gonna get to spend your first Lover’s Hunt together soon and I still haven’t found anyone to spend Seedlings with yet!”

Rollin rolled her eyes and had a chuckle, they did have this conversation every year. “Come on rosy, at least you’ll get to visit home soon,” She took a sip of her juice while Blaze was trying to figure out what they were talking about before everyone realized she wasn’t good at social interaction. “Plus I thought you and Tekno were a thing already?”

“Why does everyone keep saying that?!”

Rollin has a laugh, which is so contagious both Blaze and Amy actually start laughing. The pink hedgehog waves a temporary goodbye, sticking their tongue out playfully saying she needs to talk to someone else so they can try to ignore all the hearsay. Blaze is still left very confused.

“Seedlings?” She asks for clarification, and then she thinks one word questions make her look kind of uneducated so she turns away and takes a sip of her drink so that no one can see the shame on her face.

“Oh right! Sorry doll, that was probably kind of confusing.” She says while averting her gaze; She doesn’t want Blaze to feel uncomfortable if she doesn’t want anyone staring at her right now.

Unfortunately Rollin is entirely unaware of the huge kick to Blaze’s heartbeat she delivered when her wonderful packmate, in her beautiful dress, with her comforting voice and casual tone and absolutely smooth self called her ‘doll’. Blaze could only respond with a quiet, reserved, all too outwardly stoic yet innerly panicked “Mmhmm.”

“Okay so,” She takes a Chilli Dog from the table opposite to the wall they were standing close to and comes back in less than a second having already taken a bite of it. She swallowed. “Amy’s from Little Planet! She was raised by Seedrians- i already explained Seedrians right?” Blaze nods. “Okay so Seedrians celebrate Somber Seedling, which is when packs- or I guess bouquets as they call ‘em, they get together and write everything they love about each other down in leaves or petals, read them to each other. they tell each other all they want to say in case the other dies soon, they have a special kiss, then bury the box with all the compliments underground hoping their kids inherit all those good traits.”

The blush eventually fades out of Blaze’s face, and Rollin is none-the-wiser. “I see,” She makes a thoughtful hum. “So Lover’s Hunt is the Mobian equivalent?”

“Pretty much, yeah!” Rollin already finished her Chilli Dog, and a new one has found its way to her hand. Blaze didn’t even notice when she dashed off this time. “So in Lover’s Hunt we used to take long trips into the wilderness with our packs and hunt down food for the ancient tribes, we shared it in the woods, then we come back and share whatever’s left with our pals! Nowadays though people don’t really hunt anymore so what we do now is we take a bunch of food and camp for a few days away from everyone we aren’t dating, then share the food when we come back.”

“Interesting,” Blaze could tell Rollin had celebrated both of these traditions in the past. It was hard to imagine she had a hard time finding someone to spend any day with, something Blaze envies. She could travel the world, see any place she wanted, learn about every culture and celebrate every party- maybe even at once. Her envy was put aside for her curiosity, if only for just a moment. “What about the humans? Do they have their own...Love based holiday?”

“Oh boy do they!” It was hard to stay in any kind of sour mood when Rollin would just reply to her question like she’s just so excited to keep talking to her. Sure, she knew it was one of the hedgehog’s favourite topics, but it didn’t lessen the fact that she felt special. “The biggest one is Valentine’s day! It’s actually a pretty simple one, couples- most humans only do romance in twos for some reason? They exchange gifts, cards, and chocolate, then go on dates and stuff. It’s way more vague than our holidays but it leaves room for any kind of thoughtful gesture y’know? Oh! Also lots of heart symbols everywhere, cartoon hearts not the gross real ones.”

Blaze is just standing here hearing Rollin talk, and she’s just so entranced. Not just because she loves her pridemate (though that’s a big factor), but also because she’s just so...Excited about this. She didn’t think Blaze was stupid or ignorant for not doing research into this world’s cultures first, or ignore her question, or show any kind of annoyance really. She was just excited to talk about her home, about Amy’s home, about this planet that she’s lived on her whole life, and she does it with such love and passion. Blaze is often amazed by how much Rollin just loves life, she loves living, she loves being herself more than anything else and it's hypnotizing. She pulls her in like a raging wind that forces her to walk towards her direction. Blaze feels so much stronger next to Rollin, in and out of battle. It feels good, natural, Blaze starts to wonder if maybe Solmates are r-

“So you got any ‘quivs on your world?.” She asked, snapping Blaze out of her trance. Rollin chuckles a bit to herself, thinking the little surprised look on Blaze’s face is cute.

“What are ‘Quivs?” Sol, she is so bad at this.

“‘Quivs, apostrophe quivs, it's short for equivalent.”

Blaze has never laughed so freaking hard at anything, not at a party, not anywhere in public, and not in her entire life period. She doesn’t know why this is what gets her to cackle like a maniac. She’s had her guard up for so long that when something that can make her laugh finally HITS her it's a deathly blow. It doesn’t even cross her mind that people might be staring, that she might look ridiculous, only that Rollin is laughing too and it feels so contagious. Rollin actually stops laughin first. She has the proudest smile on her face, this is someone that has taken down entire robot armies on her own and faced gods without breaking a sweat, yet this has gotta be the proudest moment of her life. Her ego has never been so boosted.

“I’m literally the funniest person alive, add that to my list of great qualities.”

Blaze punches her lightly on the shoulder, but she doesn't refute her. “To answer your question,” Rollin’s eyes immediately shift into focus. Blaze’s heart skips a beat, she suddenly feels incredibly important in a non nerve wracking way. “We have Lover’s Labour. Originally prides got together to build homes on this day to make up for Tiny Fortress’ yearly invasion, a safe place to be together and such. Nowadays we just take the time to create something together, anything really. Something that would take effort and time, that people look back on fondly, a representation of something beautiful.”

“I freakin’ love that!” Rollin’s eyes shine a bit greener, not metaphorically. Her eyes literally shine a little bit brighter, there’s sparkles, little shining spots across her like a bunch of stars. Like Chaos itself, her eyes beckon anyone to make a wish. “We should do that!”

Blaze manages to keep a smile on her face and still look absolutely dumbfounded. At this point it’s not that it surprises her, not that this doesn’t make sense for who Rollin is, but she’s just so...New to all of this. To people in general really, or at least people outside her very small yet frighteningly big Political Drama bubble. She’s too used to her Shakespearean play of a life and leisure is just foreign to her. “I…”

She snaps back to reality. Her cheeks are heating up a lot, and while she’s far past setting herself aflame for no reason she’s still glowing slightly. “I was hoping we’d get to do Lover’s Hunt actually.”

“Gotcha!” Rollin puts a hand to her chin. Her other hand rests at her hip, her foot tapping on the floor rapidly as she thinks of something. Whatever it was it took her only a few seconds before she snapped her fingers, a victorious look on her face. “I have an idea!”

Months later they find themselves hiking through the woods. The sun shines kindly onto the earth below. Spots of sunlight sneak in to kiss Rollin’s skin everytime the wind blows gently through the branches and leaves to allow its passage. The wind caresses Blaze’s fur gently as they take their steps through this beautiful serene place. Blaze takes in a deep breath, it smells like fresh grass and dirt after the rain. Rollin is leading the path through this remote place, holding a map that she made herself.

“This is one of my private spots,” She says while walking. It occurs to Blaze that the two of them are just...Walking, it makes her glow a bit brighter. “Well, kinda. The actual spot is deeper into the forest, but no one really comes here. I guess this place is just for us!”

“Darling,” Blaze speaks up with a shaky voice and the brightest, reddest face. “I’m convinced that you’re trying to kill me at this point. No one is this nice, or this perfect. Do you mean to bury me where no one can see me? Setting this up in a forest where fighting back would harm nature around us is a good strategy, I think you’ll find that I’m not an easy mark.”

By the end of that sentence Blaze had gone from a flustered glow to a daring grin. The glow has gone from her body to her eyes, an intense yellow that emanates an aura that mimics the sun. Rollin had let out a chuckle initially, and then as she’s left mesmerized her resting face is still a silly smile. Her cheeks flush and her eyes sparkle and she just feels hypnotized. “You’re so freaking cool…”

“I know.” Her smile turns soft. They hold hands the rest of the way through.

They eventually reach a clearing. There’s a pretty little circular lake that is surrounded by flowers of various colours, that when seen from above look like a rainbow ring. There are Chao everywhere, rolling around the flowers, or swimming, or sitting on the branches watching everything with their little curious eyes. Overlooking the lake is the biggest tree Blaze has ever seen. She had seen it from a distance, but only now does it hit her how massive it is, absolutely dwarfing every other tree in this unnamed forest. Then there’s a second hit as Blaze once again realizes how much of Rollin’s world is like this, completely overtaken by nature. This world has so many huge trees and looping hills and floating landscapes that this beautiful little place has gone completely unnoticed by everybody else. Her heart aches, because for a moment she wants so badly to stay here and never go back to her world.

Blaze feels Rollin let go of her hand, her heart skips a beat. There’s a very real second where she fears waking up on her bed to a world where this was nothing but a dream. Instead she’s reassured by the breeze Rollin leaves behind as she dashes over to the lake. The hedgehog girl’s steps are so light, somehow managing to not crush a single flower as she steps over them. She jumps over the lake itself, striking a sick pose in the air, then curling into a ball as she falls, rolling on the grass then doing a handspring back onto her feet. She shoots Blaze her trademark grin, and really it’s hard to not be impressed, even if Blaze knows she’s just fishing for attention.

“Very impressive,” Blaze gives a gentle clap. It’s amazing how that’s enough to light up Rollin’s face even more. “Shall we get started?”

“It’s juice and jam time!” She gives a thumbs up and winks.

The next few hours were spent carefully hollowing out the tree without killing it. Rollin would Spindash into the tree making a door shape, then keep doing that while inside the tree to get rid of the inner layer. Blaze directed Rollin’s actions, making sure the measurements are correct, that there’s a ceiling, then a hole for that ceiling as well as wood to make stairs with before they move onto the next floor. Obviously they don’t finish it all in one sitting, the tree is too big for that, and even if they’re both fairly fast and efficient it still would take a great amount of time and coordination. Instead they focus on finishing the first floor. The first floor to their new secret base has a cute perfectly round window, and carpets. There’s pictures of flowers, chao, trees, and a couple of selfies Rollin took on the way here with her instant camera, now framed on the walls. There’s two chairs around a small perfectly round table facing each other, both still attached to the floor and just carved out of the wood that was already there. There’s a mantle over the table and cushions over the chairs.

The two girlfriends look at this, sweaty, somewhat tired, but satisfied. Rollin is already setting up the food on the table, which Blaze would’ve helped but Rollin got it done too fast. She sits down on the chair, patting her hands over the wood of the table and tapping her feet. She has a huge grin on her face. “Alright! Time for eats!”

“Wait!” Blaze takes out her phone. Rollin immediately notes how cute it is, the casing’s blue and has a little green emerald charm. She’s been taking pictures too of course. She takes quick pictures of the biryani, curry, and samosas. Then she leans into Rollin’s chest, who responds by putting a hand around her shoulder and giving a peace sign as she takes the selfie. She has a huge smile on her face as she looks at it on her phone. “Alright, thanks for the food.”

The meal is amazing. They eat and laugh and talk, and it’s the best day of their lives.

After the meal is done Blaze is ready to go out explore the woods with Rollin a little bit more, but she’s stopped at the door. Rollin has something in her hands, a heart shaped box, filled with chocolates.

“Happy Valentine’s Day” Rollin says with shining stardust in her eyes.

“Happy Valentine’s Day” Blaze responds, and she’s already starting to glow.