Prompt: Arranged Marriage!AU
She had just finished college. She had got a degree in Medicine. She was looking for a new job.
But she wasn't alone.
Bloom's boyfriend of seven months, Sky, was on board this journey with her. He had got a degree in Law, but he vowed to stay by her side as she searched for somewhere different to work full time.
Her old job at the Four Leafed Shell Cafe was a nice and quiet job, but she needed more pay, which the cafe wasn't giving her (partly because she worked part time due to her studies). Sky had supported her in her decision, and said that she made the right choice.
Her boss at the Four Leafed Shell, who went by Emma Belle, was one of her best friends and was sad to see her go - Bloom had been working there since she was sixteen - but she fully understood the need for money: the situation had hit her when she was twenty two. Emma told Bloom that she should do whatever she thought was the right thing; that she should go with her gut instinct.
So when Bloom still kept up her job at the cafe while she searched, Emma decided to support her instead of bugging her about leaving. She stood back while Bloom served the tables, watching her with a sad smile.
Bloom took orders, sent them to the back and then served the people. She made conversation here and there, but mostly she was silent, her decision weighing her down. She knew she was making the right decision in leaving the Shell, but she had worked there for six years now, working herself up from washing the dishes to becoming a waitress. She had gotten quite attached to the place.
Bloom was serving a particular table when the doorbell rang and in walked someone she hated the very existence of: the stuck up, vain, she-thinks-she-is-everything, horrible, Diaspro.
The blonde girl was the very person she despised. She hated Bloom, partly because before there was Bloom and Sky, there was Sky and Diaspro. Sky left Diaspro after Bloom started at The Harley Fowl College, where she and her ex studied.
Diaspro started hating Bloom the second she saw the redhead and Sky together, and made sure to always get under her skin.
When Bloom looked up and saw the blonde, anger seeped in her, bubbling away.
xxx
Diaspro smirked as she saw Bloom look up at her. This was her chance to drive her and Sky further away. She walked up to Bloom as she walked away from the table, and said in her sweetest voice, "Bloom, how are you doing?"
Bloom frowned, stopping in her tracks and whipping her head round. "Diaspro," she said, her voice clipped and cool.
"You didn't answer my question!" replied Diaspro, looking and sounding wounded.
Bloom stepped back, saying, "Free country. I can say what I wish."
Diaspro's smirk widened. "Political much?"
"What do you want, Diaspro?" Bloom asked, becoming faintly aware that the attention of the crowd of the Shell was diverting to them.
"Oh, but I just wanted to stop by and say hello," Diaspro said in her sugar coated voice. "Won't you even let me do that?"
"If you want food, go and ask Stella." Stella was another of the waitresses at the Shell. She was a year older than Bloom, and was another good friend. "Just don't talk to me."
"Fine," Diaspro muttered, angered that her plan to get at Bloom failed. She strode over to a table and threw her bag onto the hard, smooth surface.
xxx
"What?" he muttered in disbelief. "Dad, you can't do this to me!"
The elder man, Erendor, sighed. "Son, it is the tradition of the Shalem family. We must continue it."
Erendor's son, Sky, frowned. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Tradition? You care more about tradition than my future?" he asked his father, anger building up inside him.
"I care about both tradition and your future. Tradition will make your future better. Look at your mother and I." Erendor tried to put his hand on his son's shoulder, but Sky shrugged him off.
"You and Mum were together in the first place. Granddad made sure you got along when you were younger. I hate Diaspro," Sky exclaimed.
"You liked her before that ditzy airhead came into the picture. You had a nine month relationship with her. Has all of that escaped your mind?" Erendor asked forcefully.
But Sky wasn't listening. All he heard was 'ditzy airhead'. "Don't you dare call Bloom a ditzy airhead!" he hissed. "You don't call her anything but her name. Nothing but Bloom. Just Bloom."
"You may be twenty three now, son, but that gives you no right to give your father orders," Erendor told him. He walked to the door, putting his hand on the handle.
"Exactly. I'm twenty three. I can refuse to do what you want me to do if I wish." Sky held his head up, his defiance taking him over.
"No Sky. You're marrying Diaspro. You will tell Bloom," he nodded at Sky, as if saying 'are you happy now'."About this in the next twenty four hours, or I will do it myself. Now this discussion is over."
With that Erendor opened the door, and walked out.
Muttering an extensive list of cuss words, Sky fisted his hands, shaking in anger. How would he tell Bloom? He had told her he would stay by her, didn't he?
xxx
"Diaspro? He said you had to marry Diaspro?!" Bloom asked.
They leant against the wall behind Bloom's parents' house. Bloom gripped Sky's hand in both of hers. He had asked her to meet him there about ten minutes ago. From the minute she saw him, she knew something was wrong. She never expected it to be this.
"It's Shalem tradition, he said. He wanted to carry on the tradition," Sky explained.
"He cares more about tradition than your future?" Bloom asked incredulously.
Sky shrugged, saying, "I guess so."
"So... this is it, huh?" Bloom said, running Sky's hand across her cheek. She was devasted. She tried hard to not let it show, but a tear slipped down her cheek.
Sky wiped her tears with his free thumb. But Bloom wrapped her arms around Sky's neck, letting the tears fall free. The blond wrapped his arms around her waist, and ran his fingers through her red hair. "Shh," he whispered, doing his best to console her. "Shh, Bloom. It's going to be OK."
"How?!" Bloom exclaimed through tears. "How can it be OK when I've just lost my love, my best friend?"
"I'll always be your best friend. Always. And I'll never love Diaspro. So you're safe there too."
"But... knowing that you aren't mine is slowly going to... going to..." she wasn't able to finish her sentence. She burst into tears, hugging Sky tight. Bloom lowered her hands down to Sky's shoulders.
Sky tightened his grip around her, his own tears threatening to fall. Finally, he let them slip, knowing he should bask in the only proper comfort he would get in years.
Sky gently pushed her away, wiped his stray tears, and held her cheeks in his hands. "If this is our last kiss," he whispered huskily. "Then we should probably make it special."
Then he leant in, closing the inch wide gap between them. Bloom stiffened for a few seconds but then wrapped her arms around his neck. She buried her fingers in his shoulder length blond hair, responding eagerly to the kiss. Sky ran his hand up and down her back, smiling sadly into the kiss. As the kiss deepened, Bloom felt herself falling, falling into Sky's arms, his loving embrace, his warmth. She knew that it would end soon, so she did her best to revel in the pleasure she felt.
After minutes they had to part, but it only felt like seconds. Bloom leant her forehead against Sky's, breathing heavily.
"I love you, Sky," she whispered. Sky smiled at her, his eyes glazed with bittersweet tears.
"I love you, too, Bloom. So, so, so, much." He paused, holding his breath. "Can I ask you to do something for me?"
Bloom nodded. "Anything."
"Don't ever forget me. Don't ever forget my love for you. Because despite my arranged marriage to Diaspro, my heart belongs to you. OK?"
Bloom took a deep breath and smiled. "Only if you won't forget me."
Sky grinned. "Never. I'll never forget you, Bloom." Then he sighed. "I need to go. Dad's waiting two doors across with his colleague, and he won't want me to be late." He let go of Bloom, and took a step back.
Bloom frowned, and walked forward to slip her fingers through his. "Screw your dad. Wait a little longer. Please. I can't let you go. Not yet."
Sky sighed, and squeezed her hand. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I really am. But I need to go. If I do as he says, he might let me see you again. I don't want this to be goodbye. I want it to be I'll see you again." He hugged her, holding her tight. "I love you."
"I... love you, too, Sky." They parted, and Sky knew that this was truly the end.
"Just remember, these past seven months were the best months of my life. You made my day over and over, and you made my problems disappear with one word or a kiss. I very much doubt Diaspro is capable of doing that. I'm so, very sorry it had to come to this," Sky told her.
Bloom smiled, feeling the tears coming up once again. "Just... go." Sky raised an eyebrow. Bloom grinned, folding her arms. "Before I have the urge to kiss you crazy again."
"I kinda wish you'd have an urge like that," Sky teased. "But... our time together is up. I... I guess I'll see you around."
He turned swiftly and walked away, trying not to listen to Bloom's heartbroken protests.
Bloom watched him go, the tears silently slipping down her cheeks. After Sky disappeared around the corner, she fell to her knees, holding her head in her hands. Her body shook as she cried and she made no move to try to calm down.
Her life had turned sour; it couldn't ever be sweet again.
A/N: Wow. Writing that last scene was hard, especially as a Sparxshipper. I hate Royalshipping. Absolutely hate it. It's, like, the worst pairing ever. But, even so, let me know how I did.