Rose was inside Crazy Dave's garage, working hard on a teleporter to be used in future battles with the Zombies. She was flipping through an instructional tome, titled "Teleporter Construction for Magicians", to learn how to construct a proper teleporter using a combination of magic and technology.
"On the subject of Runic Symbols: Runic Symbols, when engraved into the base of the teleporter and enchanted, help to enhance the amount of energy a teleporter can use to transport an individual, allowing for swifter and more efficient travel." Rose read aloud from the tome.
Rose did as the tome instructed, and carved runic symbols into the teleporter's metal base.
"Alright, the teleporter should work properly now!" Rose said proudly to herself.
Rose tapped the teleporter with her wand, causing it to power on with a soft green glow. She decided to test the teleporter by placing a foam ball into the teleporter entrance. She watched the foam ball disappear from its spot and reappear at the teleporter exit, which was placed only a few meters away from the entrance. At first, Rose was satisfied with the results, but was then disappointed when the foam ball fell to pieces, signifying that the teleporter was unsafe to use. She quickly shut off the machine and reopened her book.
"What am I doing wrong? It should not be this difficult." Rose said to herself, sighing in discontent.
"How are you doin' Rose?" Citron called from the garage entrance.
"Oh, hello Citron. I am fine, thank you very much, however the teleporter is not so fine." Rose replied.
"I'm no mechanical engineer, but I understand the basics of teleportation technology. I think I can help." Citron said.
"Your assistance would be greatly appreciated." Rose said with a smile.
"Alright. Let's take a goose, and let's take a gander." Citron said, chuckling at his pun.
Citron glossed over the device, observed the runic symbols engraved into the base, and looked over to the remains of the foam ball.
"I'm guessing that happened because of the teleporter." Citron said.
"Yes." Rose responded.
"We should turn this into a Zombie trap instead." Citron said with a grin.
Rose chuckled at Citron's comment, feeling slightly better about her progress.
"I think you're picturing teleportation wrong." Citron said.
"How so?" Rose asked.
"Teleportation used to mean disassembling an object or entity atom by atom, and then reconstructing them at the desired location. Looks like your teleporter did that, but didn't quite follow through with the final step. Problem is, you're thinking of the old way of teleporting." Citron explained to Rose.
"What is the new way, then?" Rose asked further.
"In my era, teleportation involves transporting the entire person or object through time and space, but normally just space. You should readjust the teleporter to do that instead. It shouldn't be a difficult modification to make either." Citron answered and suggested.
"Thank you very much Citron! Now we are in business." Rose said, quickly getting to work on modifying the teleporter.
"You're welcome." Citron said with a wink.
Night falls in the Backyard Battleground, and all the Plants prepare to turn in for the evening. Chomper settles down in Crazy Dave's garage, where a twin mattress was laid out for him by Sunflower and Peashooter for him to sleep on. As Sunflower places a blanket over Chomper, he instantly falls sound asleep.
Rose and Citron had finished constructing the teleporter and shut it down for the night. Citron goes back to his shuttle to rest, while Rose decides to sleep in Crazy Dave's basement (feeling that it was the closest thing to sleeping in her castle quarters). Citron climbs up the stairs to his bedroom, curls into a ball, and falls asleep. Rose sets up her mattress and decorates it with crimson sheets and blankets that she conjured up. She then adorns the basement windows with decorative curtains of the same style. After finalizing her personalizing touches, she disperses her magic wand, climbs into bed, yawns, and goes to sleep.
Cactus and Andy, having returned from their dinner date at El Taco Loco, retire to their shared bedroom. Cactus tightly snuggles Andy as the two of them simultaneously fall asleep, resulting in dreams of their approaching wedding.
Sun Pharaoh had turned in long before the others had, Mystic Flower spent the remaining hours of the night in meditation before eventually ceding to slumber, Shadow Flower refused to go to sleep and instead chose to prowl the Backyard Battleground like a stray cat in the night, and Fire Flower spent most of the evening chatting with Stuffy Flower before going to bed.
Sunflower and Peashooter take a final glance at the snoozing Chomper before deciding to retire to their shared bedroom. Their bedroom was a very plain rectangular space, with no decorations aside from wallpaper and window curtains. Their bed was moderately comfortable and spacious. The mattress was queen size to allow for either comfy snuggling or distance for when Peashooter was feeling flustered. Sunflower stepped behind a privacy screen to change into a nightgown and bow. Peashooter saw Sunflower in her nightgown and glanced away in shyness, a reaction that caused Sunflower to giggle. As Sunflower lay down on the bed beside Peashooter, the couple began chatting together about many topics.
"I'm really excited for the wedding, aren't you Peashooter? We'll have to order our gown and tuxedo tomorrow." Sunflower began.
"Yeah. What about Cactus and Andy? Getting a wedding dress for her that won't tear will be really difficult, and I'm not sure there are tuxedos for armadillos." Peashooter responded.
"Crazy Dave and Penny can probably tailor one for Cactus made from a special fabric that won't puncture. They've done it before. They can do the same for Andy. He would look so cute in a tux!" Sunflower answered Peashooter.
"Sunflower?" Peashooter said.
"Yes Peashooter?" Sunflower replied.
"So Cactus and Andy are going to be married soon. Does that mean a lot when there's a war happening?" Peashooter asked, uncertain of whether or not his question was appropriate.
"I'm sure it's life-changing for everyone, especially for Cactus and Andy. In the grandest scheme, whether it's the war or the universe, it's rather mundane, if anything. But that doesn't mean it's not important. Cactus has been through just as much as the rest of us. Before the war, she was trying to become a stage performer. I think she was trying out comedy for a while before she eventually started dancing onstage. Of course, she can't do any of that anymore now that there's a war. Marrying Andy will definitely be a positive change for her." Sunflower answered with a smile.
"I know…but the Zombies don't care." Peashooter said.
"Of course they don't. It's not their business. They could do far worse than not care." Sunflower replied.
"You're right." Peashooter muttered.
"Are you feeling alright Peashooter?" Sunflower asked, sitting up in the bed.
"I'm fine…maybe I'm a little anxious or something. I'm not really sure." Peashooter replied, sitting up to talk to Sunflower.
"What's on your mind?" Sunflower asked, wrapping her leaves around Peashooter.
"A lot of things." Peashooter answered.
"Like what?" Sunflower asked further.
"Things like…" Peashooter began to say before pausing and turning to face Sunflower.
"How long will we last in the war? Without help, we probably won't last very long." Peashooter finished.
"Crazy Dave said that he would hire more mercenaries to help us fight in the war. He stuck to his promise, and now we have Kernel, Rose, and Citron. I'm sure it won't stop at them. We'll get even more help very soon." Sunflower said.
"I guess so. I hope they don't die before they can join us." Peashooter replied.
"I assume they'd be in hiding so that the Zombies don't come after them." Sunflower responded.
"Sunflower…" Peashooter said.
"Yes, Peashooter?" Sunflower responded.
"Make sure Chomper stays safe. I don't think anyone would be able to take it if we ever lose him." Peashooter said to Sunflower.
"I promise I'll protect him with my life." Sunflower said with a grin.
"Please…don't risk your life just to save his. I don't want to lose you either." Peashooter quickly said, sadness gleaming in his eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll keep myself safe too. But if I had to choose between my own life and his life, I would sacrifice mine to save him. If I die, the sunflower population will still be stable. But if he dies, an entire Plant race becomes extinct. Even if there are other Chompers alive, it's possible; their population is still critically low. We can't afford that." Sunflower explained, attempting to reassure Peashooter.
"No! Sunflower, I'll be devastated if something ever happened to you! Please don't leave me!" Peashooter cried out, unconsciously wrapping his leaves around Sunflower and tightly grasping her.
Sunflower gasped in surprise, causing Peashooter to release her from his arms and look away in embarrassment.
"I-I'm sorry…" Peashooter said quietly.
"Peashooter…" Sunflower whispered, cupping Peashooter's face in her leaf.
"I know you're concerned and worried for me. I really appreciate you for that. But you have to understand, if the Zombies posed a threat to me, they would have killed me long ago! The worst injuries I've ever gotten throughout the war were scratches from Browncoats. I'm going to be perfectly fine." Sunflower said with a smile.
"You're going to get hurt at some point. The Zombies will find a way." Peashooter whispered sadly.
"Even then, I'll be fine. My luck and survival almost feels like a blessing to me. A blessing that comes from many sources. From Solar Therapy, from my friends, from Crazy Dave and Penny…" Sunflower said further, before pausing and nuzzling Peashooter.
"Especially from you…you're my greatest blessing." Sunflower cooed.
"Do you really mean that?" Peashooter asked, his eyes widening slightly.
"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it." Sunflower answered.
"Thank you Sunflower…I'm glad you think that." Peashooter said softly, gently hugging Sunflower.
Sunflower smiled and hugged Peashooter back, immediately feeling warm and cozy. She gazed lovingly into Peashooter's eyes while stroking the leaves on his head.
"Sunflower…" Peashooter spoke up.
"Yes, Peashooter?" Sunflower asked.
"You know I love you, right?" Peashooter asked Sunflower.
"I've known since the beginning. I love you too." Sunflower replied, still gazing into Peashooter's eyes.
The couple pulled each other closer as they shared their first kiss. Sunflower tightened her embrace on Peashooter while softly squeaking in delight. Peashooter started out quite nervous and flustered, but quickly grew comfortable and happy. As their kiss parted, they lay back down on the bed, smiling and giggling.
"It took us long enough, I guess." Sunflower joked.
"We weren't ready." Peashooter said.
"Good night Peashooter." Sunflower whispered.
"Good night Sunflower." Peashooter responded.
"Sweet dreams." Sunflower cooed.
Sunflower cuddled with Peashooter and quickly fell asleep. Peashooter took a little longer to fall asleep, but he eventually submitted to his drowsiness. Tomorrow would just be another day.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My mom just got back from FL a few days ago, so I may or may not be able to publish more frequently, depending on how things go. Hopefully this message hasn't lost its meaning from me saying it so often, but I have to say it one more time due to a new milestone: Thank you everyone. As of this chapter, this story has received well over 10,000 views, 42 reviews, 15 followers, and 19 favorites. The progress the story has been through and the amount of love and support it has received is astounding to me, looking back at its beginning. And we're just getting started! I still plan on writing far more chapters, and I won't stop now. Though I've been busy with family and struggling with writer's block and emotional problems, I still have the motivation and DETERMINATION to keep persevering in life and this story. The story would not have been so successful without your support, so I have to say this once more, THANK YOU so much everyone, for reading this story and posting your kind and supportive reviews. This chapter may be a shorter one, but I am still quite satisfied with how I've written it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it. After all, who doesn't love some PeashooterxSunflower fluff? ;) Thank you, and good night.
