Untold Stories, Unsung Words
Series Summary: (A series of one-shots, some of them being connected, based on headcanons.) The story of the Bionis and Mechonis, the Heir to the Monado, and the creation of the new world has been revealed. But among that story are smaller stories that haven't been shown. To have it accepted to be as truth is an option, but the existence of them being a possibility is undeniable. These are stories untold, words unsung.
5. Shulk, Fiora - Picky Eater
Summary: It was time that everyone banded together for a great cause: to have Shulk eat his vegetables. (Based on the Heart-to-Heart event A Gift for a Loved One. Takes place after events of Mechonis Core and before the infiltration of Bionis' Interior.)
Pairings: Shulk x Fiora, Shulk x Melia (Minor)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
"There has to be some other way to do this… please…!"
Only for Shulk, the dinner table had the possibility of being a hostile place to him. Everyone was standing around him, refusing to budge despite his pleas.
He was tied to one of Dunban's dinner table chairs… literally. Despite being a male Hom, he was very easy to subdue. A simple slam on the head by Riki's fish (with only its bones, head, and its tail remaining) was enough to daze him. While dazed, Reyn carried the Heir to the Monado on his shoulder and forcefully made him sit on one of Dunban's chairs. Sharla and Melia quickly and dexterously took at least 20 feet of rope and tied Shulk while he was still trying to focus. But it was too late for him. His body and limbs were tied to the chair, and he couldn't move. Afterwards, Reyn went off to keep Fiora busy, trying to keep this trial under wraps. The party would switch out periodically to make things less suspicious.
"This is for your own good, in more ways the one…" Melia muttered, setting up Shulk's dinner plate with a napkin and a set of a fork, knife, and spoon. It was just for formal fancy imagery, since Shulk would be unable to feed himself anyway with his arms and hands tied up to his side.
"You could have easily just told Fiora to change the menu!"
"No! That's rude and an insult to Fiora!" Sharla sharply retorted, trying to hold back her hand from slapping him across the face. "You should never, ever tell a girl to change her mind in what to cook!"
Dunban scratched the side of his head. "Yes... It's not pretty…" He recalled doing that a few years ago. Fiora planned on having a strange dish mixing Flamii Eggs, red lettuce, and sweet wasabi together. Dunban tried to nicely tell her to change the dish, but all he got was an irritated reply and a scolding of "not eating, no food for you". His sister's motherly aura was not to be taken lightly.
Melia approached the kitchen counter to grab a pitcher of water and a large glass cup. As she came back to the table, she said quietly, "Fiora is making this Get Well feast for you. And you will eat it. It is extremely rude to not eat the food she made for you."
She placed the pitcher and cup on the table. Wiping her hand with a napkin from the wet water, she continued, "I heard stories from Reyn and Dunban that you manage to hold down the food for a few minutes after you swallow. Then afterwards, you rush to the restroom to regurgitate them. That is extremely unhealthy and disgusting! Fiora will be suspicious to see you come in and out of the restroom, let alone see your face so pale."
"Gr…" Shulk growled. Her reasoning was right. There wasn't a time before where he had actually kept the leafy greens down to his stomach. Sooner or later, he would throw it back up. Even a small piece of lettuce or stalk of broccolli would make his stomach and esophagus go haywire.
Riki was jumping up and down with his fish that he smacked Shulk with. "Shulk is like Riki's littlepon! So shameful! Shulk must eat well to stay healthy!"
Shulk sighed, wiggling a little to try to get some blood circulating on his arm. "I-I'm fine…! I mean, er… you've seen my body... right? No fat, just muscle! My weight is good too! I'm perfectly fine!"
Melia faced away from the party and covered the side of her cheek. She felt it go hot. She remembered the visit from Eryth Sea when everyone was wearing swimsuits. Yes, she saw it first hand that Shulk looked perfectly fit. The muscles well defined on his body... It really didn't look like he was unhealthy at all.
At that comment, Sharla stomped next to Shulk's side and made a fist with her left hand. In doing so, she punched Shulk's sternum as lightly as possible.
"A-Ahh-!" Shulk yelped. He groaned, sucking in a sharp breath to ease up the pain from that blow.
"You kidding me? That was like a gentle tap!" Sharla groaned. She made a fist again and slammed it at Dunban's sternum with the same amount of force. She lowered herself to Riki's level and did the same thing. No response from either of the two boys. "Did that hurt at all?"
"Nothing." Dunban replied quietly, shrugging as well.
"Shara's fist did not hurt Riki! It tickled Riki!" Riki laughed while flapping his ears.
"No way!" Shulk's eyes widened in doubt. "You both are lying!"
Sharla sighed, "Your stamina is low, you can barely take a few light hits… Shulk, all you've been eating is protein, fats, cholesterol, and carbohydrates. You're just a ticking time bomb for a heart attack and all sorts of medical problems!"
Shulk's mouth tightly closed at Sharla's disclosure and frowned. He looked down at his necklace and growled. "Mmph…" He knew a few things about biology and health, and she was surely right. All he ate for the past 14 years of his memory were meats, grains, and sweets. No sign of fruits and vegetables. Surely, his eating habits will catch up to him sooner or later. Most possibly sooner.
Dunban approached the kitchen counter this time to grab one plate of vegetables that were prepared by Melia and Sharla earlier. As he placed them onto the table, he tells Shulk, "If anything, this will be an exercise and preparation to keep the vegetables down in your stomach for at least 2 hours. Afterwards, go and regurgitate it all you want. As long as you can keep it down for then, it won't make Fiora suspicious."
The boy lifted his head up and sighed. Two hours is long… Wouldn't one hour or thirty minutes or even ten minutes be good enough? If he ate quickly, the faster he could spit out the food. But, it would still be suspicious. Still frowning, he quietly replied, "F-Fine… But…"
He began to shake his whole body to ease up the pain of the ropes tying him down at the chair. "Could you remove these from me?! This is hardly necessary!"
"N-Nah…" Sharla shook her head. "It'll help you for later, in terms of not impulsively running to the bathroom."
Shulk began to blush at his realization and stopped shaking. Everyone, even Riki, is going to spoonfeed him like a little kid. What a day to be child-reared at the age of 18. Melia noticed him blushing, and began to blush too. She didn't know his realization though.
Melia glanced at the clock that was hanging above Dunban's kitchen window. It was 2:30 PM. Every five minutes, the party had to switch out. Melia volunteered to be second, so she proceeded to the door. "It's time to switch. Reyn will be coming in any minute. Be sure to check it is him though."
The High Entia empress opened the door and left, closing the door gently. Shulk watched her leave and swallowed hard. He was stuck with the two toughest coaches plus a Nopon to make fun of his efforts. "I'm not going to make this out alive…" He muttered in his mind.
"Okay! Let's begin." Sharla took the plate that Dunban grabbed earlier and layed it out in front of Shulk. Shulk looked down at the white plate. A variety of greens and even some fruits were on the plate. On the upper left corner was broccoli. The top had spinach. The upper right had sliced oranges and pineapples. The center had large leaves of lettuce, with one being regular lettuce and the other being red lettuce. The lower left part of the plate had celeery, and the lower right part had avocado.
"Nnn-nngh…!" Shulk began to feel the sweat coming down from the side of his face. There was so much greens in one plate and it was the most he has seen in his life! The fruits in the corner weren't helping either. His poor mouth, taste buds, stomach and esophagus is going to be executed in a matter of minutes…
Dunban couldn't help but chuckle quietly, covering his mouth trying not to be rude. He'd seen Shulk be frightened and screaming at the sight of caterpillars. It made some sense, but to have him freak out over the healthiest foods out in Bionis was extremely amusing. Even more amusing that he is able to openly show his fear and loathing in front of them, but not in front of Fiora. The Heir to the Monado is truly a piece of work. He does not fear demigods or Mechon, but fears a bunch of greens and fruits?
A flutter of knocking on the door was heard to interrupt Shulk's agonizing sweating from fear. The rapid knocks could only mean one thing. "Yo-! I'm back! Did Shulk eat them fruits and vegetables yet?"
"No!" Sharla replied, walking towards the locked door. She opened it and allowed Reyn to walk in, closing and locking the door afterwards.
"Yes! I didn't miss the best part!" Reyn huffed, happily jogging to the dinner table.
"Reyn…! You…!" Shulk growled.
"Oh… The big boy has to eat his vegetables! How else is he going to grow up and be big and stroonng-?" Reyn mockingly asked Shulk, grabbing the fork on the table and moving it around Shulk's face as if he were to spoon-feed him.
"H-Hey! Cut it ou—!"
While Shulk was fixated on Reyn's taunts, Riki quietly took the spoon on the table with his left ear and placed a piece of celery on the spoon. With his right ear, he sneaked around to Shulk's left without him seeing. And while he was talking, he placed the spoon in his mouth and forcefully closed his mouth with the remaining muscles of his ear.
"Shulk eat like good Hom-Hom! Swallow celery! Shulk should be like Riki's littlepon and eat fruit and vegetable! The faster Shulk eat vegetable and fruit, it will be easier!"
"Mmm-mmppph—!" Shulk couldn't open his mouth as Riki was using his furry ears to keep his mouth closed. He tried to shake his head left and right to loosen up and remove Riki's grip on him, but he wouldn't move. Somehow, Riki also managed to slip the spoon away from his mouth, so only the celery was in there. (How Riki was able to balance the celery on the spoon was a good mystery.) With his struggling he could have sworn he felt as if some of Riki's fur get into his lips… He needs to brush his teeth twenty times over, and needs to eat some good meat afterwards…
Riki could see Shulk's eyes grow more narrow and smaller. He was definitely angry now still growling and trying to get the celery out of his mouth. Riki's grip was still firm though, and he wouldn't move. "Shulk should not get angry at Riki! Shulk should get angry at Shulk! Shulk acting like very little littlepon! That is very sad!"
Sharla, Dunban, and Reyn were laughing as Riki was spoon-feeding the poor guy. Reyn was the loudest of course. Sharla was clutching her stomach as she laughed, and Dunban laughed while taking a couple of napkins. He was going to wipe the boy's mouth afterwards and he needed one for himself to cover his own mouth.
"I can't…. this is too much!" Reyn hollered as he was clapping for Riki's antics. He and the furball do not get along sometimes, but this was something he had to commend Riki for.
Dunban approached the struggling duo and patted Riki on the head. "That's enough. Let him rest." He raised left hand holding onto the pile of napkins near Shulk's face. Riki immediately loosened his grip, but didn't let go.
Dunban made eye contact with Shulk and tells him quietly, "As soon as Riki lets go, let me hold this against your mouth and you spit it. I don't want a mess on my floor with your food and saliva on it."
Shulk quietly nodded, frowning still. His face even messy with more of Riki's fur and their sweat. He looked like he took a terrible headfirst fall onto the swamp ground of Satorl Marsh and Makna Forest in the daytime.
"Okay! Time for Shulk to rest!" Riki loosened his grip more and finally jumped away from the boy. As soon as he did so, Dunban immediately held against Shulk's mouth a pile of napkins.
"Gaaahh-!" Shulk spat out the disgusting celery onto the napkin. He leaned back as Dunban closed his fist to cover up the unsightly vegetable mixed with his saliva, coughing to get the "green flavor" our of his mouth. Even after a few coughs, the celery taste was still in his mouth to his disdain.
As Dunban walked towards the garbage can, Sharla took a pile of napkins and approached Shulk. "Here, let me wipe your face. You're a total mess."
"…" Shulk faced his left to have Sharla wipe the right side of his face, covered with his sweat and Riki's fur. She gently rubbed the napkin up and and down. Good thing it was easy to remove. She noticed Shulk's face with his eyebrows curled all the way down and lips tight. Anyone would be lashing out for the crazy antics that has transpired, but he was keeping his mouth shut. Him putting up with the taste... It could only mean that Shulk is having everyone in contempt right now. Having to put up with some terrible tastes for Fiora's sake is some hell of dedication. Sharla's face softened and she looked down, feeling a pang of guilt.
Reyn groaned after his long laugh. His stomach and chest hurt from the giggles and hollering. "Oh man... that was too good...!" He sighed, trying to regain his composure.
"Y-Yeah... but... we should really tone it down here..." Sharla muttered. She really began to feel sorry for Shulk. Maybe this approach wasn't too great after all. It was funny, but now...
"What?" Reyn raised an eyebrow.
Dunban noticed Sharla's observations too. Shulk's habit of being quiet when he is angry meant they really bothered and upset him. Dunban remembered that he was like this when he and Reyn fought long ago... That so called "Big Fight" that made them the closest of friends... It was rough for the both of them. Reyn was always in a grumpy mood while Shulk went on with the silent treatment. Fiora was caught in the middle as she heard both sides of the story, but each was twisted to the point where she didn't know who was telling the truth. It was bad to the point where it even made Fiora cry.
"Let's take down a bit and find some other way to do this..." Dunban replied, now sitting at the table after throwing out the napkin. He looked onto the plate of food, still filled with vegetables and fruits. What could they do to make this easier on Shulk?
Reyn took the tall glass of water on the table and offered it to Shulk. "Here, drink up, man."
Reyn placed the edge of the glass on Shulk's lips. He opened his mouth slightly and quietly drank the water. Afterwards, Shulk moved his face away from the glass to signal that he was finished. Reyn placed the glass on the table and sat down on the empty chair next to Shulk.
Riki patted Shulk on the leg with his little hand and short arms on his leg, which was still tied against the chair with rope and muttered, "Riki sorry... Riki find better way to help Shulk eat vegetables..."
"Mm..." Riki only received a quiet reply but at least Shulk's face softening at least with less of a frown. His face was still stern though. "I... can't exactly blame you all for this cause I did ask for your help but-"
"No no..." Dunban cut Shulk off. "We could have done this in a more "civilized manner", per se."
Nothing's changed. He still wouldn't be able to keep down Fiora's food down his stomach... not even for five minutes. And the minimum was two hours? How could all of this be accomplished in a few hours before the hour of fate?
Seconds were passing with awkward silence and only the sound of Dunban's wall clock was being heard. Time was wasting. They have to act fast.
Dunban sighed. He turned to Shulk, now seemingly in deep thought with his head slightly facing down. He would be in his habitual pose of his hands beneath his chin and and elbow, but that can't happen now with his arms tied up. "Is there anything either of us can do to work things out...?"
"Hmm..." Shulk nodded his head no. "The obvious one is simply not breathing when eating..."
Reyn looked confused as ever, scratching his head. "Uhhh, isn't that obvious? You do that opposite when you swallow, you'll be choking on your own food!" Reyn was an expert at this one of course along with Riki.
Sharla added, "Taste is mostly by the scent of smell... It's supposed to work. That's how I got Juju to eat his own fruits and vegetables."
Riki jumped in excitement. "Then Shulk should do it! Shulk should not smell while eating!"
"That never works for me. I'll always taste something..." Shulk sighed in defeat. Riki stopped jumping and looked upset. The easy way out was thrown away like trash. He was no stranger to that technique, and it always doesn't work. That is his technique whenever Fiora gave him a little something to eat that had some fruits or vegetables to eat. Trying to keep a straight face while stomaching down the food was a huge battle. But now that he has to do it with full blown fruits and vegetables...
"But at least it's reducing the taste to some extent." Dunban shrugged as he looked onto the plate of food again. "There's no other way, is there? That's the only thing you can do."
"Y-Yeah... Looks like I'll be doing those frequent visits to the restroom. Fiora will surely find out..."
Dunban muttered as he tapped on the dining table, "Dulling taste buds... Oh-!" Dunban stopped. "Alcohol. That also reduces taste!"
At that statement, everyone looked at Dunban, with Sharla and Shulk staring at him in surprise while Reyn and Riki were grinning. Alcohol...?
"Oi, you serious bout this? That's pretty... interesting..." Reyn asked.
Sharla frowned. "Dunban! You know we can't serve minors alcohol!" She was quick to dismiss the idea. Shulk still had three years left to go in Hom years before he can legally drink. (It was different for the other races, as their life spans were different. For High Entia, the drinking age was 90, and Nopon had it at 28.) "Besides... in order for taste buds to dull from alcohol, you literally have to be drunk! Obviously we can't have that!"
Dunban sighed, realizing his mistake. "Good point..." "Though, it would be quite interesting to find out what kind of drunk Shulk would be... But Fiora would kill me a thousand times over."
"Wait! Riki knows something!" Riki jumped up and down in excitement. Everyone looked down on the floor to find the Heropon excited. Shulk was crossing his fingers in his head hoping Riki has a breakthrough that will end this torture.
"Riki knows how to stop taste! Oka does this when Riki cooks, because Oka does not like Riki's cooking sometimes!"
Reyn was growing impatient with Riki's rambling as he tapped the table rapidly with his index finger. "Then spit it out, furball! Shulk is going to get killed by Fiora in a few hours!"
Riki jumped onto the table by hopping onto an empty chair first. He pointed to the plate of fruits and vegetables, saying, "Before Shulk eat fruits and vegetables, Shulk must try eating peppermint! Lots of peppermint! Peppermint will make Shulk not taste anything but peppermint!"
Shulk grimaced at the sound of peppermint. He recalled Reyn saying that "peppermint tasted like eating a leaves from a tree" back when they were young. And this was no different as he would describe eating a vegetable. Thing is, he never ate peppermint before...
Sharla's eyes grew wider as she hit the realization that Riki was onto something. "Riki is right...! Peppermint does dull the taste of your taste buds. If you manage to eat pepperment, then you won't be able to taste anything for an hour, no matter what you eat!"
"Er... you sure...?" Shulk asked with a tone of uncertainty and nervousness, raising an eyebrow.
"We would need to try that out first, don't we?" Reyn asked. He was rotating his right arm as if he was ready to get some peppermint to prepare for Shulk.
"Yes." Sharla faced Dunban, asking, "Do you have anything related to peppermint?"
"Hmm... Go check my shelves of spices and whatnot. There is bound to be some leaves on there or something, I hope."
As Sharla was scanning the shelves around Dunban's kitchen, another series of knocks was heard. Unlike Reyn's knocks, they were more quiet and rhythmic. It could only be Melia. "Hello, is everyone still there? Dunban, it's your turn to watch Fiora!"
Five minutes already? No, it must have been faster as it seems Fiora might be getting suspicious. It was time for Dunban to keep Fiora in check. Dunban stood up from his seat and approach the door. "Hang tight. I'll open the door."
"Got it." Sharla took a container full of leaves in it. She placed the container on the dining room table.
Dunban unlocked and opened the door and there stood Melia with an anxious face. She was tapping her feet on the ground, which was a habit of hers. "Any progress?"
"No, but we finally got a lead. Now come in, I'll take care of Fiora."
Melia walked inside and Dunban walked out, closing the door. Melia locked the door by turning the lock counterclockwise. She saw the entire party gathered around the table, with the only thing different is the placement of the glass of water and the container with peppermint leaves next to it.
"Peppermint? Oh!" Melia realized the plan from looking at the leaves. "Good idea!" When she looked down at Riki, she noticed Riki's fur a bit ruffled up. It didn't seem like it at first glance, but closer inspection shows that Riki's fur wasn't as smooth and even. She would be the one to notice, as she is nearly always cuddling the Heropon.
"Oh my, what happened you, Riki?"
Riki jumped onto Melia's arms. Melia caught him and rubbed the side of his head as he replied, "Oooh, Riki shoved celery in Shulk's mouth... Shulk did not like celery.. Riki had to cover Shulk's mouth to keep him from spitting, but it not work..."
"E-Er..." Melia stared at Shulk, who was facing away from Melia from embarrassment. He turned a light shade of pink with Riki's reply.
"Please don't ask..."
"I-I won't...!" Melia shook her head no rapidly. She looked at the sitting container of peppermint on the table and tried to change the subject, saying, "Come, let us try using this peppermint leaf. We don't have much time left, now do we?"
Reyn reached over on the table to grab a hold of the container. He unscrewed the red lid in a counterclockwise manner and removed the lid. Reaching down on the leaves, he took three of them and handed it to Sharla. Sharla took the leaves and approached Shulk, who was staring at the leaves nervously already.
"Unfortunately, we might need to use multiple leaves instead of one to guarantee nulling your taste buds."
"A-All right..." Shulk replied hesitantly. Sweat was falling again at the side of his face, strangely not at the same degree as before. He swallowed whatever was on his throat and sighed. "O-Okay... Let's... do this..."
As Sharla was raising the peppermint leaves towards his mouth, he took a deep breath and held it. Soon, he opened his mouth. Sharla gently placed the leaves in his mouth and retreated her hands. Shulk already could taste the mint on the leaves as soon as it had light contact with his tongue, and he flinched slightly. He closed his mouth with the leaves in it and began to chew.
"Mm..ngh..!" He groaned, his eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed as he chewed. The mint was so damn overpowering!He was feeling a reflex to open his mouth immediately and spit the damn leaves out, but he was putting all of his willpower into holding his breath, keeping his mouth shut and to swallow those leaves. Reyn and Riki couldn't help but giggle as he saw Shulk making so many facial expressions of disgust, even with his eyes and mouth closed. Sharla had napkins on one hand and a glass of water in the other to get ready for Shulk to spit the leaves out. Melia was cuddling Riki tighter in anxiety, hoping things would end well.
"Shulk can do it!" Riki chanted, wiggling around Melia's arms.
"Yes, keep going! You can do it!" Melia cheered too, but more quietly than Riki.
The leaves were small enough to be swallowed, so Shulk tried as much as he could to swallow the chewed up leaves. In a matter of a second, the leaves were no longer on his mouth and now working their way down to his stomach.
"A-Aaah!" As soon as the leaves were gone. Shulk gasped loudly, releasing his held breath and panted. The damn taste of pepperment is too much. It really felt like he ate a whole peppermint plant from just three leaves.
Reyn took one of the leaves of green lettuce on the plate and ripped a small piece that was the size of his thumb. He offered it to Shulk, saying, "Hey, try it now. Let's see if the tree worked!"
"Y-Yeah..." He replied, his voice cracking from the awful taste of peppermint.
Shulk opened his mouth and Reyn put the corner of the lettuce at his tongue. Shulk clamped his mouth shut and began to eat the lettuce. He forgot to hold his breath, but he noticed that all he still tasted was the peppermint. Sure, the texture of the lettuce was there, but there was no taste. The peppermint was working!
He swallowed the lettuce after chewing it three times and sighed. "I... I don't taste it... It's working...!" What's more, he didn't feel an immediate gag reflex of swallowing the peppermint leaves or the lettuce.
Everyone was grinning and sighing with relief. Sharla wiped the sweat that was on her forehead with the napkin that was intended for Shulk. She was on the edge the entire time. If the peppermint didn't work, they were out of options. As soon as she was done wiping, she offered the glass to Shulk. "Here, you deserve it."
"T-Thank you..."
As Sharla was helping Shulk drink the water, Reyn took a celery stick on the plate and began to eat it. He was getting a little hungry himself and he deserved a snack for keeping Fiora busy. "I can't believe we finally fixed a 14 year old curse! Now we can fi-"
"F-Fiora! Wait, don't go in yet!"
The loud voice of Dunban was echoed in everyone's ears, halting all activity in the dining room. As soon as they heard Dunban's voice, everyone's heart stopped.
Fiora is coming! If she sees them now...!
"Dunban, what's going on? What is with you lately?" Fiora's voice was a little inaudible as she spoke more quietly than Dunban. After all, Dunban's voice being louder than usual was the only warning for the others inside.
"A-Ah! Put the food away! Put the leaves away!" Sharla whispered as loud as possible. Sharla quickly grabbed the leaves and ran towards the kitchen shelves to put the leaves back in their original position. Reyn, who was closest to the plate, used his whole hand to grab all of the vegetables on the plate and placed them in his mouth. Riki and Melia stared in awe and disgust at the same as they saw Reyn's cheeks puff up like a bunny stuffing vegetables on its mouth. He was chewling slowly and grinning as he done so. It wasn't his first time stuffing so much food in his mouth after all.
Shulk realized something was even more wrong... "W-Wait... I'm still-!"
"FIORA, WAIT!"
The sound of the doorknob was moving. Everyone was holding their breath in fear and anxiety. The door was locked but...
"Why is the door locked...?"
Fiora's voice was followed by the sound of keys, then the sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole... The lock being undone and...
The door opened.
Fiora only had to open the door halfway to see the look on everyone's faces. Melia and Riki were staring at her and smiling a bit too much. Sharla was smiling too and was holding onto crumpled napkins and was constantly gripping them tighter as if she was ready to toss them. Reyn looked ridiculous with his cheeks puffed up from... whatever was in his mouth.
But Fiora was most concerned about was the Heir to the Monado...
"Shulk... why... are you... tied to a chair...?"
"F-F...Fiora..."
His throat was tightening and so much sweat was falling from his face. What on Bionis is a good excuse for him to be tied in a chair? Telling the truth would be a death sentence over and over.
Fiora turned around to see Dunban, who was trying to keep eye contact away from her. "Dunban. What is going on? You acting funny earlier, then trying to prevent me from getting in our own home... Now Shulk tied up? I demand an explanation on everyone's actions..." She frowned, glancing at Reyn and Melia, who kept her busy with some strange talk prior. Fiora easily caught on for everyone's strange behavior Reyn was spouting random topics, from the weather, her experience on a Mechon body, and food he ate. Melia was talking about Riki and the Nopon nonstop...
"I..."
Dunban could feel his left hand shaking slightly in nervousness as he gazed upon the irritated face of his little sister. He glanced at the rest of the party. They were all looking anxiously at him for him to give a proper answer to Fiora. Except Reyn, he was smiling in a goofy manner with his eyebrows high up and a large grin on his face. Shulk was the most anxious looking one of them all, his face turning red by the second.
"It's... uh..."
Fiora faced the rest of the party in the house and frowned at everyone. "You will tell me. Or else... no party later!"
Without moving his head, Reyn looked at Shulk and lifted his eyebrows as a sign of approval. Shulk could already tell from Reyn's reasoning that not telling Fiora a good explanation would spare his stomach and his mental state later. An easy way out! But it would also mean...
Fiora worked so hard cooking and prepping for a party for him... all for it to be thrown down the drain?
If there's one thing he hated and loathed so much that was on the same level as Dickson putting a hole in his chest and Zanza bent on destroying all life Bionis, it was Fiora to be sad...
No. He couldn't do this to her.
Shulk closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. Everyone faced him and placed full attention. Shulk opened his eyes and quietly answered Fiora, saying, "F-Fiora... the reason I'm tied up like this is... is..."
"Well?" Fiora was raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
"I found out about the Get Well party from Dunban... You're doing all of this for me, and I'm so grateful for it... So... Dunban suggested I do something in return for your hard work... And..." Shulk glanced at Melia. "M-Melia suggested I sing a song for you..."
"W-What...?" Fiora felt her heart stop and skip a beat. S-Sing...? Shulk...? That is completely unheard of! The last time she heard Shulk sing was in her birthday with Reyn and Dunban. Obviously singing the birthday song, and that was about six years ago!
Melia was also surprised, and looked at Shulk with such confusion. At the same time, she was turning red like a cherry. She quickly shook her head and looked at Fiora, smiling to make things less suspicious.
"Y-Yes...! I suggested Shulk to sing... something. He refused and tried to run away so we... tied him up! Yes!" Melia looked at Sharla to get her approval.
Sharla nodded and smiled at Fiora. "She's right. Shulk was overreacting, so we had to tie him up."
Reyn, still with food in his mouth, nodded. He couldn't help but chuckle at the stupid excuses everyone else was making. "Mm hm!"
Riki jumped from Melia's arms and onto the dining table. He tapped on Reyn's arm that was leaning on the table and added, "Too bad Shulk still not agree to sing for Fiora! Instead Shulk will sing some other time! Shulk decides to spend time with Fiora after party! Only Shulk and Fiora!"
"O-Oh..." Fiora was blushing at Riki's explanation. She even saw Shulk turning his face away from embarrassment. "I... had no idea..."
Dunban sighed and scratched his head. That was some terrible excuses and a lame story to boot, but Fiora fell for it. He entered the house and closed the door behind him.
Shulk shook his head from the sweat that was on his face and looked at Fiora again. "Fiora... Sorry for all of this... But for sure... Let's go to Outlook Park after the party. Just like old times."
"Ah... Gladly... I'm looking forward to it...!" Fiora replied, clasping her hands together in excitement.
Dunban cleared his throat, the weight crushing him now leaving to his relief. "Well then... Fiora, shouldn't you finish preparing your food? And we should clean up to start decorating, yes?"
Everyone nodded in unison. The past thirty minutes have been quite eventful for everyone except Fiora. It was time to prepare for an interesting party and feast later today.
"Now, let's clean up. I'll have to get some things up stairs. Riki, Melia, Reyn, Sharla go outside and get the cooking pots and ingredients from Desiree. Fiora, get Shulk out of those ropes."
As everyone went off to do as Dunban commanded, Fiora giggled as she approached Shulk. She knelt down next to him to look for the knot that held the ropes together. "You look so silly tied up, you know. It's like you got kidnapped and you're being ransomed for some money or some organization secrets!"
"Er... Do I now?" Shulk muttered.
Fiora found the knot that was holding the ropes tightly and binding Shulk to the chair. It was located near his wrists. Her mechanical hands unfortunately were not as small as they were to untie them easily. She approached the sink and took one of the kitchen knives that was lying next to the sink faucet. She walked back towards Shulk and said to him, "Hold still, I have to cut this."
With her right hand firmly holding onto the knife, lightly placed pressure on the rope. She applied a little more pressure and began to slowly move the knife back and forth until the rope was cut. As soon as it was cut, the ropes became loose.
Fiora stood back and placed the knife on the table as Shulk moved his arms to remove the ropes. The ropes all fell loosely down onto the ground. He stood up and groaned, stretching out his arms. He couldn't tell obviously from his clothes, he could have sworn he had so many indentations of the rope on his skin that it would take hours for it to get back to normal.
"Aah-! Finally!"
As soon as Shulk sighed with relief, Fiora caught a whiff of Shulk's breath. She narrowed her eyes at him and frowned in suspicion. Shulk? And peppermint? It smelled good but... that was two things she would never see mix together.
"Shulk... why do you smell like peppermint?"
As soon as Fiora asked that question, Shulk immediately covered his mouth with his left hand and replied nervously, "O-Oh! Uh... Riki... made me eat peppermint to... make my breath smell better?" He flinched as he smelled his own breath as he covered his mouth.
"Ugh, it really is overpowering...!" He lowered his hand and scratched the side of his face. "Yeah... My breath didn't smell great earlier today so... he gave me some..."
Fiora shook her head. "That's so much peppermint... It's like you ate a whole tree..." She shrugged. Shulk's reason sounded so stupid, but plausible at the same time. Shulk does have a habit of eating too much meat and getting carried away with it...
"Okay... Hm. Maybe you should eat it more... It really does smell good. I like it." She took a hold of Shulk's hand and tugged him gently towards the door. "Come on! Let's get ready for the party!"
"Yeah. Let's go."
As they walked out, Shulk covered his mouth again. Peppermint... those leaves tastes disgusting but... if Fiora liked its scent and it would help him swallow the cursed foods of fruits and vegetables...
It was worth taking the risk.
Headcanons:
1. Fiora prepared a party for Shulk for his recovery from Dickson's attack. The thing is, the food she prepared were all fruits and vegetables. Shulk learned of this last minute and he wants no part of it, but he didn't want to hurt Fiora's feelings. He asked the party to help him to keep the food down in his stomach for some time or at least change the menu. They had Shulk tied up to a chair and forcefully fed him fruits and vegetables in preparation of Fiora's dinner.
2. Since he was young, Shulk has a habit of staying quiet when he was angry or irritated by someone he is close to. If he is angry with any of the party members, he would stay quiet until the person he is angry or irritated with notices that something is wrong. At least he would calmly tell the opposing party what made him angry and sort things out in a civilized manner.
A/N: For once, a one-shot with an introduction to a third headcanon! (Hint. Melia's suggestion of singing a song... Unfortunately, I will not be writing about this one. If you're willing to, by all means.) Woah. The second one isn't really major, but it was something to at least identify I guess. I'm squeezed this oneshot as fast as possible. Well, reason is because I won't be able to write anything for the next week or so. Hence, an early release to make up for things.
It was extremely difficult on ending this oneshot, because the circumstances are really out in the open for interpretation. It was also difficult to keep everyone in the party in character too. So my verdict is that I am neutral about how this turned out. My personal experience went into this oneshot, cause I, like this picky eater, hate my vegetables!
I just realized this is the longest oneshot yet, that is twice the length of the others... Oops.
With this oneshot done, the following are in development:
-Dunban, Reyn, Shulk - Language Barrier / Summary: Reyn is going take revenge on Shulk by having him "learn" how to speak Japanese to practice on Dunban...
-Reyn, Sharla, Melia - Babysitting / Summary: Sharla proposed that Riki should spend time with his wife Oka through a date, and this meant babysitting their kids. Of course, it won't be easy with 8 littlepon running around...
-Entire Party - Dress Up / Summary: After the events of Prison Island, the party is invited by Melia and Kallian to have the late feast for Melia's succession to the throne. Thing is, they have to dress up in High Entia attire. That won't sit well with some party members...
-Shulk, Zanza - Rebirth / Summary: Pre-game. A tie in headcanon with the oneshot Necklaces and retelling of the vague events of Ose Tower. He waited for centuries for the one vessel, and what perfect timing when a group of Homs came into his presence. One would be spared, but with a cost...
Reminder to be on a lookout for sketches for the second oneshot. My scanner is in repairs and will be fixed, so check on my profile for the images periodically.
And again, I appreciate the reviews and will take feedback into consideration.