31Very first request! This is for biankies, a loyal reviewer that has been around since the beginning! Here you go my friend! I hope you enjoy it! Beware, this collection of one-shots to come will contain high levels of fluff, because sometimes I just need to write fluff because I love it.
Gabriella's Arrow Obsession
Everyone at Auradon Prep knew about it; it would be hard not to, honestly. Gabriella wasn't all that subtle about it. She was always thinking about it. It didn't matter if she was in class, in the cafeteria, at the tourney field, or even in her dorm. She had notebooks filled to the brim with designs of all kinds, each with their own separate set of calculations on a number of interchangeable variables.
It could be classified as an obsession.
The other villain kids, fondly and not so fondly called VKs, know not to ask, and advise others not to. Something along the lines of having this specific obsession aimed and shot at them if they were to ask. Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos all knew not to ask about Gabby's obsession/hobby. It was obviously personal and touchy, so they left it alone. Even when Gabriella worked herself into a fit, by Gabby standards, and ranted about how her calculations were just a hair off or how it had some side-effect...("How was I suppose to know it would electrocute Chad? I didn't mean for it to happen, even if he did deserve it...)
However, the students of Auradon Prep were very, very, very curious about Gabriella's obsession, all except one, that is.
Lucian, or Luc, son of Lumiere and boyfriend of Gabriella, didn't even seem the least bit interested in knowing why his girlfriend had this obsession, and didn't even call it an obsession when asked about.
"She likes to tinker. Is that a crime? Besides, we all have our hobbies, so I don't see the problem in her having her own."
However, some of the students of Auradon Prep, such as Chad and Audrey, felt...uneasy about her obsession, claiming it could be potentially dangerous for all of them. Even though Audrey had made amends, kind of, with the VKs, it was no secret she still didn't like them, nor fully trust any of them. As it was also no secret that Gabriella did not like the princess, and had basically banned her from her section of the mechanics workshop, and that she would know if the pink wearing princess so much as stepped foot in her section, which was her second home. Let's just say that Fairy Godmother never had the heart to wake the girl when she fell asleep on her work-table late into a night of working on her obsession.
It actually got to the point to where it was even beginning to worry the VKs and Luc.
"I mean, she's barely ever in the dorm at night, and when I see her, she has bags under her eyes...besides, lack of sleep is really bad for her looks and her mind..."
"Evie, maybe we should just leave her be...I mean, maybe she's just doing it because she enjoys it?"
"Carlos, Gab's never been at it this hard before! You know how she is, she's always about her mind being sharp... I had to actually remind her about taking me to archery range to see her newest arrows..."
"Why are you so worried about that, Mal...?"
"Well, Jay, it was kind of worrying when she almost shot me in the head!"
"Please, be calm! I'm sure ma belle chérie knows her limits..."
"Luc, maybe you should...talk to her..."
"You're scared to talk to her, Ben?"
"No, Luc, I just know that, if I were to talk to her, I would end up with an arrow through or attached to me..."
"Fine, fine, I will talk with Ella."
And he would, when he dragged her out of this dark room, illuminated slightly by Gabriella's work-lamp as she fiddled around with her newest arrow...the sparks he saw every few seconds did not make him feel at all at ease.
"Ella, I think it's time you and I had a nice chat outside, in the sunshine...away from sharp and harmful objects," Lucian joked, setting his hands on her tensed shoulders.
"Just give me a minute. The circuits are not cooperating as much as I would prefer..."
"No, we are going now. Up. Now."
Gabriella snorted. "I don't listen to you when you order me around..."
"Nor when I ask politely. Now, are you coming willing or am I going to have to use force?"
"As if you could force me to do anything. We both know I'm stronger."
"...True, but I brought back up!"
"And who, pray tell, did you recruit...?" Gabriella was highly skeptical. No one messed with her, and for good reason. While she had worked on her...violent aggression issues, she still clocked Charming, twice actually, and wasn't afraid to do it again. Plus, it was a known fact that her violin turned into a bow, even though she promised Fairy Godmother to not revert it back into its original state while on school grounds...(The archery range didn't count, of course, nor did the clearing in the woods where she set up multiple targets.)
"Okay, so I didn't bring back up...will you just come outside with me? Please? I've hardly seen you lately."
Gabriella sighed, but rose from her seat. "Fine, but not too long..."
Gabriella stared at Lucian incredulously. "Seriously? This is what you dragged me out here to talk about?"
"Ella, you have us all worried! You barely eat, and you have bags under your eyes from not sleeping! Why is it so important that you constantly obsess over it?"
"I wouldn't say obsess-"
"Gabriella, don't you dare turn this into some sarcastic slight that you can play off! You have a problem!"
"It's just a hobby!"
"No, it isn't! Why are you so obsessed?!"
"I'm not obsessed! It's a hobby!"
"No, not when you start not caring for yourself because of it! Ella, chérie, please tell me what's wrong!"
"Nothing is wrong! I'm fine! It's not obsession because-"
"Because why?!"
"It makes me happy! I enjoy making new things!"
"Yes, while I understand that, why do you do it constantly, lately? Obsessing over something doesn't make it healthy!"
"Because it proves him wrong!" Gabriella finally exploded, clenching her hands into tight fists. "It proves that I'm smarter than what he thinks; proves that I'm not a stupid, worthless mistake! It proves that I'm not weak or helpless! I can protect myself, and anyone else I care for. I do it so that no one else will die, so they won't be taken from me!" Her voice softened as she slowly fell to her knees in the soft grass. "It makes it so I can't be hurt...I don't want to be hurt like that ever again..."
Lucian knelt beside her, gently hugging her to his chest.
"I let all of you in, and I...can't lose you. I can't-I won't go through that kind of pain again. I won't be weak like that ever again."
"Oh, chérie," Lucian murmured sadly. "You won't lose us...you won't lose me. You're not a mistake, or stupid, and certainly not worthless, not even close to a mistake. You have never been weak, or helpless, even when you aimed an arrow at my head. In fact, I have never met someone so strong! You went against your upbringing, against the people that raised you, and chose to be good, to stay here with us...with me. You broke down the walls surrounding your heart so that you could reciprocate my love. I can't guarantee that you will never be hurt, but I will do my very best to make sure it doesn't hurt you..." Lucian kissed her lips softly. "Ella, I love you...you're not alone anymore...you don't have to keep working yourself to the bone..."
Gabriella smiled. "Alright, but I'm not going to outright stop...I do enjoy making them...it used to be for survival, back on the Isle, but now...it's a hobby."
"That turned into an obsession..."
"Will you ever let it go?"
"No, that's Elsa's job."
"Cheeky brat."
"You love me."
Gabriella smiled as she kissed his cheek. "That I do."
"Ella..." Luc groaned, glaring at the hunched figure of his girlfriend. "I thought we talked about this!"
It had been a couple weeks after their heartfelt chat, and Gabriella had been getting better. At least, he had thought she was.
"It's not an arrow this time! I've cut back on production, honest."
"Then what are you working on?"
"...Uh...nothing...?"
"Gabriella..."
"Okay, okay! I'm tweaking an old arrowhead! I'm trying to make it so that it only goes off when I hit a button I installed on my bow-"
"Ella, give that to me right now!"
"Luc! No, no, no! Don't-"
A loud bang echoed around the school, causing the ground to shake slightly. Maurice and Fairy Godmother rushed to the source of the bang, Maurice's workshop. When they opened the door, they were met by an...interesting surprise.
"You just had to grab it, didn't you?" a glitter covered Gabriella growled, glaring at her equally glitter covered boyfriend.
"I didn't know it was a glitter explosive! Why do you even have this?!"
"I have reasons!"
"...Chip paid you to prank Beast, didn't he?"
"...I plead the fifth."
Lucian groaned, oblivious to the two teachers chuckling at the scene. "Do you know how hard it is to get rid of glitter? It's like a virus, it spreads! Not to mention we'll have to clean this up..."
"What do you mean 'we'? I told you not to touch it!" Gabriella sneezed slightly, causing a glitter cloud to float in the air.
"You made it, you help."
"...Fine."
Now, while Gabriella still tinkered with arrows and arrowheads, Lucian knew what to do when she began to get a little too deep into it. And, it didn't hurt that they pranked Charming with the glitter arrow every now and then. And Jay. And Ben. And Beast, Cogsworth, Chip, and Lumiere, who swore revenge against his son and his girlfriend. Gabriella, stupidly Luc would insist, told him to bring it, adding in an "old man", which made Luc groan and Lumiere smirk.
"You have no idea what you've done..."
"What? I don't get what you're so afraid of!"
"Did you not see what happened at Family Day?"
"Of course I did! Still slightly confused...but, whatever he did, he wouldn't be able to catch me to do it..."
"You underestimate him, Ella..."
"Pfft, I'm not scared of your dad. Now, want to help me test out my latest arrow? This one is bound to be my best yet!"
"You say that every time..."
"...Shut up."
And there you have it! The reason behind why Gabby is so invested in her arrows! I hope you enjoyed this biankies! I may have expanded on it, but I made sure to have the main part of your request in here. And, all my other wonderful reviewers, feel free to PM me requests! While I can't guarantee immediate response, I will do my best to do them. However, the next installment is my own idea, and is hinted at here towards the end of this chapter. ;) Until next time!