Moving On Up

This was the happiest day of Blossom’s life.

...on second thought, maybe not. As Blossom carefully made her way up the stairs, carrying a bag of luggage big enough to fit herself in  with room to spare, she couldn’t help but ponder how this would rank on her list. There was the day where she won her first match, quite happy. The day where she came back to the ring after a long hiatus, also happy. And she couldn’t forget the day where she and Bunny kissed for the first time and set off their intrepid relationship. Though she was hesitant to put that on the list. Didn’t seem fair to include days with good sex.

But this day was definitely going to be up there. A strong contender for the top #3, at the very least: the day Death Bunny moved in with her.

It had been brewing for a little while now, and it was all coming together. Aside from making economic sense, it fit now that the two of them were a real item, saving them the trouble of constantly having to flit back and forth to see each other. Bunny was getting more and more comfortable with the two of them spending time together, and she’d needed someone to room with since Maki left. It was the common sense fit, and it would afford Blossom more cuddling opportunities.

Today was moving day, and they had arduous task of packing up all of Bunny’s stuff, driving it down to Blossom’s, getting it up the stairs because the elevator only worked when it felt like it, and finding somewhere to put said stuff in her own place.  It was a repetitive slow process that they’d been at all day, but doing it with Death Bunny made it more than manageable. It was fun.

With the luggage hugging tight against her chest, Blossom slid into the open door of her apartment and dropped it near the entrance, where she took a moment to catch her breath. ”Phew!” She arched her back, getting out a few kinks., and gave her overall jeans a stretch.  ”Hey, DB!” She called out, not sure where her girlfriend was at the moment in her apartment. Their apartment. Wow, she liked thinking that. ”Think that covers the bags! Ready to take on the couch?”

Spoiler:

*Baby steps...Baby steps...Baby steps...*

D.B. inwardly repeated a self-help mantra ad nauseum in her bunny-eared head for the duration of what had been an exhaustive day of renting the moving trucks, bending at the knees, and D.B. threatening to chokeslam the inept landlord who refuses to get the proper repairs on the malfunctioning elevator. Blossom had managed to sweet talk D.B. out of her exceedingly violent resolution, with quelling D.B.'s temper being something that only she could do. But despite being calmed down, the grim bunny girl. was still on pins and needles after agreeing to what was a logical step for any solid relationship...but was leaps and bounds beyond what she was used to.

Solitude and isolation had been the bedrock foundation of her surly persona for years now. Her own sort of, self-imposed exile from the rest of the world just made things simpler on her part. It was an ideal that meant less people in her morbid life to muddy her thoughts and her concentration towards her career. It was an ideal that had put everyone in her life at arm's length, and made them incapable of ever entering her own zone of consciousness.

And it was an ideal she was actively trying to fight against now.

"...*phew*..."

D.B. took some time for an extended break after setting down two stacked boxes behind Blossom's apartment door, adorned in her beaded black bunny skull and crossbones t-shirt and cut off booty jean shorts. She stretched out her back and by extension her elongated bunny ears before settling back down to gloss over the cozy apartment. It filled her with nostalgia of another time when she was an unapproachable, surly, bitter, and rancorous thug...though some parts of her were still like that. But it was still hard not to compare just how much she had changed. The older her would have never conceived of any of this ever happening...and she supposed she had her flowery lover to thank for opening up her mind to new possibilities...someone who just so happened to walk right into the apartment just as D.B. was thinking of her.

D.B. remained silent as the grave as Blossom stretched out her own back, the bunny girl hiding her own burgeoning smirk as she stealthily crept up from behind Blossom with her ominous arms outstretched...for a snug faux bearhug from behind with one arm bearing down on Blossom's waist and the other wrapped around her neck.

"Still gotta work on watching your back...You never know what type of unsavory figures you'll end up running into..." D.B. coyly whispered in the midst of hugging her flowery companion tightly, securely embracing her equally sweaty partner before easing up and allowing her out of the hug. They did indeed have a couch to move, after all...

Was it weird that Blossom swore she could smell Death Bunny in the room? Maybe. Just a little. That didn’t make it any less true, though. She’d grow quite used to her girlfriend’s sweaty scent over the past few months, having filled her nostrils with the scent quite often. It was a heady scent, not quite musky or stinky. Oddly spicy, like it made your blood pressure rise when you took too much of it in at once - or, maybe, that was just something that happened when Blossom did it.

The point was that she could smell the wonderful smell right now, that it was thick in the air, proof that her girlfriend was in the immediate facility. Death Bunny was a tall woman with bunny ears, so it wasn’t like she was hard to spot, and she certainly wasn’t the type to be laying down on the job…

Blossom sensed a presence behind her at the last second, but by then, it was far too late. Massive, powerful arms circle around her body, pulled her in close, and...hugged her.

”Bwah! Ohmygod!” Blossom shrieked, but quickly broke into a gigglefit when those familiar arms wrapped around and those familiar breasts pressed against her back, not to mention that familiar breath in her ear. ”Don’t worry, you’re the only unsavory type that’s allowed to come at me from behind.”

Heh. Sexual innuendos. It seemed a little of Bunny was rubbing off on her, too.

She reached behind Bunny’s back to give her cheek a little pinch, then impishly spun about and hopped away, looking up at her lover. ”Think we’re pretty much done, just have to tag team the couch.” She shuffled her way to the door with a hop and a skip. ”How does George like the place?”

There was a time not too long ago when D.B. intentions were decidedly more sinister whenever she found herself gloomily stalking someone from behind, with the vast majority of her intended victims walking away from the experience with nightmarish memories of an unending darkness during their prolonged hospital stays and visits to the league's psychiatrist...

...but today was definitely a day for change, new beginnings, and unprecedented firsts. One of those new experiences being the first time someone was actually tickled pink to be pounced upon from behind in her strengthened grip, something that was no doubt never going to be duplicated from outside the confines of this cozy apartment and against anyone other than the irrepressible grappler in her arms.

D.B. herself suppressing her own burgeoning smirk from the infectious giggling she hugged out of Blossom, this perhaps being another new experience for them as this was the first time they partook in a sweat-soaked embrace with the sultry sensation of their sweltering body heat from outside the confines of a wrestling ring...or a bedroom. Ending this spontaneous and amorous moment being noticeably more difficult than D.B. thought as she released Blossom and began following her out the door before the "George" comment stopped her in her tracks in for a lightning fast trip down memory lane that involved a locker room encounter and the cuddly plush rabbit doll himself. Though she lightened up with a grim chuckle before proceeding onward and out the front door, closing it behind her.

"You know...sometimes I forget just how much you know about me. And that is definitely something that will take some getting used to, even more than moving into a whole new apartment. But I'll let you know how he feels when I unpack the little guy...along with all of his friends. They damn well better love the place, seeing as how it's gonna be their new home whether they like it or not. " D.B. earnestly stated in a tough love sense while walking side by side her flowery roommate down the staircase and into the lobby, their downward trek tempting D.B. even further towards making good on her threat to "convince" the landlord to fix the stalled elevator.

"But just so you know, one of these days, you're going to know everything there is to know about me. And it's going to be your turn to start airing out some skeletons in your closet, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't faintly curious about all of that..."

Bubbles didn’t even bother to look behind her when she heard Death Bunny’s footfalls abruptly stop, walking on ahead with a knowing smile. She could see her lover’s expression clear enough in her head, vividly and clearly, the blank stare and the momentary shock. To be fair, that moment in the locker room was ages ago, and she wouldn’t have expected it to stick too keenly in Death Bunny’s mind - heck, considering what happened soon after, she wouldn’t have faulted her for not remembering it at all.

But for Blossom, it was a key moment in her life. The first time she got to peek through Death Bunny’s cold, surly veil and saw the sweetheart underneath. It had made her curious to see more, and started rolling snowball that took years to grow. But, here they were.

She started to make her way down the stairs, moving to the side as one of her neighbors made his way up. He gave the two of them - more Death Bunny than her - a quick, curious glance, before hurriedly making his passing them and clomping out of sight. The look didn’t really bother Blossom, already growing used to the odd glances that came their way. They made an eye-catching couple, no doubt about that.

”Oh, I’d love to do Truth or Dare with you, sometime.” She skipped a couple of steps, hopping down faster as they neared the bottom. ”Fair warning, though, I’m not nearly as interesting as you. Most of my secrets are the ‘silly things I did in high school’ variety.”

The same passing neighbor who was shooting them perplexed glances and was wholeheartedly ignored by Blossom, made a noticeably more nervous sprint up the stairs once he noticed the chilling glare form D.B.'s soulless eyes. Normally she would disregard any cock-eyed reactions from passing strangers, but a byproduct of being in this eye-catching relationship was D.B.'s heightened sense of protection in regards to her chipper lover. Though she inwardly admitted that staring down neighbors she might run into in the laundry room of their apartment may not be the best way to acclimate herself to her new home.

"Well...considering that I have more issues than a comic book store, hearing someone talk about leading a normal life for once-whoa..." D.B. paused mid-sentence to avoid stepping onto the tail of a sleeping cat on the stairwell, no doubt one of the litter owned by the lady tenant who lets them roam free. She offered the napping cat a quick glance and wondered if it was the same cat she stepped over on that fated night...before she she shook her head and continued with what she was saying.

"...-might be a refreshing change of pace for me."

Now outside and behind the moving truck parked on the curb, D.B. would step up inside the back of the truck and approach the last bit of furniture. An expansive black armchair that was as comfortable to sit in as it looked, and thankfully much lighter than it looked. D.B. bent at the knees and made sure she had a firm grip on the chair before attempting to heave it up in tandem with Blossom.

"Ready?"

”Watch out, Junichi.” Blossom shooed away another one of the cats that had been lazing about on the steps, getting him to scamper off and join his friend. It was at that moment where she realized that, at some point, she’d bothered to learn the names of all the random cats, probably from that time she helped clean out Cat Lady’s apartment.

”Well, don’t get me wrong, I do have some excitement in my life. Like, there was this one time I thought about stealing a candy bar when my Mom wouldn’t get me one.” She hopped down the last few steps and finally made it to the bottom, her heels clopping hard when she landed. ”I...didn’t actually do it, you know, but the intent was there.” She wagged a finger Death Bunny’s way. [color:09f1=#Green]”The intent was there.”

The reached the couch and Blossom took up position on the side, getting ready for the lift. With the height difference, things would be a tad weird, but she could manage so long as they watched their foot.

”And a-one, two, [i]three!” Blossom lift the sofa up and started up the stairs, with Death Bunny leading the way. The couch wasn’t too heavy, eithe of them could’ve lifted it, but it was big and awkward.

”So, tell me,” Step. Step. Step. Kick away a raw car one of the kids left on the steps. ”Are there any little quirks I should know about, stuff I should look out for with us  living together? I already know about the snoring…” She flicked her tongue Death Bunny’s way.

D.B. recalled similar moments of playground mischief in her own turbulent childhood, though whenever she did make good on her thieving ways it was always right alongside her rambunctious younger sister. Who D.B. made sure got the majority of their delicious spoils considering more than often it was the only way they could get a full stomach. D.B. held back from sharing that tidbit from her past for another time. Out of fear that it would dampen the chipper mood of the day which was one for new beginnings...and for Blossom's sake as well.

Luckily, having a career that primarily dealt with tossing around fully grown woman all day resulted in remarkable prowess when it came to lifting heavy objects. Compared to that, hauling around an armchair was practically a non-issue as they re-entered the apartment building thanks to a courteous neighbor holding the door open for them. The piece of furniture between them hiding the grim smirk on D.B.'s lips as Blossom just seemed to love reminding her how well they knew each other.

"Nyuh uh. No way. What's the point in me just telling you that type of stuff when half the fun is finding out on your own over time?...but I will recommend you start stocking up on strawberry Greek yogurt..." D.B. said while beginning to reach their floor. Luckily the stairway gave them wide-berth as they continued their winding ascension with D.B. making cautious steps backwards...

"MRAWR!!...*Hiss*..."

...though not without one unlucky cat getting her tail stepped up before scampering away like her life depended on. Even D.B. felt bad about that one. But before long they made their way back into the apartment with no other issue, than plopping the comfortable chair in the assigned spot they made room for right next to the sofa.

"...*phew*...alright, I uh...think that's it..."

And so the pint-sized powerhouse and the not-so-pint-sized power began their dangerous trek up the stairs, risking life and limb so they could have something comfortable to sit on while they were watching Game of Thrones. And while Blossom was painting Death Bunny’s toenails. And maybe get in some quick makeout space after they’d come home from a hard day int0 the gym. Heck, they could even properly break the thing n today…

All of the sudden, Blossom was a little more anxious to get this sofa into her apartment, which was made easier by her helpful neighbor. ”Domo arigato, Mr. Tanaka!” She smiled his way as they continued, appreciating the help. She hoped Death Bunny would get used to the people who lived around here as well as she had. Since day one, they’d been, for the most part, pretty accepting of the goofy, short American who’d moved in with them.  If they could do the same with the sometimes scary, tall bunny-eared biker who was now living in their midst, that could go a ways to brightening Death Bunny’s life, an ever-present goal of Blossom’s.

Into her apartment they came, and down the sofa went, with an appropriately solid THUD. Bubbles took a step and stretched out, rubbing her back in the process - this sofa hadn’t been all that heavy on its lonesome, but an entire day of lifting couldn't help but take a toll.

”Yes, ma’am, that is, indeed,  it!” Blossom exclaimed, giving Death Bunny the thumbs up. ”So now that the work is done, how shall we play?” She eyed the suitcases, mischievously.  ”I’ve got a Faster Pussycat! Kill!  Kill! DVD that’s just waiting to be watched…”

She knew it was a hard sell to get Death Bunny in on her love of cheesy old movies, but it was worth a try.

The booming thud of her favorite armchair finding it's proper place in the living room was practically the defining moment when it was all truly starting to sink in. Scanning the chipper confines of her new home didn't help to make the surreal nature of all of this any more based in reality. For someone so dead set in her ways to embrace so much life altering change in one day, even if it was absolutely for the better, was always going to be a tall order. Anxiousness and uncertainty was starting to be etched across her face before she found herself being jolted out of her brooding reflection and by the chipper sunniness of the ball of energy beside her.

D.B. mustered up a reassuring smile from the side of her mouth after what must have been a few seconds of her spacing out there for a second. Matching Blossom's energy levels was never going to be an option for D.B., who more often than not preferred moody introspection. Still, there was something that could probably cheer herself up...

"Well...that DVD's going to have to wait just a little while longer. C'mere, I've got something really special I've been meaning to show you for ages now, but you gotta close your eyes~..." D.B. teasingly said while scruffing up Blossom's hair. She started stepping up towards one of her black suitcases laid out on Blossom's sofa and began scrounging through to unveil...

"Annnnnd...Ta-da~..."

...a sweat-soaked, holey, blood stained tank top t-shirt with a clenched fist and heart on it's front side. Presented inches away from Blossom's face in all it's mangy glory with D.B. clasping onto it from behind by it's shoulder straps.

"Check it out, it's Taylor Parker's t-shirt from the night I pummeled her bloody raw and Conway robbed her of her world title belt. Whenever I'm feeling out of sorts, I just look at this pinned to my wall and it cheers me right the hell up. It's gonna be kinda tough trying to find a place to hang it here though." D.B. stated before she started walking around the apartment while looking for the perfect spot to start hammering in the nails...