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flamigoat · 22 days

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Lights, Camera, Actions!

Part 2. 💖🎬🧡

Previous Part

Pairings: Rabbid Peach x Rayman

Characters: Rabbid Peach, Rayman, Beep-O, Rabbid Mario

Themes: Friendship, Romance, Humor, Hurt Comfort, and Angst

Warnings: Harm to characters while fighting, scares of death, cartoon violence, and descriptions of kissing.

Plot Summary: Rayman and his friends take a break after a long day of filming. They have one last scene to film today, the first take of the final battle. A recreation of their battle with the Phantom. So far, Rayman and Rabbid Peach have not found a time to improvise the kiss scene yet. Will they be able to then? The anticipation plagues Rayman’s mind in a way he doesn’t understand, along with a strange fuzzy feeling following him when he’s around her.

Author’s Note: Just a heads up, this is a long one guys! Grab a snack, some water, sit back, relax, and enjoy!! 😉🧡💖

Rayman downed the water bottle in his hand. Taking quick swigs of it as he lays back in the chair outside the set. Polokus, this was a long day. He felt exhausted from all the scenes they filmed. He breathes a deep sigh of relaxation as he closes his eyes and leans more into the chair, letting his posture loosen a bit. His head floats off the back of the chair a bit, his snout facing towards the ceiling.

The lights on the ceiling beamed uncomfortably through his eyelids. His brows scrunched up in annoyance. “One. Last. Scene.” Rayman thought. He runs his hand through his hair delicately. He twirls a strand of it around his pointer finger, enjoying the sensation of it wrapping loosely around his gloved finger. It reminded him of-

His mind drifts to Rabbid Peach. Everything was much more fun when she was around. Filming was easier to manage and improvise with her ideas. Even if most of them were about making her stand out more in scenes. He huffed a puff of air out of his nose in amusement about all the times she deliberately took the cameramen aside to get her best angles.

He ran his hand through his hair unconsciously, brushing it until he got to the top of it before returning it to the base of his hair and repeating. Compared to his, her hair felt more well cared for, that’s for sure! Could it be from the hair products she uses? They did have a nice smell to them, better than the one he and Rabbid Mario shared.

Her faint scent of strawberries clung to his hand after he fixed her hair. It was a shame that it was all gone now after the long day of filming. He reviewed the rest of the day in his mind.

The first few scenes they filmed went well, but she and Rayman could never find a time that felt right to improvise the kiss scene. It was either the mood wasn’t right or it just didn’t fit in with the romantic plot Beep-O had set out for the film. He worked so hard to create it, that it only felt right to do it at the best time!

They felt it was best to save the kiss for the battle scene, the last scene they needed to film today. Surely they could improve it in that way! The atmosphere would be dramatic, tense, and unbelievably romantic.

The thingamajig could picture it so clearly in his mind. He and Peaches fending off a horde of enemies. Once they were dealt with, the dark sparkle particles of their bodies would swirl around the pair of heroes as they glanced at each other. Locking eyes only for a moment, but it would be clear what they were thinking. They’d pull each other in and share a kiss. The music production crew would edit in some pretty music to emphasize it.

He imagined Beep-O’s excitement at the potential of it. The robot did have great taste when it came to these things.

Rayman frowned when he thought of the fact that he hadn’t kissed anyone before. Anxiety panged at his mind. What if he missed? Or what if she didn’t like it? What if it makes things awkward between them? Egads! That would be the worst!

What if she didn’t like him anymore after this?

His negative spiral was stopped by what Peaches said back in the dressing room. “Don’t you ever say that Rayman.” she said. He had never seen her look so hurt before. She seemed so upset at the comments he made towards himself. She held his hands ever so gently in her paws.

Did she care for him that much?

The things she said to him came flooding into his mind. His heart fluttered a bit at all the compliments she gave him. It felt really nice. Especially coming from her. She said them with such conviction too! That means- wow. She really must think all those things about me.

He felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach. His body relaxed from its tension.

Rayman smacked his face lightly with his hands. “No! It won’t change anything between us. We care too much about each other to let that happen!” he thinks.

The light beaming through his eyelids was overcast by a sudden shadow above him.

“Could- could it be Peaches?!?”, he thought, feeling embarrassed from all the sappy thoughts he had about her seconds before. His face flushed red at the thought of Rabbid Peach being so close to his face. Standing over him, with her beautiful blonde hair cascading downward onto him.

His theory was disproved when he heard the gruff voice of his other rabbid friend over him. Oh. So that’s why he didn’t feel her hair.

Rabbid Mario: “Rayyyy~! You’re not asleep, are you? I brought us some food!”

Mari shook the greasy bag of fast food playfully, hoping to rouse his friend out of his contemplative mood. His friend Rayman tended to overthink, much to his and his teammates' dismay. Maybe he just needed a boost of energy before the last filming? As much as he hides it, Mari needs it too.

The thingamajig opened his eyes, picking his head up and straightening his posture. He does a stretch, feeling his back pop a bit at the movement. He turns to Mari with a soft smile on his face, his eye bags looking even worse than they usually did.

“Aw thanks, Mari! Man, I needed this right now!”

“Nooo problemo!” Rabbid Mario said in a sing-song tone.

He plops down on the floor, opens up the bag, and takes out his cheeseburger. Rayman joins him, getting up from his comfy chair to sit with him on the ground. He sifted through the bag inquisitively now that his friend got his food out of it. He decides to save the best-looking fries for Rabbid Peach, only picking out the soggy ones for himself. He knows she hates those. Wait. Speaking of Rabbid Peach-

“I thought Peaches was with you?” Rayman questioned.

Bad timing, because Rabbid Mario was halfway through a ginormous bite of his burger. He chews it, talking with his mouth full.

“Oh. She went to pick up something for us. She said I couldn’t come with her. It’s a surprise! I think.”

“Hmm.” Rayman softly hummed with delight. She was so sweet, even if she couldn’t admit it. An endeared smile spreads across his face. Her actions spoke louder than her words he supposed.

The pair of friends continued to eat. Rayman picked some fried chicken out of the bag, hoping to save some for Peaches. He folded up the bag tightly afterward, not wanting the food inside to get cold while they waited on her.

Eventually, the two went to stop their friend Beep-O from working. Rayman practically dragged him over to their little hang-out spot on the floor, with the stubborn robot trying desperately to fly away from them. Together they passed the time talking and eating their food. Beep-O abstained from it, saying the food was too greasy for his system.

Rayman was laughing at one of Rabbid Mario’s funny stories when he recognized a familiar smell. Light footsteps he knew far too well. The click of her phone charm against her hips as she walked. It’s-!

“Boys~!!! I got you guys a little something!”

Rabbid Peach strutted towards them, her heart sunglasses resting on her head. In her arms, she held various colorful paper bags. Rayman recognized the logos on them from the fancy bakery around the corner of the Space Opera Network.

Rayman was about to get up to greet her or help her with the bags, but Beep-O rushed ahead of him! Seems like the robot was very excited about the sweets.

“Peachy! Oh, this is too much! These are so expensive- how did you?”, Beep-O said, concerned, but trying to hide the joy in his voice.

“Bwahhh! Don’t worry about it! It’s all my money. Besides, you guys deserve something nice. It’s been a crazy day.”, Peaches waved her hand around playfully at his comments as she responded. “Plus! I got your favorite~!”

“No way.”

“Oh yes I did~”

Peaches opened up the bag slowly, with Beep-O waiting impatiently on what it could be. She goes even slower, a big smug grin on her face as she looks up at her friend.

“YOU DID NOT!”

“YEAH I DID! BAM!”

She takes out a delicious-looking, giant, lava cake. Every time the four roommates passed that bakery, Beep-O always stared at that particular cake in the display with awe as he floated past the store window.

Beep-O squealed with delight at the dessert. Afterward, his face went blank for a moment of contemplation. Maybe he attempted to grab it? His gears whirring loudly. It then stops a bashful expression on his face.

“OH! Let me get my body! Oh, I forgot! Hold on I’ll be right back!! PUT IT BACK IN THE BAG PLEASE! Oh, I wouldn’t want it to get cold….” Beep-O fretted.

The robot rushed away as his friends politely giggled at his embarrassment over forgetting his body that day. It’s not like they’d mind either way! No need to be embarrassed. To be fair, he only got it recently, so it’s natural he’d forget. Especially on such a busy day. He’d loved his new eating function so far. In particular, so he could gorge on all the sweets he desired for so long.

Rayman directed his attention back to the bags Peaches brought in. “I wonder what she got for me?”, he thought. Rabbid Mario must’ve thought that too, he was practically hovering over her in anticipation.

“Annddd- hehehehe, for Mari~!”

Out she pulled a protein caramel cheesecake. Rabbid Mario beamed with delight. He eagerly snatched the dessert from her grasp and chowed down on it with his bare hands—the whipped cream covering the sides of his lips. He gives Rabbid Peach a thumbs up, causing her to scoff in amusement.

Rayman chuckled at how messily his friend was eating. “It must be good then!”, he thought. He hoped it wouldn’t be bad with how much effort Peaches went into getting them. He wouldn’t want her to be disappointed after all!

His rabbid friend approached him, a warm smile on her face. Her pretty, wild blue eyes stared into his own. It felt like lums were buzzing around in his stomach. His eyes panned to the last bag hanging off her arm, waiting in anticipation.

“For you Ramon~”, Peaches said in an exaggerated fancy voice. Her hair swayed delicately as she took a dramatic bow to present his dessert. It was vanilla waffles with strawberry slices in between whipped cream. Surrounding the delicacy was a variety of syrups to try. It looked very pretty! And delicious.

Rayman could cry. He could bawl his eyes out right now. He was so touched. This was just what he needed! Something nice, simple, and comforting to stave off such a stressful day. Heh! She… really gets me.

“Awwww Peachy!!! Thank you!”, Rayman responded. He took the container for the waffles and sat back down on the ground. He enthusiastically patted the floor to the side of him, waiting for Peaches to sit beside him. She sits down in the spot he chose for her. He was happy she sat so close to him.

Just as he was about to indulge in his dessert, he heard a loud grumble from his friend’s stomach. ….Oh! She hadn’t eaten yet! Rayman hastily hands her the food he saved for her, shoving the bag into her lap.

Peaches giggled at his urgency. “Pffft! Ray! What’s with the rush? I’m okay!”, she said in between her laughter. The marvelous sound of it made his heart flutter. It wasn’t that serious, but it felt important to him. She was important to him.

“Well, you need to eat! Here I saved some of it for you.”. He drops the bag carefully into her paws.

“Heh! Awwww, thanks Ray. You’re so sweet. Y’know that?”, she said teasingly to him, a smug grin on her face. She nudges him lightly with her elbow. He rolled his eyes and gently batted her side with his hand. He could feel her hair brush against his hand for a moment. It felt nice.

“Hm. Well, I could say the same for you.”, the thingamajig thought, giving her a soft look.

Peaches ate the chicken and fries her friend saved for her. Eventually, Beep-O returned with his robot body, apologizing profusely that he had forgotten it. Rabbid Peach waved his worries away and passed his chocolate lava cake to him. After taking the first bite, the robot looked like he could die of happiness. Rayman waited until Rabbid Peach was done with eating first before starting on his dessert.

Rabbid Peach took out some sliced candied apples and started eating them delicately. Rayman could feel his mouth salivating looking at them. Should he ask if he can have some? No, that would be too much. Right? I mean she did such a nice gesture for them. It’d be ungrateful if he asks.

Unfortunately, his friend noticed his staring, locking eyes with him as she was about to take a bite of one. He could feel his face heat up at being caught staring at her. Wait. Why was it doing that?

“You want one?”, Peaches asked, muffled by the half bite she took out one of the apple slices. She waved it in front of him, smiling. He thought she looked cute with her cheeks all full like that.

The thingamajig tensed, feeling flustered, “N-no! I’m okay. You don’t have to-”

“I want to Rayman. I’ve got plenty!”

A slight frown of guilt spread across Rayman’s face. His friend seemed to notice, she took an interested glance at his waffles before saying:

“But in return…I want to try one of your waffles.”

He brightened at her proposal. That would be much more fair! He liked that idea way better.

“Heh! Deal.”

Together the pair of friends shared their desserts. Eventually, they drifted to laying on their stomachs, hands crossing over each other to pick at the other’s dessert. They tried different combinations using the variety of sauces Peaches brought with the waffles. Even dipping the apples into them to see which combo could be the best. It was messy, but fun.

Rabbid Peach then focused her attention on her other friends, striking up a conversation with Rabbid Mario and Beep-O about the next scene. Despite his attempts at tuning into their conversation, his attention always drew back to his blonde rabbid friend next to him. Even with all the sweet smells around him, the scent of her strawberry hair products was all he could focus on. Or, when he took notice of her quirks of the way her lips moved when she spoke.

Her lips. His gaze fell onto them. He noticed a bit of chocolate on the side of her mouth that had gone unnoticed by the rabbid.

His body reacted before his mind, Rayman reached his hand over and gently cupped her cheek. Turning her head towards him, he tenderly rubbed the chocolate off the corner of her mouth with his thumb, brushing the digit for a moment over her lips. He felt lightheaded, touching her face like this. It was almost like he was under her spell. Transfixing his gaze to the rabbid’s lips.

“R-Ray?”, Peaches said to him shakily. He could feel the heat on her cheeks. Her beautiful shimmering blue eyes stared up at him.

Gulp. He snapped out of his trace onto her, his thoughts starting to run wild in panic. Was she disgusted?!? Grossed out?!?! Did he scare her? Make her uncomfortable?!?! That was too far Rayman!! You’ll make things weird and-

They stopped when her hand drifted over his, pressing his hand tenderly into her cheek. She still stared at him, eyes wide, as if he was in the same trace he was in. Once again, it felt like it was just them. As if the world was drowned out around them. Until-

“Sigh~.”

The sound came from their friend Beep-O, his head resting dreamily in his hands staring at the pair. Rabbid Mario stared at the pair in awkward shock, the bite of the lava cake he was sharing with the robot falling off the fork and onto the ground.

“Ooooo! Very romantic you two! But, please save that energy for the set, okay?”

The friends pulled away from each other, blushing profusely. Raman’s hands swiftly retreated into his hoodie pocket. He swore he could still feel the warmth of her face on them. Or was that just him? He felt dizzy.

The mood was tense and quiet between them for a moment. She put her hand on the spot on her cheek Rayman rubbed. A look of contemplation on her face. Her ears were beet red. Wait. What if she thought?…OH NO. I’ve gotta say something!!

“I-I’m sorry! I just saw that there was something on your face so I wanted to take it off for you!! I hope you don’t mind! Egads I should’ve just told you!!”, Rayman squawked out. His voice cracked, worsening his embarrassment.

“O-oh! That was it! Um. It’s all good Ray. You just surprised me is all heh.”

“My bad…sorry heh.”

The rabbid patted his back playfully, saying, “Bwahhh! You’re alright! Don’t worry about it, m’kay?”

He nodded. Oh, thank Polokus! Everything is fine. He didn’t mess up anything. Rayman breathes a sigh of comfort, taking a swig of his water. Her hand felt comforting pressed against his back. Pressing down the fabric of his hoodie a bit. His body relaxed into it.

“Y’know, for a second there I thought you were gonna kiss me or something! Ha!”

Rayman chokes on his water, coughing violently. Peaches returned casually to eating, as if she didn’t make his heart burst out of his chest just now. The thingamagjig punched his chest with his hands, tears wetting his eyes as he choked. His face felt hot. It was probably red by now with a mix of him choking and his embarrassment. Any more of these moments and he’d think he had some sort of heart condition.

Beep-O was about to speak. Rayman quickly gives him a pleading look to not ellude to anything else between them. He couldn’t take any more of his observations. Not now. He was struggling enough! It’ll make things weird between them! Luckily, a set worker walked up to the robot, tapping his shoulder and announcing the next set was ready.

Beep-O perked up, swiftly getting up from his spot on the ground. “Oh! We’ll be down there in just a second! You ready guys?”

His friends were less enthused than the robot was, slowly getting up and throwing out their food wrappers and bins. Rabbid Mario stretched, one Rayman assumed was part of his daily work out routine. Rabbid Peach sighed, annoyed, and got up from the ground, Rayman followed her. She did a little stretch with her arms, making a cute “mmph!” sound as she tried to wake up her muscles after lazing around for so long.

He tried to mimic her movement, but realizing he didn’t have any arms, decided just to crack his back instead. Interlacing his fingers together, he stretched them out far into the air, letting out a big yawn. It was contagious, causing the other blonde to yawn as well, closing her eyes as she did so. He thought the way her teeth peeked out of her mouth was really cute.

Onto the final scene for the day. The infamous battle scene against Phantom.

Together, the group walked towards the…”set”. To be fair, it wasn’t really a set the film crew made, they just used an old Darkmess puddle they found behind some equipment. It was risky to try it, but it would save them a lot of money in the long run too. No stunt actors to worry about or teach or cgi budget they could save on. This was the better option, and he knew his friends agreed too. Especially Rabbid Peach.

As the crew member stepped back, afraid of the mass in front of them, Peaches stepped into the shallows of the Darkmess Puddle, feeling the familiar waves of cold wrapping around her legs. She was used to these sensations, as she’d fought in many battles like this before. The familiarity looked strangely comforting. She hadn’t done a fight like this in a long time, the thrill of battle coursing through her veins within her expression. Her eyes contained that familiar fire to them, she always enjoyed a good fight. Rayman smirked in excitement at the thought of fighting alongside her again.

But for the scene she had to act like she didn’t. For the camera of course! The script didn’t call for her to act excited about it, they wanted her to stay calm and elegantly dive into its waves. Just like she did all those battles ago.

She turned back towards her friends, signaling them to follow her before she sloshed further into the deep end. Rabbid Mario followed trudging through the pool of Darkmess. He stood beside Rabbid Peach, breathing out a satisfied huff of effort as he reached her. He bumped her side with his Dukes weapon, a confident motion, shaking out a hearty laugh and saying his oneliner in the script.

The two felt right together. It was odd that Beep-O chose him and Peaches for the romance instead of them. They trusted eachother so much, and the way his mustachioed friend looked at her sometimes made him feel upset. Maybe even jealous. The rabbid’s eyes were filled with such admiration for her. Did he like her?

Did she like him back?

A pang of unfamiliar hurt jabbed into his heart.

Beep-O flew past Rayman to meet with his friends, causing his hair to swish from the wind it picked up. The robot left his body behind, sticking to his classic look for the movie. They all turned to look at him. Right. They had a scene to film. He needed to shake these thoughts out of his head now.

“You ready Ray?”, Peaches asked, a smugness in her tone. She cocked her Triple Troll weapon eagarly. Rabbid Mario bashed his fists together, a battle hungry grin forming on his face. Beep-O changed his exression on his face screen to his angry one, his regular blue flashing red.

He had a line in 3…2…1!

Rayman fixed his gaze on the camera following him. He steps forward confidently, brushing his hair back, expressing a look of determination.

Rayman said huskily, “Yeah! Lets take this Phantom down!!!”

From there he rushed to the pool of Darkmess, the tentacles within it trying desperately to grab at his shoes and suck him in. He dove in, splashes of darkmess sprayed upward from the impact. Once out of the camera’s sight, he closes his eyes tightly, feeling the dark thick liquid of the Darkmess’s materials quickly pulling him into its current. The atmosphere of it felt suffocating, like always. As if it was trying to squeeze the life out of any creatures that entered it. It stopped when he popped out the other side, landing on his feet.

His friends soon followed, breaking through the Darkmess and appearing in the pocket dimension alongside him. The other side of the portal revealed a battlefield similar to the room where they fought the Phantom. The lighting consisted of a sickly yellow coming from floating lightbulbs and a mysterious light in the sky. There were floating cameras and various props were sprinkled throughout the air, floating aimlessly. Flickering white stage lights were on the sides of the walls instead of above them and carpets on the floor drifted and wrapped around walls and barricades around them.

It definitely wasn’t the weirdest thing he’d seen in Darkmess Puddles, but it was still creepy nonetheless. Yeesh.

He heard the filmmakers had been preparing his set for weeks, throwing in props and trying to adapt the Darkmess to become similar to the real thing. He supposes with the time they had, they did more than enough. It would definitely look awesome to film the battle scene against Phantom in here! Plus, it did save Beep-O a ton of money on the effects budget for his film. Polokus knows they needed that!

Beep-O accessed the battlefield, floating above the area. When he returned, he relayed, “Okay, looks like there’s quite a bit of small enemies on the left, and one massive one on the right. They seem weaker than us, but stay on your guard! This isn’t scripted, so please do the bare minimum for your lines and focus on the battle. We can edit in more in post production. We’ll have to cgi in the Phantom anyways.”

Beep-O muttered that last sentence under his breath. He could see his robot friend’s eyes crinkle with stress at the thought. Poor Beep-O. Good thing he didn’t have to handle all that. It sounds like a nightmare!

Rabbid Mario wiped his brow at what Beep-O said, he muttered to Rayman, “Phew! I’m a fantastic actor, but I don’t think even I could remember all those lines and fight at the same time! I haven’t seen mine in a while.”

Rayman paused, confused, he whispers “Wait. Haven’t you been practicing those lines for months? We got the scripts ages ago!”

Mari turned away bashfully, “Well when you’re as great as an actor as me, you don’t need a script to tell you what to do!”. He struck a confident pose. “I lost that thing ages ago.”.

The thingamajig’s eyebrows raised in shock. Rayman was both impressed and concerned at how Rabbid Mario improvised his lines for the whole movie. And no-one noticed?!?! His friend was truly an enigma.

“What?!?” Rayman whispered, astonished.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Rabbid Peach’s voice as she discussed strategies with Beep-O.

“-so me and Rayman will take the right side and you and Rabbid Mario can take the left. Once you’re done, you two can circle back to me and Ray to help defeat that boss. We’ll try to pick at its health while you take out the smaller enemies. Does that sound good, boys?”

She turned back to the pair of friends, expecting that they were paying attention to what Beep-O and her were talking about.

“Yep!”, they said in unison. Sounds easy enough! With Peaches by his side, it’ll go smoothly. He was sure of it. He was about to walk away with Peaches before Beep-O stopped them.

“Wait! Before you go, take this with you.”

Rayman squinted at him, “Take wha- AAAAA?!?”

A smaller, haphazardly thrown together robot materialized next to his head, the buzzing sound it made startling him. Peaches was also freaked out by its presence, standing in front of him protectively, glaring at it.

Peaches questioned, “Blech! Beep-O. What the heck is this thing?”

“It’s a floating camera drone silly! It’ll capture footage of you guys while I’m gone! Y’know, in case you guys do anything interesting in the fight.”

Rayman nodded, “Ah, okay.”. He poked the weird camera a few times, watching it teeter in the air.

Peaches turned away, signaling Rayman and the drone to follow. “Bye guys! Stay safe, m’kay? Promise to let us know if you need anything!”.

“We will!”, Rabbid Mario chimed in as he waved goodbye to his friends. Rayman waved back to them. Rushing off to join Peaches as she walked away. The excitement of the battle ahead of him filled them both with delightful adrenaline.

======================================

Enemies were scattered throughout the battlefield, trying to ambush the duo from all sides. Too bad for them. Looks like they’ll just have to come to them!!

“Now Ray!!!”, Rabbid Peach shouted out.

Rayman equipped his Vortex Costume Ability, summoning tornadoes to carry the enemies towards them. The turrets the thingamajig set up blasted brutally at them as they were trapped in the air.

The foes landed roughly on the ground as he dropped them. They looked weaker, angry, but not down yet. Peaches would be there to take them out!

He smiled when he heard her footsteps approaching him. She dashed into one, causing it to burst into dust. The blonde Rabbid stood protectively in front of her friend, summoning her spark, Zephyrquake. A battle hungry expression on her face in anticipation of what she had in store for these guys.

In an instant, windy shockwaves bashed at the enemies, exploding into dark sparkles at its very contact. Rayman’s hair blew back, unharmed by the gusts of wind. All he could do was stay fixated on his friend, admiration for her bloomed within his chest.

Once the wind died down, Rayman’s Vortex Costume faded away, leaving him back to his regular abilities. Peaches combed her hair back with her paws, giggling at how Zephyrquake floated proudly around her. Happy that they were able to defeat that many people at once. He chuckled lightly as he stared at her.

She moved to pat Rayman on the back, smiling up at him. “Great job Ray! The turrets were a smart move. I didn’t even have to shoot em this time!”.

He blushed at her compliment. “Heh! Thanks Peachy!”, he said softly.

He paused, he wanted to compliment her this time. “Y’know, you did really great too. We make a great team!”

The thingamajig reaches out his fist for a fist bump, she stares at it before giving him one. A touched expression on her face, before it turned coy.

She grabs Rayman’s cheek in a quick motion, pinching it playfully as she pulls his floating head into her chest. “Dawwww! Look at you getting all soft on me Ray!! So cute!”.

“Cute?!?!”, Rayman thought. She ruffled his hair as she held his head in her arms. He squeaked and blushed, feeling his face press against her chest. He pulled his head out of her grasp with his hands, adjusting it back to the top of his torso.

He huffed out a snort of fake annoyance, “Whatever! I was always soft on you Peaches~.”.

She gave him a disbelieving look, Rayman snorted at the goofy expression she had.

She chuckled, eyes squinting at him challengingly, “Pfft! Oh, you are such a liar! Bwahahaha!”.

Okay, he’ll let her have this. He gives up, just enjoying the sound of her laughter.

She wipes a tear away from the corner of her eye, “Heh! Thank you Ray. That was really nice to hear!”. She looked into his eyes, saying softly, “We really do make a good team, hm?”.

Rayman wanted to reply, but noticed the strange shake of the ground beneath them. A shiver of fear crept up his spine. Loud thuds of footsteps could be heard approaching them.

He could hear Peaches stepping back, loading her weapon once again. He turned around, and looked up.

Rayman’s blood ran cold.

It was a Wildclaw. A gargantuan Wildclaw. They weren’t in a safe spot to attack this thing!! Their only choice was to run and look for higher ground to lower its health.

The pair shared a knowing glance and ran together to the nearest pipe they could find. The beast charged towards them on all fours, skirting around each obstacle they tried to slow it down with. Even with all the turrets Rayman placed to put distance between them, it crunched them all under its paws while they shot at it. As if they didn’t even lay a scratch on its tough skin.

Adrenaline pumped throughout the thingamajig’s body. Making a beeline to the pipe, their only chance of making it out of this unharmed. Peaches made it, desperately waiting for her friend to join her. He could hear the rapid thumping of the monster’s paws against the ground behind him. Scratching against the dusty wooden floors.

Suddenly, he felt the world slip under him, falling to the ground. He scrambled as fast as he could to his feet, but it was too late it caught up to him. Standing tall over him, it’s horridly fearsome eyes staring him down.

He froze in shock. As much as he wanted to move, he was unable to. He couldn’t breathe. The beast swung downwards at Rayman.

Just then, he heard the panicked voice of Peaches, “Ray!! Watch out!!”.

He felt the rabbid push him away, taking his place. The thingamajig’s eyes widened. It felt like time slowed down, fear setting in at what would happen to her.

The giant Wildclaw swiped at his friend, sending her flying across the battlefield and-

CRACK

-Peaches smashed into the wall. The body of his beloved friend slumped onto the ground. It showed no sign of movement. No sounds of pain afterwards.

Nothing.

Oh, Polokus no…

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!

“PEACHES!!”, Rayman screamed out in terror. He sprung into action, attacking the beast with fervor. Blast after blast hit the monster. He was beyond angry at it. He was outraged. As if he was going to go mad with the fire he felt in his body.

Fear, pain, anger, sorrow hit him all at once. His mind whirled. His snout creased. Sharp teeth peeked out of his mouth as he grinded them together. His eyes wild with a feeling of hatred he hadn’t felt in a long time.

How dare he?!?!? HOW DARE HE HURT HER?!?!

As much as he ripped away at the enemy, it wasn’t enough. Rabbid Mario and Beep-O were nowhere near them. He was alone in this fight. With each hit the thingamajig landed the Wildclaw struck back harder.

It was weak, but he was weaker.

One blow in particular broke through his costume ability, slamming him into a barrier, knocking the wind out of him. His weapon sliding across the wooden floor. He was cornered, trapped. The beast towered over him.

He stared up at it. Its claw extended, revealing renewed sharp talons. He breathed out panicked breaths. This couldn’t be the end. It couldn’t!!! He needed to help Peaches!! He needed to save her!!!

The beast’s claws swiped down at him. The thingamajig flinched, preparing for the painful strike to reach him.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!!

The Wildclaw suddenly burst into black sparks, scattering in the air with vigor. On the other side of the sparks stood Rabbid Peach. Roughed up, but still alive.

Her wild blue eyes made contact with his own. She hauled her Triple Troll weapon over her shoulder, smoke emitting from the muzzle. Her ruffled hair swished out of her face, showing her shaky confident grin. She reached out her free hand to him.

“Hah… you- huff didn’t think I’d be beaten that easily, huh Ray?”

Relief pulled harshly at Rayman’s heart. More than he could take. He took her hand and collapsed into her arms. He wrapped his hands around her back, sobbing. He could hear brief the rattle of her weapon as she set it onto the ground.

The thingamajig felt around her, checking for any injuries. There weren’t any serious ones. Oh thank Polokus. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

He felt the Rabbid hugging him back tenderly, rubbing small circles into his back. His breathing steadied. She worked her magic to heal them both from their wounds. A soft, pink light illuminated them.

She asked him gently, whispering, “Are you okay? Did it hurt you?”.

He held her tighter, his hands drifting to her hair. Searching for something soft and comfortable to touch.

Rayman whispered shakily, “No, it’s that, I- hic- thought you were gone….”

It felt painful to speak, but he kept going through choked out sobs, “I heard that cracking noise and I thought you were in serious danger! I was so scared. I can’t imagine losing you Peaches…”

He sobbed, “I just can’t…”

Peaches hugged him closer. He nuzzled his face into her neck, trying to keep himself as close to her as he could. Tears dampened the Rabbid’s puffy sleeves. It was quiet for a while. All that could be heard was crying and ragged breaths.

Eventually, his cries softened, however, he still clung to her neck. He could feel his breath blowing back at him, bouncing off her skin. The Rabbid broke the silence, “Hey, you’ll never guess what that cracking noise was.”

Rayman sniffled, “What?”

“It was my phone.”

His face crinkled in dumbfounded amusement. A small grin forming on his face. The thingamajig snorted, before letting out tired laughter. “Oh there’s no way Peachy.”

“Yes there is Ray!”, her whispering broke the volume a little higher than she expected, immediately toning it down. “I’m sooooo mad about it Ray. This is the WORST.”, she whispered in sharp lighthearted annoyance.

Rayman let out more exhausted giggles, most of them muffling into her neck. His grip on her relaxed, hands drifting down her back. His feet flopped down to the side as he sat on the ground. Peaches’s paw traveled into his hair, smoothing out a strand that loosened during the battle. It felt really nice.

He sighed, his voice moved into a honeyed tone, “Oh this is the worst? How about that time I made you sing karaoke with me?”

Peaches chortled out laughing at the mention of the memory. He could feel her body bouncing with the action while lying on her shoulder. She covered her mouth with her paw to stifle them. He didn’t know why. Her laughter was the most wonderful melody he’d ever heard.

She leaned into him, embracing his body deeper, patting his back as she laughed. “Oh stop it Ray! It was funnnn~. You had a good time! Don’t try to deny it.”

“Hmmn. I sure did.” he sighed into her neck, enjoying the flow of her hair when he puffed out air onto it. It was so beautiful. She…was so beautiful.

The adrenaline of battle was gone now, but he noticed his heart still raced. He could hear his friend’s heartbeat, loud and quick. Just like his. A strange, unfamiliar feeling hit him at that revelation, but he couldn’t figure out what.

All he knew was that he was about to do something reckless.

He picked up his head from her shoulder, staring behind Rabbid Peach momentarily, catching a glimpse of the camera robot floating around them. She seemed to take notice too, sharing a look of acknowledgment at her friend.

They still had a scene to film, even if an accident had occurred during it. And after going through all that, the two were determined to nail it. They felt closer to each other now than ever before. Held each other more intimately than they’d ever had. He wanted this, but-

First, he needed to check if she was up for it.

He taps his friend’s side, Peaches’s breath hitched at the realization of what it meant. His heart raced at the sound. Was she nervous? He’s never really seen her like that before. It made him feel prickles of anxiety too.

All that was shaken away when Peaches cupped her paw to Rayman’s cheek. Eyes lidded with confident desire. He shuddered at the contact. She twitched her ears, confirming she was comfortable. She gave him a look, silently signaling him to let her take the lead. He was more than happy to let her.

Her face inched carefully towards his. He wondered if she was trying to figure out how to get around his snout. He closed his eyes, trusting her guide him.

And then he felt her lips press against his.

He melted into the kiss. Her lips were so very soft, like he imagined. The strawberry scent of her shampoo made him feel oh so dizzy with warmth. Once again he felt as if lums were flying about in the pit of his stomach. He could feel the rapid thud of his heartbeat against hers. An almost synchronized rhythm.

His mind felt hazy after he tasted their shared breath within the kiss. Her lips still had the taste of chocolate from earlier, and he couldn’t get enough of it. It was like they had both secretly wanted this for a long time, but never thought about it before.

Or found a moment to act on it, at least.

Her paw pulled his head in, deepening the kiss, and he was more than eager to lean into it. He took it a step further, sliding his hands up her back, to her neck, to cradling the back of her head, weaving his fingers through her silky golden hair. He kissed her back passionately, trying to match her movements to the best of his ability.

Peaches fought him back on this, almost like she was competing with him. To them, this was another competition, and they were both in it to win.

It was incredible how she drew him in. That fire in her. Her drive, her strength, her compassion, her humor, her smugness, her warmth! He couldn’t get enough of it. He was enchanted with her. Under her spell- and glad to be! Hopelessly devoted to her kisses. To the way she made him feel.

Eventually, she pulled away, a faint strand of saliva connecting their lips before it dissipated. They shared heavy breaths, feeling the warmth of them on each other's faces. Rabbid Peach pressed her forehead against Rayman’s. Her hair tickling him. They stared into eachother’s eyes, both hazy with desire. It was over.

Rayman cuddled his face into the Rabbid’s neck once more, letting out a sigh of satisfaction. His first kiss…and it was with his best friend. How funny was that? How lovely it was. He was so lucky. He felt all warm and fuzzy inside at the thought.

He twirled her hair with his fingers, wrapping strands around each digit with ease. Like he did with his own earlier that day. This felt much better. His friend returned the gesture, playing with his hair, a small giggle slipping out of her mouth. She hummed as she played with his hair, the pretty noise making his heart ache once again.

He wanted more. Was that so bad? They could always use another take right? Surely it would help Beep-O to have a variety of takes. The thingamajig certainly wouldn’t mind filming another. Maybe a few more after that. It was the least they could do. Right?

His hand moved to tap her side again but was interrupted by footsteps approaching them.

Rabbid Mario broke through the barrier separating the group from one another. A look of pure relief cast onto his face. His eyes watering with joy at seeing his friends okay. Beep-O flew past him, making a beeline towards Peaches. Distress was clear on his face, she let go of Rayman to catch him in her arms. The thingamajig, still leaning on her, moved to the side to make room for his robot friend.

He could hear the unmuffled cries of his friend Beep-O as he nuzzled into Rabbid Peach’s chest. He blubbered, “I heard your life detection monitors reaching critical levels! Oh Rosalina, thank goodness you two are okay!! Hic! Peachy, you- you scared me!!”.

Peaches sniffled, distraught at seeing her friend this worried for her, “I’m alright Beep-O! We protected each other pretty well! Looks like you’ll have some good scenes for your movie, huh?”. She attempted the remark to lighten the mood, but Rayman was unsure if it worked or made Beep-O feel worse. He hoped it wasn’t the latter. Their robot friend pushed himself further into Rabbid Peach’s grasp, continuing to sob. The three stayed quiet for a bit, only trying to comfort each other.

Rabbid Mario joined the group, he collapsed into his friends, trying to hug them all as tightly as he could. As if he was worried that if he let go, they’d vanish. He sobbed loudly, his tears wetting Rayman’s hoodie. He rubbed small circles into the mustachioed Rabbid’s back just like Peaches did to him. They all stayed there for a moment.

Rayman was glad to have such great friends in his life. He hadn’t felt connections like this in a long time, ever since he left the Glade. He pulled them all close, his head drifted to lay on top of Rabbid Peach’s. His chin nuzzled comfortably into her hair.

The battle was over, and yet the group stayed. Grounding themselves with their company. They needed this. Battles had always gone smoothly for them, never like this. It was scary. Today was a close call, and they’d never let it happen again. No matter what.

Darkmess dripped from the void of the sky above them. It was time to leave. They gathered themselves and watched as the pocket dimension they were in fell and crumbled around them. Rayman’s hand moved to wrap around Rabbid Peach’s paw. Holding it securely. He could never get used to this feeling like his friends were. He closed his eyes, and the unpleasant vertigo hit him.

In an instant, they were transported back to the soft, familiar carpet of the studio once more, the harsh ceiling lights beaming down on them. The filming crew congratulated them and checked them over for any injuries left unhealed. As much as they tried to appreciate their enthusiasm, they were all exhausted. All Rayman needed right now was just to go home, watch a movie, and fall into his bed.

Just as the group was about to leave the studio, Peaches stopped in her tracks. Rayman noticed, stopping his stride as his friends walked ahead.

He gestures toward her, beckoning her to come with him, concern on his face. “Peachy? You coming with? It’s going to get all rainy outside any moment now.”

She looks away from him, causing Rayman’s heart to ache with worry. Did he mess things up?

The Rabbid fakes a smile, trying to put on a quick cheery mask. She points a thumb back to the studio, her posture taking a shy expression.

She stammers out, “I just forgot something in the dressing room. You guys can go ahead! I wouldn’t want you guys to get soaked waiting on me, y’know?”

The thingamajig raises an eyebrow, saying, “I can wait for you! I wouldn’t want you walking home by yourself. It’s dark out and your phone is broken. What if something happens?”

Peaches paused, unsure of what to say, “Okay. Just stay right here. I’ll be back in a bit!”

“M’kay!”, he responded, waiting by the entrance. He watched as his pretty Rabbid friend walked down the hallway until she was out of sight.

Once she left, he leaned against the doorway. Egads! He hopes he didn’t mess things up between them. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing their friendship.

He pinched in between his eyebrows with his fingers. He shook away the thought. No. That’s impossible Ray. Don’t think about that. It wouldn’t happen. Plus, she wouldn’t want him feeling like this. She cares about him too much to let it happen, and so does he.

He sighed dreamily, thinking about the moment he and Rabbid Peach shared in the dressing room earlier today. She is so kind. Strong. Gentle. Just a few hours ago, even though she was the one who got injured by the Wildclaw, her priority was to save and comfort him. She was his hero, today as well as all other days. Every day she inspired him to improve himself.

And he loved that about her.

…

He felt his heart race at the stray thought that invaded his mind, his face flushing a hot red.

Wait. Egads!!! Love?!?! Don’t be ridiculous Rayman.! He meant it in a friendly way!! A best friend way! Yes, that. Nothing more!!

His self conscious prodded at him further, “You have plenty of other friendships. So why is this one different? Why do you feel such strange feelings when she’s around?”

He had no answer, so he decided to take his mind off it. He turned to watch the rain pour outside the window of the door. The raindrops tapped loudly on the glass, and he tried to focus on the sound, to drown out his thoughts.

…

But his mind always drifted back to Rabbid Peach, setting his heart aflame once again.

=====================================

Author’s Afterword:

Thank you all for reading! This fanfic was so incredible to work on, and I’m blessed to have people out there that enjoy my content. It means the world to me, so thank you!

I’ll be releasing an epilogue in Rabbid Peach’s POV for her reaction to the events of this day on set. Look forward to it!! I also plan on making little notes of how I interpret and write these characters for fun! Let me know if you guys would be interested in that, or more.

…and maybe a sequel project in mind that involves input from you guys!

AKA you guys interviewing the characters by asking them questions about the film, their experiences on set, and so on. Fun stuff ahead!!

Welp! That’s it for now. I need to take a break, this was way too long BAHAHAHA! Have a great day everyone!! And please take care!! 💖🧡:D

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