#shunace

Send me a ship and I'll give you my (brutally) honest opinion on it

idk much about these two tbh but i want what they're having

shun's love language is telling people "you remind me of dan" lololol

Shun and Fabia have always struck me as "I wish we didn't have to meet like this" co-workers turned friends, more than anything romantic. I don't personally ship them.

Anyway, as for Shunace;

Thanks to Inesidora, I'm a fan of the idea that Ace was distracted (not by feelings just yet though) by Shun during the Alpha city tournament. He's the best brawler Earth has to offer that isn't Dan, so that's gotta be distracting, having to keep up in skill somehow. And that's ignoring Ace's hideous amounts of pride back then.

I headcanon that Vestals can sleep but don't dream, which made the first time Ace had to comfort any of the humans over nightmares a little weird for him. Nevertheless, Ace is very good at continuously talking until a nightmare is completely forgotten, very useful for Shun, who has a really good memory.

Ace's favourite story about Shun is the time Masquerade got upset about everything suddenly not going his way.

They mutually agree that it's a shame to wreck the mechanical bakugan, but it's required to keep Zenoheld from enacting any plans against the bakugan.

These two can run on 2 hours of sleep easily, which often means they stay up for hours on end, just talking about whatever comes to mind.

Ace loves Vestal dearly, don't get him wrong, but he does find living on Earth much less stressful; there's much more space for him to breathe on Earth, and also there's Shun.

Shun got good with darkus bakugan thanks to Ace's input on usage, which made Skytruss and Orbeum suddenly much more effective in battle.

Ace has occasionally had nights where he'd just lie awake (he can't dream unfortunately), because he was thinking about a scenario where he was human instead. Human Ace, in these scenarios, somehow always ends up in a brawl against Shun with an unknown outcome, and he always gets tricked by Masquerade before hand.

It should also be noted that human Ace massively enjoys Shun's company, and that was long before Ace realised he was feeling anything.

Cuddly bois. One is a space heater, and the other is like a cat looking for the warmest spot in the house for a nap.

Ace doesn't play with his own hair often, but Dan does joke that the day he's not combing his fingers through Shun's hair for a minute is probably the day he dies.

[part one]  Special Ment: @pbbmks (original requester)  DM if you’d like to be tagged / notified as this updates!

The shuttle docked smoothly as ever. Reservations aside, being an interplanetary celebrity had at least this going for it: you could get just about anywhere in the known galaxy quickly and in style. 

Mira smiled to herself as the hatch hissed open, a low whirring as it slowly hinged upward. Her eyes flashed with delight as Shun stepped out, cool and distant demeanor preceding him, as usual. She laughed, she couldn’t help it. “Stars and fire, Shun will you ever lighten up?” The utterly perplexed look on the human’s face almost made her double over. “I missed you,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye as she clutched her stomach. 

Shun quirked an eyebrow, “thanks?” Oh the ever-serious ninja. 

Jaakor didn’t seem to get it either, which nearly sent her back into a giggle fit. Wilda understood, of course he did. “She’s just happy to see a familiar face,” he explained, and the two visitors seemed to take that in stride. 

“Oh, well then just say so,” Shun replied, starting to smile himself. 

“A pleasure as always,” Jaakor agreed politely, though he seemed to still be a bit put off of the Vestal’s greeting. 

Mira finally got control of herself and waved them over, turning back toward her own ship, which she so often worked out of these days. “Come on in, guys. We have lots to catch up on, I think.” 

With some expectedly guarded agreement-- who knew what crazy thing the paparazzi would try next to eavesdrop-- they followed. 

She wasn’t surprised, really. If anything, from what she’d known of him and how Marucho had talked of him, she was surprised he hadn’t come to this sooner. They’d skipped most of the small talk and after only minimal beating around the bush, Shun had told her what was up. She’d had certain inklings before, but even with searching, she didn’t find anything particularly interesting on his face as he asked after Ace. 

“He’s on Vestal,” she said, voice almost longing in a distant, dreamy way, “I generally know the place, but...” She trailed off and came back to where they were as she heard Shun sigh.

“But there’s a catch,” he finished. He smiled wryly, “of course there is. There’s always a catch.” 

She smirked back, huffing a sort of chuckle. “Now, now, no need to be cynical,” she chided jokingly, “no catch.” 

Shun raised an eyebrow, “oh? Then why the pause?” His voice was somber at that last, still sounding like he was prepared for the worst, whatever that was. 

It was Mira’s turn to sigh. “The problem is, I don’t really have a way to contact him.” A look that was almost bitter warped her lips as she pressed them together before muttering, “kinda the point of going off the grid, of course.” 

Shun’s eyes softened. “So he hasn’t been around, even when you needed him?” His stomach tightened as he realized what he’d said. 

Mira’s eyes flashed, but not at him. When she did respond, her voice was mostly another, longer sigh, “yeah.” She looked back at him, eyes dancing, “but it’s alright. Maybe I can trust you to pick up when we call.”

Shun genuinely laughed at this, “not likely! Just ask any of the original Brawlers--” but he cut off, thinking once more of Dan and his departure. He jumped slightly as a hand-- Mira’s hand-- lay warm comfort over his arm and he looked up into her eyes to see soft understanding. He looked away, flushing slightly, “sorry.” 

She shook her head, moving her hand and leaning back into her chair. She didn’t respond for a moment, only looked at him a long, long time. Shun didn’t much like being looked at like that, with pity, but he bore it for their friendship. Finally, she spoke, shocking him into further silence. “You really do need time for yourself, Shun. Have you ever really gotten that? I don’t think so, and that-- stars. You deserve it.” Her voice was as tired as he felt. “I think you, of all people, you--” 

And suddenly he couldn’t stand it anymore. “I mean, Marucho probably--” his voice was louder, harsher than he’d meant it, and he cut off abruptly. “Alice, too...and Julie, and this is probably way harder for Runo, too. I mean--” His voice swelled with emotion and he hated it. Because he knew what Mira meant and knew the condolence wasn’t just for him. They’d spent so much of their lives taking care of the worlds, the universe. That responsibility, it seemed, had stolen something very precious from all of them. But what could they do about it now? 

They could get away. But they couldn’t. Marucho was stuck politicking. Alice was stuck in the industry, too, though on the tech and science part. Julie and Billy were also pretty heavily in the limelight. Runo, her and Dan having been so close, had cut herself off for some time. She was getting back out there, now, but... Maybe Dan and Drago had had the right of it, that leaving was what was best. 

But even so, the others had all stayed. Even Runo, who’d taken some time for herself, had ultimately returned to the public, helping where they could, taking up their burdens where they had to. And what was he doing? He knew he had to, for his own sake, but that didn’t change that this all felt like he was just running away again. Just like back then. 

An angry snarl misshaped his usually fine features, and a low hiss turned into a growl of frustration. It only softened as his vision blurred and shifted and he realized that he was crying. He swiped furiously at his tears, angry and disgusted with himself. This should have waited until he was alone, or at least just with Jaakor. But here, worrying Mira like this. She, too, was doing more for the worlds. She didn’t need his--

A soft hand on his shoulder made him gasp and look up. Her eyes were wet, but the tears hadn’t fallen for here yet. Her other hand lifted, half covering her mouth in that familiar gesture of one holding back emotion. “Shun...” But he didn’t want to hear it. 

His voice was a choked breath, “it’s not--” fair. But his voice hitched, and she stopped him. 

“I know, Shun. I know. And I’m so, so sorry...” 

They sat like that awhile, crying. Mourning their lost childhoods, for Mira’s had been snatched away, too. Finally, Shun rested his head in one of his hands, the elbow resting on his knee, and sobbed quietly into his gloved palm. 

The two Bakugan had been having their own conversation across the room, exchanging gossip and the like about their partners and worlds. Then the two aliens burst with emotion, startling them both. 

“What? Mira?!--” But Wilda cut off. Jaakor was just as stunned, but other than an exclamatory sound, he said nothing. Wilda sighed. A lot of that seemed to be happening that day. “You know I worry about her a lot,” the Subterra said, “she puts so much weight on herself, it’s not healthy.” Jaakor remained silent. He understood. He felt the same way about Shun. 

Then the Ventus Brawler rested his head in his hand, sobbing. Quiet as a light breeze, Jaakor thought. Who taught you to be so quiet about your feelings, Shun? Who made you think you had to be so quiet? And then something within him broke, just as it had broken within his partner, he suspected, and he turned back to the other Bakugan. “I’m so worried about him, Wilda. I worry that this won’t be enough. I worry that he’ll be just as restless, no matter where in the universe we go. I worry that this won’t be enough for him, that he won’t ever really find peace.” In this form, they were incapable of expressing emotions as things of flesh and bone, but Wilda was familiar enough in their rigid body language to see the pain and distress in Jaakor as he said, a bit exasperatedly, “and isn’t that what we fought for? To find peace?” The Ventus Bakugan turned bitterly, “what peace has there been for those who fought for it?!” 

“There never is,” Wilda responded quietingly, “and perhaps that is one of the greatest tragedies we must face, Jaakor.” 

The other Bakugan stared hopelessly at his partner, but didn’t say more. Wilda didn’t press it either. They both understood. Had they been in their living forms, he himself might have shaken his head, sat, and perhaps put his own head in his hands. 

After some time, the four got their bearings once more. They couldn’t pretend that it hadn’t happened, but they moved on just the same. Mira had gotten them some hot drinks and they’d sat sullenly for a few more minutes as they warmed up. Finally, she cleared her throat, “I can’t tell you exactly where he is, because I just don’t know. All I can do is drop a low-priority distress call for him and hope he responds soon. Her lip quirked, the last time I tried to check up on him, it took him a couple weeks to respond, but if you’re willing to stay here, awhile--” 

“That’d be fine,” he responded. And to his delight, his voice was not so monotonous as he’d feared it be, but colored, if only slightly, with the genuine appreciation he felt. 

hi so i don’t remember if this was a drabble prompt buuuut i got carried away and you’re going to get multiple parts– woohoo!! consider this the first “chapter” with more to come soon. Hope you like it! @pbbmks (i’ll also be sure to tag you on future posts too!) 

Settling down was an odd thing to think about, what with the years– years– of near constant struggle he’s now endured. He…hadn’t been the same since that day. The image had burned itself into his brain, tattoo its afterimage in his memory, leaving scars he suspected would string for a long, long time. Dan and Drago, sailing off to who-knew-where. Search after search had been conducted, but in the four years since, no one had found a trace of those two. 

Things were still in a mild frenzy. With his departure, the claim for the top spot had been shifting between partners after partners, no one ever really sticking for long. He was among that group, of course, but… He’d never really been one for the competition, even way back at the beginning. Or at least that’s what he told himself. Regardless of the truth behind the sentiment, Shun was burned out. And as he looked out over the cityscape before him, he knew it better than he’d ever known it before. 

“So, where are we off to now, Shun?” Jaakor’s voice was a quiet comfort in the chilly night. 

Shun didn’t answer right away. He couldn’t quite explain the feeling in his chest, that thing tugging like an insistent breeze. He’d always felt it, in truth, but running around saving worlds had always either fulfilled that need or pushed it to the side enough to ignore. Now though… Maybe it was just wanderlust. Or, some other need to simply roam, move about. But he was tired. So, so tired. 

“I don’t know if I want to go anywhere, Jaakor.” His voice was as measured as it ever was, quiet, serene. 

Yet something must have leaked out as his partner turned, “you’re not content here, Shun. You can’t continue holding yourself back.” 

Shun blinked, “holding myself ba–?” 

“The Ventus attribute really does suit you, you know.” The Bakugan continued, “like the winds themselves, you need to be free to roam and wander as you please.” He paused for a moment, but the human didn’t interrupt him. “You’ve been here for too long. I don’t know if you’ll find what you’re looking for somewhere else, but you surely won’t find it staying here, either.” Even as he listened, staring moodily into the night, Shun knew he was right. “It’s time to move on from this place for now, Shun.” Jaakor turned more fully toward the human, “the only question now is where to.” 

Shun shook his head, thinking. “We could… We could go somewhere else on Earth?” Stars know there’s a lot of work to be done with this interplanetary alliance.” Bakugan and Brawling and inter-dimensional warfare had done a lot to smooth over the politics between not just countries, but whole worlds and species, but now that things were settling down, things were getting politically tense. Marukura Corp was a major player in the alliance, and these days poor Marucho spent more time politicking than Brawling. He’d hinted several times that Shun’s help would be greatly appreciated but… 

“Because that’d be so  much better,” Jaakor replied wryly. 

Shun couldn’t help but laugh– or, well chuckle. Skyress might have been a good diplomat, as were a few of his other partners. Jaakor could muddle through it and would for him, but… No…

“Nethia then,” he suggested, “or Gundalia. I’m sure Fabia and Ren are going crazy with…” But that went back to interplanetary politics. He’d like to see them, sure. But how long before he got dragged back into it? Then again, he’d probably be dragged into it no matter which group he floated back to. 

Jaakor could see the thoughts racing through Shun’s mind. It saddened him. This boy, or rather this young man, had been through so much. He deserved some time to be that boy again, even for just a little while. His heart sank as Shun sighed again, his voice exasperated. 

“Man, who don’t we know that’s involved with this whole mess?!” 

And then Jaakor saw it, a thought flicker– quite visibly, which was strange– over Shun’s face. It was followed by the briefest, faintest coloring in his cheeks, but it passed quickly. “What is it, Shun?” 

It took a few moments for Shun to answer. He seemed to be lost in thought about something. The distant lights of the sprawling city were just shy of what Jaakor needed to see his partner’s face clearly, but respond he did. He sounded a hesitant, but resolved, “Jaakor, I think we should go visit our friends on New Vestroia.” 

Jaakor was incapable of blinking, but the emotional response was evident enough in his pause. “To… The Resistance?” 

Shun nodded. “Not for long,” he assured him, “just for some direction.” He hesitated a moment before explaining, “Once things got…more political, Ace dropped out and moved on to other things, but was still constantly dragged back into stuff, so he went into hiding.”

Then Jaakor got it, “and Mira will know where he’s gone to?” 

“And he’ll know how to really get off the grid,” Shun confirmed. 

Though there was something in his voice, something Jaakor thought he could place, but didn’t want to mistake. “Are you just trying to get off the grid?” He chided himself, weren’t these sorts of veiled questions exactly the kind of thing they were trying to get away from?