Chapter Text
"Pearlie!" Marina called from the doorway, putting on her black Rockenberg jacket. "Babe, you ready to leave?"
There were a few moments of silence, apart from a shrill ziiip! as Marina zipped up her jacket. "Yeah, I'm coming down now!" She finally heard as a response, followed by loud footsteps from above. Marina couldn’t help but snort under her breath when she heard the footsteps suddenly frantically clunk together as Pearl made her way down the stairs -- her partner had more than likely stumbled in her haste.
"Sorry about that, Mar," Pearl greeted, unceremoniously dusting off the front of her shirt and readjusting the angle of her crown. She made a quick beeline, disappearing into the kitchen to then only reappear with a tan, intricately woven picnic basket within the fold of her elbow. “I’m ready to go now!” Pearl declared, happily accepting her white leather jacket, one that matched Marina’s. Marina stepped forward and held the basket as she did so, her other hand occupied with a large blanket, while a decently sized back-pack lay nestled against her back.
“C’mon then, silly,” Marina prompted, beginning to open the door. “If we don’t get a move on, we’re gonna miss the sunset.” She began to step out of their home, but a grasp on her hand halted her from doing so.
“Hang on, you’re forgetting something!”
“Really?” Marina whipped her head around. “What did I--” But her voice ended up being cut of as Pearl’s pulled her down for a gentle kiss. Even though her partner was a long, long, long way down, Marina still melted each and every time Pearl snared her in like this, and she couldn’t help but audibly whine when they soon separated, much too soon for her liking.
“C’monnnn, or else we’re gonna miss the sunnnset,” Pearl sing-sang, a devious smirk adorning her features as she parroted Marina’s earlier words. With a flustered huff, Marina lifted herself back up to full height and followed her partner out of the door.
The only thing keeping them from not holding hands in that moment was the fact that their arms were full of the things they had planned for that evening.
--
The drive up to Mount Nantai was sweet and pleasant, and Pearl appreciated that Marina didn’t drive as fast and elegantly furious as she normally did, more than likely because they weren’t wearing the safety of their helmets. With all their belongings loaded up in the cargo space at the back of the motorcycle, Pearl had her arms wrapped around Marina’s waist, and her cheek pressed snug against the cool leather of Marina’s jacket. She watched with quiet excitement and awe as the bustling metropolis of Inkopolis began to fade into the background, the sky already starting to soften with the beginnings of a sunset. Eventaully, they had reached the outskirts of the city, driving through suburbia, then eventual rural counties. There, in the distance, mountains of all different sizes could be seen, and as Marina tilted her handlebars, following a shoddy, old sigh that said “Mount Nantai →”, both girls’ excitement only continued to grow.
“Hang on tight, love.” Marina called over her shoulder, the tone of her smile heard throughout the calming summer air.
“Roger that, captain!” Pearl laughed behind her, nodding her head against Marina’s back as she tightened her hold. Marina slowed the speed of her bike as they turned onto the desolate path. Despite the turbulence, the ride was still enjoyable. They first passed through simple open plains with shrubbery dotting the landscape. Tiny, wild sea bunnies and other harmless wildlife could be seen nibbling at the vegetation from a distance. The plains were quickly replaced by a few scattered, wimpy trees before soon, the entire environment transformed into a plush, vibrantly green forest. Giant oak trees stood tall and proud, their age and boisterousness displayed by the makeup of their intricately woven roots and high reaching branches. Their plump, green leaves cast patches of shadows underneath them, giving the trekking girls beneath them cheetahshark-like tattoos.
“We’re here.” Marina announced, slowing the bike to a complete stop. She kicked her foot forward, activating the sturdy kickstand before slinging her leg off of the bike. “My princess,” Marina bowed, placing one hand to her chest while the other reached out, waiting to take Pearl’s hand to assist her off the bike.
Pearl snorted at her with a light blush, but she willingly took the hand without hesitance. “Sounds like someone’s been watching too many sappy movies.”
“Reading too many, actually,” Marina corrected, playfully bumping her hip against her partner’s side. With a quick turn of her keys, she opened the back compartment of her motorcycle and pulled out all of their belongings. “Now c’mon, we should be right on time.”
“Right!” Pearl nodded, pumping a fist into the air with excitement. She then turned on her heels, basket in her arms and practically skipped her way through the trees. Drawing in a deep breath, Pearl let the wilderness seep into the deepest parts of her soul. “Shell, I’ve missed this place! Brings back a lot of memories.”
Marina’s gaze softened as she trailed after her lively partner.
“Yeah.”
They continued to walk their way through the dense vegetation before suddenly, all of the trees broke off, revealing a small, grassy cliff that overlooked the entire mountain. Marina quickly unraveled their blanket, watching it float out with the wind as she brought it to the ground and secured the four corners with some nearby rocks. Both girls took off their jackets and kicked off their shoes and socks before settling on the blanket, arms gently brushing against one another.
“Sandwich, no mayo, extra gross pickles.” Pearl offered, pulling a simple sandwich out from the picnic basket. Marina took it with a roll of her eyes, pouting all the while. “And a sandwich, extra mayo, for yours truly!” Pearl beamed, quickly taking a rather large chomp out of hers. Her partner managed a quiet giggle, taking a much more sophisticated bite of her own food before both of their eyes drifted out to the scene in front of them. They watched in comfortable silence as the sky changed colors, making bold displays of orange, reds, violets. This was truly the best place to watch the sunset, and Pearl and Marina couldn’t think of a better place to have made this discovery.
At least once a year, the girls made the trek to visit this spot in particular.
They had so much history at this location...
Sandwich now finished, Marina released a content sigh as she gently hugged Pearl, whom was now sitting snug in her lap, back pressed against her chest as they both became enamoured by the nature show.
Pearl turned her head the slightest bit so that her lips could reach Marina’s chin. “You remember when you tried to eat a dandelion, thinking that’s how cotton candy grew?” She whispered softly, voice light with amusement.
Marina blushed against her as she gently twisted Pearl around so that they were facing each other. “I didn’t know any better....” She argued meekly, dropping a tiny kiss to Pearl’s nose.
That earned her a laugh. “Hm, you didn’t know anything back then, babe.”
Marina snickered quietly, but offered no intimidate rebuttal as something rather intriguing caught her attention. The light from the sunset reflected off of Pearl’s golden eyes in a seemingly impossible way, making them glow and warm Marina’s heart like a well-kindled fire place.
“Hmm…” Marina hummed, drawing her face near Pearl’s. “...You wanna know what I do know?”
The inkling’s eyes drooped until they were half-lidded, her gaze momentarily flicking down to her partner’s incoming lips. “...what?”
The corners of Marina’s mouth curled upwards as the sweetest of smiles graced her lips. “I know that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me as well.” She murmured, cupping Pearl's cheeks and leaning down to meet her partner in a romantic, loving kiss. Pearl met her lips eagerly, their mouths gently pushing and pulling against each other as the sun continued to wane away in front of them.
Mount Nantai would always have a special place in their hearts.
