Work Text:
2/10
Will she be a potential threat to my plans? That’s the first thing that I remember thinking when I first saw you after coming back from Galar. Shortly followed by damn, she looks annoying. I was angry at my bullies, angry at myself, angry at the world. I thought that I had you all figured out then, just another spoiled rich nepo baby who probably sees herself as superior just because she has daddy’s money. Even when we first grew close I held you at a distance, just waiting for the shoe to drop and for you to reveal your true side. Except, I was wrong. I let my hatred blind me, and every day I’m thankful that you stuck with me even when I was being an ass for no reason. If I could go back in time to my younger self I would tell her this: Nemona is nothing close to what you imagine her to be. She’s top of the school, but only because she spent years of hard work and sleepless nights completely dedicated to her work. She’s loud, but only because she’s passionate about everything. She sees something she wants and she makes it happen, no matter what problems face her, be it mental or physical. She laughs without restraint and loves with everything she has.
Nemona, you single handedly reminded me that the world isn’t always a cruel place. You help me see the beauty in everything when all I can see is grey. I’m forever grateful that you never gave up on this grumpy asshole. I love you, so so much
xoxo Penny
“D’awww,”
Juliana coos, nedging Nemona’s arm with her elbow. “This is so cute!”
“Yeah…” Nemona brushes her hand against the handwritten letter taped to her dorm door. She had been about to head to homeroom with Juliana until the other girl pointed out the letter taped to her door, written in Penny’s signature loopy cursive. “It is.”
Butterfrees flutter around in her chest and she finds herself smiling, her cheeks surely flushed red. She didn’t even hear Penny come by and do this, and she’s been up since five!
“I never knew Penny could be so romantic.” Juliana ponders as Nemona carefully takes the note off the door, folding it up and slipping it in her bag.
“Oh, she’s super romantic, she just hates when you guys see it. She hates being teased about it.” Nemona responds, making Juliana nod.
“Yeah, makes sense.” The fellow champion waggles her eyebrows. “You should totally go visit her and thank her in front of her entire homeroom. You still have,” She checks her phone. “Like, ten minutes before the bell rings.”
Nemona agrees, waving to her friend before heading off in the opposite of her intended direction and towards Ms. Tyme’s room. It’s not often that she visits Penny during homeroom, simply because most times her girlfriend just chooses to visit her instead but as she enters the classroom she instantly spots Penny sitting in the back corner with her head resting on folded hands as she slumps over her desk, her glasses folded beside her. ‘ So adorable’ she thinks as she wanders over to her girlfriend.
“¿Cielo?” Nemona crouches beside Penny, resting a gentle hand on her back. “Are you awake, my love?”
Penny lifts her head at Nemona’s touch, captivating grey eyes squinting up at her through bicolored bangs. “Mngh?” She chirps sleepily, and Nemona fights the urge to coo at her. Penny hates when Nemona dotes on her in public, but Nemona can't help it when she's just so cute! “‘Mona?”
“Hola mi amor.” Nemona smiles down at her girlfriend, reaching out and lightly tapping Penny on the nose, making her girlfriend blink rapidly.
“Huwaugh?”
“Did you not sleep well last night?” Nemona asks, picking up Penny’s glasses hoisting herself up on the desk, giggling lightly as Penny drops her head on her thigh. “You look exhausted.”
“Mngh, don’ worry about it.” Penny responds, sighing in content as Nemona pulls back her hood and starts running a hand through her now shoulder length hair. She’s been trying to grow it out since their sophomore year, and now finally in senior year she’s found that she likes it this length.
“Do you want me to tie your hair back, love?” Usually Penny likes her hair in a low ponytail but today it’s down completely, red and blue locks splayed out like a fan.
“Ugh, yes please. My vees keep chewing on my hair ties and breaking them.” Penny grumbles against Nemona’s thigh, and the champion throws her head back and laughs.
“Oh you poor thing.”
“Mmhm, very poor.” Penny gives Nemona her best baby doll eyes. “So poor that I need more hoodies.”
“You are not touching my La Primera hoodie. I just got it back!”
“Ugh, fine.” Penny pouts, rolling her eyes. “Why are you even here, anyway? Class starts in like, three minutes.”
“Oh yeah!” Nemona perks up. “I wanted to thank you for the letter you gave me! It was super sweet!”
Penny sits up, shooting Nemona her adorable lopsided grin and puffing her chest up. “You liked it?”
“Penny, I loved it. I’m probably going to read it a million times over today.” Nemona confesses, feeling the same giddy feeling from before. “It made my whole day.”
“I’m glad.” Penny rubs the back of her neck, averting her eyes from Nemona’s as her cheeks flush. “I meant every word in it.”
“Awww, babe!” Nemona can't resist trying to pinch Penny’s cheek, laughing when she gets her hand smacked away. “What made you write it anyway?”
“Oh look at the time, you should go to class!” Penny completely ignores the question, pointing to the time on her phone.
“Babe?”
“Okay, bye!”
“Penny!”
“...”
“Are you going to answer the question?”
“Goodbye, Nemona!”
“Hmph, fine. I’ll remember this though!”
Nemona narrows her eyes at her girlfriend, who smiles innocently.
Just what could she be up to…?
2/11
You always know just what to say to make me feel better when I’m down. You aren’t afraid to help me calm down when I have an anxiety attack, or to stay up talking with me when I can’t fall asleep. I love the sound of your voice. I love hearing you talk about your newest strategies when battling Jules, or the inside drama in student council that they think you don’t know, or even boring things like math homework. On the days that you’re away on sponsorship trips or tournaments I actually find myself listening to your interviews, just so I can hear your voice. I love waking up to it, I love hearing it in the distance when I'm nowhere close to you because m a n you're loud. I love falling asleep to it on the nights you can sneak into my room after the teachers all go to bed. I love everything about it. I love everything about you.
with love,
Penny
“You like the sound of my voice, hm?”
Nemona smirks at her girlfriend, holding a new letter in her hand. She had found it laying on Penny’s desk in the morning, having been able to sneak into her girlfriend's room last night.
“Oh, did I leave that there?” Penny responds smugly, her words slightly garbled from the toothbrush in her mouth. “What a coincidence.”
“Mmhm, yes, it must be.” Nemona watches Penny spit in her kitchen sink, cringing internally. Gross.
“I know what you're thinking.” Penny shoots her a look before running the water and washing away the mess in the sink. “It’s not gross.”
“You’re supposed to use the bathroom sink.”
“Literally, it’s washed away now. What’s the big deal?”
“The ‘big deal’ is that we use that sink to cook! And now your spit is in it!”
“Nemona, my spit has been in your mouth.” Penny fires back, and the two girls pause, matching blushes coating their cheeks as they process what she had just said. “I–, I mean..” Penny stutters, sinking to the ground and covering her reddening face.
“I mean, you aren’t wrong.” Nemona giggles as her girlfriend makes a strangled noise, “Do you like that about me too? My spi–”
“Shut the fuck up, don’t even finish that sentence.” Penny groans, and Nemona laughs harder.
“Still though, if you spit in the kitchen sink again I'm not going to buy you that limited edition Umbreon figurine you want.”
“WAIT, YOU WERE GOING TO BUY ME THE UMBREON FIGURINE?”
“Shit, did I forget to tell you? Uuuh, not anymore. You spit in the sink.”
“BABE!”
“I’m joking! It’s coming next week.” Nemona reveals, and suddenly there's a very excited Penny in her arms.
“Seriously? Deadass?” Penny cups Nemona’s face in her palms, looking up at her with wide, hopeful eyes. “Say sike right now if you’re joking.”
“No,” Nemona chuckles at her girlfriend's enthusiasm, leaning down to nuzzle her nose against Penny’s. “No sike. I may have pulled some strings to guarantee that I would get one.”
“I’m so fucking in love with you right now.” Penny whispers, and Nemona watches black overtake grey as her pupils dilate. “I want to kiss you so badly right now.”
“Really?” Nemona whispers back, her eyes falling to Penny’s lips.
“Yeah, really.”
“I want to kiss you too,” Nemona leans in, her lips just inches from Pennys. “But I don’t kiss people who spit in kitchen sinks.” Nemona steps back, giggling to herself as she watches Penny’s expression flip between dazed and confused. “And I still need to take a shower. Looove youuu~!” She sings before dashing into the bathroom, leaving Penny stranded in the kitchen.
“Wha– HEY!” Penny’s muffled voice sounds from the other side of the door. “Let me shower first! You take forever in there!”
“Sorry too late, already chang– PENNY, WHY IS THE HOODIE I’VE BEEN MISSING FOR MONTHS IN HERE?!”
Needless to say, Penny sat through a half hour of Nemona complaining about her ‘stealing the clothes off my back!’ and ‘I literally had to buy an entire new wardrobe because you’ve stolen mine!’.
Good thing she loves Nemona’s voice, right?
2/12
Be the reason you smile every day, and why you believe in love. That’s what I strive for, always.
Penny
Nemona frowns down at the letter in her hands, flipping it over to see if there's more written on the back. Nothing. It’s significantly shorter than all of the others, but no less as sweet. It had fallen out of her bag when she had picked it up to go to class. How it got in there, she doesn't know.
“What’s that?” Arven glances at the paper from over Nemona’s shoulder.
“Another letter from Penny.” She murmurs. After the first letter she had asked all of her friends if they had any idea what Penny was doing but no one had any idea, not even Team Star.
“Another one?” Arven hums, rubbing his chin. “I wonder what she’s up to.”
“Are you sure you don’t know what she’s doing?”
“Trust me, I have absolutely no clue.” He sighs. “If I had to guess, it probably has to deal with Valentine's day coming up soon.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Nemona slips the note into her bag, right beside the others. “I’m free after my next class if you want to gather more herba mystica.”
“Perfect, I’ve been running low on supplies!”
Nemona and Arven fall into easy conversation as they head to class, yet the topic of Penny’s notes still lingers in Nemona’s mind.
Penny…just what are you doing?
2/13
Mine . Check your closet.
Penny
“Seriously, what does this mean?” Nemona murmurs to herself, pacing her room as she dials Penny’s number.
Ring…
Ring…
Ring…
“Yo, it’s Penny. Sorry I couldn’t pick up, please leave a voicemail.”
Nemona signs as her call goes to voicemail again . She hasn't heard from Penny in a while, and it’s making her worried. She won’t answer the phone, she won’t look at her texts, and her location is off so Nemona doesn't know where to find her.
“Penny, I swear to Arceus..” Nemona grumbles as she heads to her wardrobe, opening the door and–
Hoodies! Lots of them! Just about every hoodie that she’s been missing is now tucked back in place as if they had never been gone in the first place.
“Awww, babe…” Nemona grins, shaking her head. Seriously, how is Penny managing to do all of this? A sudden ping from her phone draws her attention and she perks up as she sees Penny’s contact. Finally!
Pennito💙
Pennito💙
srry luv
busy
m ok i promise
luv u!!
Pneumonia💚
love you too!!
Thank you for my hoodies back!
Pennito💙
ofc
n joy them 4 now
>:3
Nemona laughs down at her phone, shaking her head fondly. Time for her to invest in a new hiding spot for her favorite hoodies. Maybe somewhere up high…
2/14
Forever . Meet me at our lighthouse at 5:40pm. Bring the letters.
Penny
Nemona blinks in surprise as Juliana hands her a letter, instantly recognizing the handwriting on it.
“Wh–? I thought you didn’t know about any of this!” Nemona pouts at her friend, smacking her shoulder with the letter.
“I don’t! She just told me to give this to you!” Juliana whines. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“Too late, consider yourself shot.” Nemona sticks her tongue out at her best friend before reading over the note. “Wh–? Julie, it's already almost five fourty! How am I supposed to make this in time?!”
“Yeaaah, about that.” Juliana winces, flashing a sheepish smile. “I totally forgot to give this to you this morning. My bad.”
“ JULIANA!”
“Relax, relax! I’ll give you Miradon, it’ll get you there in time.” Juliana digs in her pocket, pulling out its pokeball. “See, problem solved!”
“You’re ridiculous, my friend.” Nemona sighs as she takes the pokeball. “Thank you though! I really gotta go now, bye!”
“Bye! Good luck!”
Five fifty. That’s when Nemona eventually makes it to the lighthouse, hopping off of Miraidon’s back with all of the letters clutched in her hand.
“You're late!” A familiar voice rings through the clearing, and Nemona whirls her head around.
“Penny!” She squeals as her girlfriend approaches from behind the lighthouse, wasting no time in running over and smothering her in the biggest hug she can manage. “I missed you, Pennito!”
“I missed you too!” Penny mumbles against Nemona’s shoulder, squeezing her tighter. “Being away from you is torture.”
“Aww, babee!” Nemona gives Penny one last squeeze before stepping back a little so she can properly see her girlfriend's face. Penny looks almost nervous, her eyes darting around everywhere. “Why did you even leave in the first place? You made me worried.”
“I know, I know. But I had to uh–,” Penny takes a deep breath, rubbing the back of her neck. “I had to do something important.”
“Does it have to deal with why we’re here right now?” Nemona questions, feeling her heartbeat start to speed up. “What, did you have to ask my family’s permission for my hand in marriage?” She jokes, trying to clear the air.
Marriage is one of those topics that they only just started mentioning, with Nemona joking about getting married ‘right now’ and Penny complaining that they’re ‘too young’ and ‘I don’t want to be like my parents’. Which Nemona completely understands! It’s already clear that they’re not even thinking of not lasting, so she can wait! Maybe some time in the future when they both have stable jobs she’ll bring it up again. She can be patient!
“N-not quite,” Penny stumbles over her words, and Nemona feels her heart freeze. ‘Not quite’? What does that mean? Does that mean that–
“Penny?”
“Wait, wait!” Penny holds her hands out, shaking her head. “Don’t– don’t say anything yet! Bloody hell, I’ve practiced this for the past month.” She mumbles to herself, but Nemona hears her. And Nemona is freaking out. “The– the letters! YOu brought them, yeah?” Penny asks, folding her hands behind her back. Probably because they’re trembling.
“Y-yeah, I did.” Nemona lifts them up, barely able to hear Penny over the pounding kickdrum of her heartbeat crowding her ears. She’s suddenly aware of the significance of this very lighthouse, and the way the setting sun paints a romantic mood with its soft red and orange hues. “Penny,” She states slowly, “what’s going on?” It’s not what she’s thinking, right? Surely not, right? Penny said she wanted to wait until they were older for them to…for her to…
“Read the first word of every letter out loud. In order” Penny points to the letters clutched in Nemona’s hand that are getting crumpled by how tight her grip is. “Please.”
“O-okay.” Nemona breathes, her eyes dropping to the papers. They’re hard to read, blurry from the tears suddenly welling in her eyes. “Will you be mine forever?” Nemona sniffles, unable to hold back tears suddenly flowing down her cheeks. “Penny, wha–”
A gasp.
And five letters float to the ground, completely forgotten by both of them.
Because Penny is standing there with a small black case in her hand, holding it out to Nemona.
“I know I said we should wait until we’re older,” Penny speaks, her voice trembling as she holds back her own tears. “But the more I thought about it, the more I just couldn’t bring myself to wait that long.”
“ Penny.” Nemona hiccups, trying in vain to wipe away the flood of tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Nemona, you are single handedly the best thing that has ever happened in my life. I–, fuck, this is hard.” Penny lets out a wet laugh. “I don’t think I can do this without crying.”
“Well try.” Nemona croaks, smiling through her tears.
“The fuck do you think I’m doing?” Penny jokes back, and the two dissolve into wet giggles. “Fuck, okay!” Penny shakes her head, “I’ve got this.” And she drops on one knee. “Nemona, I see you everywhere I look. I see your eyes in the sunrise and sunset, I hear your voice in every damn pokemon battle I stumble across.” That draws another wet laugh from Nemona. Guilty as charged. “I feel your love every time you kick me in your sleep.”
“That isn’t very romantic!” Nemona laughs, and Penny gives her that beautiful lopsided smirk.
“I’m not very romantic.” Penny sobers at this, a fresh bout of tears streaming down her cheeks as she gives Nemona a look so genuine. “I’m not a romantic! Fuck, I don’t even like valentine’s day! I think it’s stupid. But Nemo. you’ve gone and made me a fuckin’ sap. I–” Penny pauses, her throat bobbing as she presses her lips together, furrowing her brow. “Oh, fuck this. Look, what I’m saying is– I love you. Be mine forever.” And Penny flips up the lid of the box, revealing a beautiful ring band, forged from the crystals in Area Zero. “Please?”
What happens next is all a blur.
Crying. Tackling Penny to the ground. Kissing. More crying. More kissing. So much kissing.
“You know, not to ruin the moment,” Penny wheezes once Nemona lets her breathe. “But technically you haven’t answered yet so–”
“Yes!” Nemona shrieks , smiling so hard it hurts . “My answer is yes!”
“Okay, cool. Just making sure.” Penny smiles sheepishly, and Nemona kisses her again. And again. And again.
“Do you uh…do you think we can leave now?” Arven whispers to Giacomo, awkwardly holding a camera in his hands. Penny had of course reached out to her closest friends to hunker down in the abandoned lab while she proposed so they could record and take photos, but that seems to be over now…
“Uuh, yeah. Please.” Giacomo shudders. “I don’t think I ever needed to see Boss giving that much tongue.”
“They’re so in love!!” Juliana coos from the window, seemingly unphased by her closest friends making out on the ground. “It’s so cute!”
“Let’s give them their privacy, little buddy.” Arven hooks his arms under Juliana’s and lifts her, carrying her away from the celebrating couple and towards the exit, Giacomo following behind. “Let’s go get some food or something.”
“Awww, but I wanna see Nemona put the ring on!”
“I think that ring is the last thing on their minds right now…”
“We can see the ring tomorrow, Little Buddy.”
“Aww, okay..”
Bonus!!!
“I can’t stop looking at it.” Nemona giggles, holding her left hand up, proudly displaying her new ring. “How did you even manage to get this?”
“My uncle Peony is real skilled with Steel types, he was able to get a chunk of crystal and then it’s just the process of turning it into a ring.” Penny shrugs. “That’s why I had to disappear for a bit, I had to help him with some of the details.”
After they finally…composed themselves, they climbed the lighthouse and sat cuddled beside each other, just like they did the very first night Nemona confessed. They had unfortunately missed the sunset, which Penny had planned for them to see, but it didn't matter.
“I thought you said you wanted to wait to get engaged!”
“Well, technically we still are too young for this to be legitimate. Think of the ring as a promise ring for now.” Penny holds up her own left hand, where she has a matching ring.
“Well it’s kind of hard to do when it’s on the wedded finger.” Nemona murmurs. Unfortunately hand braces and rings do not get along well, but truthfully she likes wearing it on her left hand more. It’s almost like they’re married already… “Wife.”
“Mmn, more like fiancé.” Penny responds, nudging Nemona with her shoulder.
“I have a wife!” Nemona gushes, feeling her cheeks ache as another smile crosses her face.
“Baby, it’s not actual–”
“I’m MARRIED!”
“‘Mona!” Penny shoves Nemona, covering her face with her free hand. “Shut up! We’re not married!”
“Not yet.” Nemona replies smugly, wrapping her arms around her fiancé and pulling her close.
“No, not yet.” Penny agrees, melting into her side and smiling shyly up at her fiancé. “Not yet.”