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“Wow.This place...it looks completely different now.”
Liy and Pen both stared at the waterfall in awe.
They’d expected Roboty’s waterfall to look a LITTLE different, ever since One had temporarily taken over, but they didn’t expect it to look THAT different!
The dull greys and charcoal blacks of the entire world were replaced with rich, sparkling blues and deep, royal purples.
Even the water flowing from the waterfall appeared to be different; it emitted a dim white glow, and its surface was far shinier, almost as though it were made of crystal.It was no longer fully transparent, the rocks underneath the waterfall’s flow were only partially visible.
It was a stark contrast from it’s previously uninteresting and colourless state.
And as much as Liy and Pen hated One, hated how she hurt Two and the show so badly, and relished in the fact that she was gone, they almost felt…thankful, in a way.
There was, at the very least, one positive thing that she had left her mark on.
“I actually kind of like the way it looks now.”Liy admitted.
“Same here,”Pen didn’t take his eyes off of the waterfall,”should we just…like, explore, or something?”
“Sure.We could go sit on the new bridge?”
“Yeah!”
And they both skipped away to the new and improved bridge.
Four and X had surprisingly agreed to make a new one in their spare time, and had seemingly matched it to the new environment as well.
Its bright violet railings glimmered in the waterfall’s dim lighting.Liy and Pen both carefully sat down on the newly painted wood, and leaned back against the rails.
She cleared her throat.
“I remember when it was just us and this place.”she reminisced gleefully.
“All those years back, when I was teaching you about those anger management tips, heh!We’ve both grown a lot since then, though.”she momentarily closed her eyes, to avoid looking in his direction.
“Yeah, we’ve went through a lot…it was all worth it, though, because now, we can finally live in peace!No more One, and no more deals!”he cheered, and carefully removed his cap, staring at it pridefully.
“Yeah, good thing she’s gone.”Liy couldn’t take her eyes off of him as she continued to talk.
She’d definitely had some…feelings.About him, that she’d never been able to express during the competition.After all, it wasn’t the only worry she had, and it certainly wasn’t the main one, especially when One took over.
But now…now she could express it, she realised.Especially because now, they were finally alone.Alone together, admiring a beautiful waterfall.
“It’s never too late to express yourself, Pen.”
She reminded herself of the advice that she’d given him.
Yeah…maybe it was time for her to do something.She had to shoot her shot eventually.
Yeah!
Liy felt an overwhelming sense of confidence rise within her.
‘You can do this, Liy!”
She decided that she was finally going to make a move.
“I…do like what she did with the scenery, though.”she stated casually.
“I’ve gotta agree.This place was pretty dull before, it’s a lot more lively now!”Pen smiled joyfully, unaware of Liy’s sly gaze.
“Yeah…”she continued.
“Just look at it!A glimmering waterfall, the dim lighting, the deep purple scenery.”
“Y know…”
“It’s pretty romantic, isn’t it?”
She carefully wrapped her arm around his waist as she cathartically finished the last part of her sentence.
“Heh, w-well, that’s one way to put it.”he stammered a little, confused by her…unexpected comment.
Maybe she wasn’t meaning it like THAT though, right?I mean, it is just a comment about the scenery, after all.Maybe she didn’t expect him to take it like that.
“Yeah.I know, it’s corny.But it’s true.”she turned to him and placed her hand on his.
They both shared a short moment of silence.
“…You’re wonderful, y’know that?”
His eyes widened a little.She relished in his bashful reaction.
“Haha, w-well…thanks-“
“And there’s a lot more things I could say about you, too.”her smug expression only grew.
“Like how brave you are, or how thoughtful you are.I love your laugh, and I love how you can instantly light up a room, and I love how kind you are.I love every part of you.”
Pen had already been blushing, but now it looked like he was about to explode.She could practically feel the extreme heat emanating from his face.
Now there was definitely no going back, not after she basically just dropped a bombshell on him.
“I know it’s all… pretty sudden of me to say right now, but during the show, I wasn’t really able to express how I felt about you.There were way bigger concerns at the time.”Her smug smile softened.
“But now that it’s all over with…I wanted to express that to you.After all, it’s never too late to express yourself~!”she winked, and awaited his response.
“W-wow, Liy…”Pen took a breath in, gathering up his courage like a nervous teenager.
“I-I didn’t know you’d felt that way about me… I’ve, admittedly, had a thing for you for a while too.But, I-I just thought it might’ve ruined our friendship to tell you that!”his expression grew hopeful.
“I’m so glad you feel the same, heheh!”he smiled joyfully at her.
She put her free hand on his shoulder.“Even if I hadn’t felt the same, I never would’ve abandoned you like that, Pen!You’re the bestest friend I ever had!Now the bestest boyfriend.”
“Aw, thanks, Liy!I am wondering though…what do we do now, then?”
…
“…I mean, I could, like, kiss you if you’re alright with that?”Liy’s sly expression subtly returned.
“Hmm…sure!”
She swiftly closed the gap between them, and she didn’t regret it one bit.Nor did he.
The kiss was short, but sweet, and full of passion.All of the tension that they felt between each other had finally been broken, and they’d finally gotten someone to call theirs.
They both savoured the small moment, basking in the new development in their relationship.
They really weren’t dreaming.And they really had someone to love.