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Dot knew she would never get tired of waking up with Liko in her arms.
Dot used one of her hands to rub the sleep out of her eyes before looking down at her beautiful girlfriend snuggled into her. The top of Liko's head was sitting just below Dot’s chin, with Liko's face tucked close to Dot’s chest. Liko had her arms wrapped around Dot in a loose embrace as she slept. Dot could hear Liko's quiet, steading breathing beneath her meaning that the other girl was still asleep.
Dot couldn’t help but smile down at Liko, before she gently pulled Liko closer to her, while placing a soft kiss to the top of her head. Dot heard Liko let out a soft sign in her sleep, like the girl somehow knew that she was sleeping closer to Dot than she was before. Dot could feel her heart melting at just how adorable her girlfriend was when she slept. Dot managed to reach over to the night stand next to her bed and retrieve her phone. It was currently 8 am, meaning that Murdock wouldn’t have breakfast ready for a while longer.
Setting her phone back down, Dot went back to snuggling her girlfriend until she woke up. After a few minutes, Dot could feel Liko begin to stir next to her. A few seconds later, Liko lifted her head and met Dot's gaze with still sleepy eyes. Dot could see a small smile break across Liko's lips. “Good morning,” Liko murmured quietly.
“Morning,” Dot responded with a smile of her own. “Happy anniversary.”
Liko's smile grew wider at Dot’s words “Happy anniversary to you too.” Liko then shifted up a bit so she could lightly peck Dot on the lips.
“Are you ready to start the day?” Dot asked her girlfriend.
Liko seemed to ponder the question for a bit before responding. “Can we just stay here for a bit?”
That was the exact sort of thing Dot was hoping Liko would ask her. “Of course love.” Dot then pulled Liko into her so they could continue enjoying each other's warmth.
They laid together in Dot’s bed for about half an hour before they both got a message from Murdock saying that it was about time for breakfast. Both girls slipped out of Dot’s bed, and Liko headed over to her room to get changed for the day. While both girls still had their own separate room still on the Brave Olivine, they always slept in one of the girls rooms each night. Orla had made an offer to the girls to remodel a bit of the sleeping quarters so they could have a room big enough that both of them could stay in, but both girls declined, not wanting Orla to have to go through all that effort.
As Dot continued to get ready for the day, she went over to the lowest part of her dresser, opened it up, and pulled out a small black box. She opened up the box to reveal a ring sitting inside. It was silver with a beautiful sapphire centerpiece. Dot gazed at the ring inside, and she knew that today was the day that she was going to propose to Liko.
Today was the anniversary of when Liko and Dot first started dating. That was a total of 10 years ago now, back when they were both just 13 years old. Now both girls are in their 20s. Back then, Liko had been the one to build up her courage to ask Dot out. Now, Dot wanted to be the one to propose to Liko. Dot knew that both her and Liko cherished this date, so she knew that it would be the perfect day to propose.
Getting Liko's ring size, and the perfect proposal ring had been a bit of a challenge, but Dot managed to handle it. She managed to get Liko’s ring size from Orla and Mollie when they had been sent in a group with Liko to get supplies for the crew's travels while they were in Celadon city in Kanto. They had managed to convince Liko to try on some jewelry while they were at the shopping center in the city, and they managed to get her ring size there.
As for the ring itself, Dot had spent weeks scrolling through online stores trying to find the perfect one. She managed to find the perfect ring at a store in Hau’oli City in the Alola region. So while the crew were in the Alola region having some down time from one of their adventures, Dot managed to sneak away and purchase the ring with money she had been saving from her streaming and videos.
Dot continued to stare at the ring for a while, thinking about how much she loved her girlfriend, when a knock on her door caused her to jump, almost dropping the box. “Dot, are you ready to go?” Liko asked from beyond the door.
“Yeah, just one more sec,” Dot said before she quickly finished getting ready, hiding the box with the ring in her pocket in the process. Both girls then made their way to the dining hall to join the rest of the crew for breakfast. The two girls wasted little time eating though, so they could head out into the city of Lavincia for their anniversary date as soon as possible. Dot was really happy that their anniversary happened to fall during a time where the crew wasn’t currently chasing after a big mystery. That meant the girls could have their date in a really nice place.
Liko and Dot spent the entirety of the day walking around Lavincia and visiting many different shops and locations throughout the city. Both girls tried on various things at different clothing and accessory shops, and even spent a bit of time at the city's central plaza to watch some Pokémon battles unfold. Throughout the day though, the girls could barely stop smiling and looking at each other. Both of their hearts filled with love for the other girl. The girls ended their day out with dinner that overlooked the vast Paldean Sea, where they spent a long time talking about various different things, and just enjoying each other's company as much as possible.
After dinner the two girls started to make their way back to the Brave Olivine. On their way back, the girls were walking down a street lined with pretty lights and fountains. During this time, Dot felt like the box with the ring was growing warmer by the second. Dot knew that this was the time. Dot started to slow her pace until she came to a stop. Liko noticed that Dot had stopped and so she stopped as well.
“Dot? Is something wrong?” Liko asked confused
Dot waited a few seconds before responding. “Liko, I love you.”
The look of confusion on Liko’s face was replaced with a small smile. “I love you too Dot.”
Dot stepped forwards and took Liko’s hands in her own. “No, I really, really love you Liko,” Dot said, trying to keep her nerves in check. “Without you, I wouldn't be anywhere near the person I am today, and I will forever be grateful to you.”
The smile on Liko’s face grew a bit bigger, and Dot could even see that Liko’s face was just a bit red. “I’m just glad I had the courage and persistence to want to get to know you,” Liko said shyly. Both girls stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, just basking in the beauty of each other.
“Liko, you are the most important person to me in the entire world,” Dot began, her voice full of love for the other girl, “Without you, life would be nothing but a constant grey, rainy day. You are the one who fills my life with light, and warmth. You're the one who makes me want to keep fighting when things get tough.” Liko continued to look at Dot lovingly, and her smile continued to grow with each sentence Dot spoke.
“Liko, you are the one who sees me for all that I am, and who loves me for all that I am. Every waking moment that I spend with you is an adventure that I never want to end,” Dot could hear her voice cracking a bit with her own emotion, but she kept going. “Seeing you smiling every morning is what helps give me strength. Whenever I am with you, I feel like we can accomplish anything together.” Dot could see tears starting to form in Liko’s eyes from her words. At this moment, Dot let go of Liko’s hands. Without breaking eye contact, Dot took a step back before dropping to one knee. She slowly reached into her pants pocket, pulling out the box with the ring, and opened it.
Upon seeing Dot's stance and what she was holding, Liko’s hand flew to her mouth as she lightly gasped, and tears started to fall from her eyes. Dot continued to speak, her voice filled with emotion, “Liko, I want to spend the rest of our days together. I want to walk with you, hand in hand, into the future. My heart is for you, and you alone. So Liko, will you marry me?” Dot’s words hung in the air. A question straight from the heart.
As Dot and Liko continued to stare into each other's eyes, Dot saw Liko start to nod her head enthusiastically with her voice being just above a whisper. “Yes,” she responded. Her voice filled with nothing but joy.
Upon Liko’s response, Dot’s eyes began to fill with tears themselves. She slowly stood back up and wrapped Liko in a warm embrace. Liko returned the gesture, and they stayed like that for just a while. Enjoying each other's love and warmth. After a bit, Dot pulled back and took Liko's hand in hers and she slid the ring onto her lover's finger. Both of the girls’ eyes then met, and they soon started leaning in towards each other. Their lips met in a soft kiss, one that showed just how much love was between them. After a few moments the two girls broke their kiss, but continued to look into each other's shimmering eyes. Both girls knew that this was certainly an anniversary to remember.