A/N: Well, here I am again. Another one-shot about a shipping I like instead of an update to my multi-chapter works. I wish it were that simple, but I'm just not at a good point in my life where I can make myself devote time to the bigger stories. I'll have more info at the bottom, but for now, enjoy this story.
Ashley strolled the darkened streets of Diamond City. Red had convinced her to go for a walk, saying that getting out of the house would be good for her. She protested at first, but Red was insistent and eventually Ashley caved in and agreed.
She had to admit, it was nice to be doing something different than sitting around in her mansion deciding what spell to practice or potion to brew next. Variety is the spice of life, right? A quiet, moonlit walk was just the thing to change up her routine without forcing her to interact with people.
As she approached a path that branched off and lead up a hill, a faint noise reached her ears. It sounded like a person. Initially, Ashley was tempted to break into a run, but as she listened, she realized the sound was someone singing.
This piqued Ashley's curiosity, and she found herself walking up the hill, closer to the source. As she neared the top, she began to make out a figure of someone sitting atop the hill under the moonlight. It became clear that the one singing was a girl, and a talented girl at that.
'I've been so lucky. I am the girl with long red hair.
I wanna sing it out to everybody.
What a joy, what a life, what a cha~nce.
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing.
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing.
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty.
What would life be?
Without a song or a dance, what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it...to me~
The singer finished her song. By then, Ashley had reached the hilltop, standing behind the girl who was the source of the voice. Even from behind, Ashley recognized her. Penny Crygor, one of her colleagues through WarioWare Inc.
Ashley had always found Penny intriguing. Most people would think they'd have some sort of science-vs-magic rivalry, since Penny is a scientist and Ashley is a witch, but in actuality they respected each other's opposing practices. Ashley dared to hope that Penny might even consider her a friend.
Truthfully, Ashley secretly wished that Penny could see her as even more than that. It was a secret that no one else knew about, save Red. He was lucky that Ashley needed him and considered him her only real friend. Had it been anyone else who read Ashley's diary, they'd have ended up a black mark on the floor.
It was a hard truth to face, however. Deep down, Ashley had always just wanted people to like her, to have friends who would care about her and be there for her. She genuinely appreciated Red, but even your best friend is only one person. She wanted more.
But as if having a reputation as 'the weird, mean witch girl who zapped anyone who came near her house' didn't make forming friendships hard enough, she had one more roadblock that made things one hundred times harder: she was a lesbian.
Knowing that people would inevitably treat her differently if they knew was enough to completely prevent her from wanting to be open about it. So, she was left forever pining hopelessly for a girl who was everything she wished she could be, and who she now knew had an angelic singing voice on top of that, which was just going make the heartache even harder to deal with.
At this point, though, Ashley didn't care. The mere fact that someone had made her feel this way at all was enough for her. Even though they'd never be together, she would happily watch from afar, just to feel something, even hopeless love.
That's what it was, after all. This was more than a passing crush. Ashley knew it. She felt it. She was in love. With Penny Crygor. She had fallen hard, and it still hadn't, and wouldn't stop hurting.
Just as Ashley was about to turn around and leave, Penny realized she had attracted an audience.
"Huh? Ashley? What are you doing out here at this time of night?" asked the bespectacled redhead.
Ashley froze for a moment, trying to think of a response. She knew that honesty would be best. She couldn't help wondering, though, if Red had somehow known this would happen.
"I was taking a walk. Red said it would be good for me. I heard you singing...and I wanted to listen. You...have a really good voice." Ashley muttered.
"Oh, thanks! I come here some nights to test out my formula." said Penny.
"Formula?" asked Ashley.
"My voice-altering formula. You might've noticed my singing voice was different than my speaking voice. That's because I created a concoction that makes my singing sound better. I've been working on it for awhile, fine-tuning it so that it works how I want it to." Penny explained, patting the ground next to her to signal Ashley to sit down.
Ashley considered leaving again, but something kept her from doing so. She sat down next to Penny as the other girl continued her explanation.
"The original version of the formula caused someone's voice to change entirely instead of just when they're singing, which was a problem. Since it takes awhile to wear off, drinking it meant that any side effects were much more potent, and much more frequent. I had to find a way to make it only affect the voice when singing." said Penny.
"You had to alter it so it could detect specific movements and vibrations in the airway." said Ashley.
"Precisely! I knew there was a reason I enjoy spending time with you! You understand some of my nerd ramblings. Your magic must get really in-depth at times. You're amazing sometimes, Ashley." said Penny.
Ashley hoped the moonlight didn't make her burning red cheeks too visible. If Penny had seen her blushing, she hadn't paid it any mind, so Ashley let herself relax.
"Once I figured out how to make the formula only affect singing, I next had to refine it until it was safe for repeated consumption. Once that was done, all that was left was testing. I come out here and sing to myself, trying to get my voice just right." said Penny.
"You want to be a pop idol one day, right?" asked Ashley.
"Yup! Although, even if my singing voice is perfect, there's still one problem." said Penny.
"What's that?" asked Ashley.
"While I'm a good singer, what I'm not is a lyricist." Penny answered.
"Meaning you're not good at writing songs." said Ashley.
"Right. It's frustrating. At this rate, I might end up only becoming a cover artist." said Penny.
"A cover artist? You mean you'll sing songs written by other people?" asked Ashley.
"Mmhmm. That carries its own problems, namely getting permission to cover the songs in the first place. It's a lot of extra work for less recognition and fame." Penny sighed.
"Well…" Ashley started, "as you might imagine, many of the spells and potions I practice have rhyming incantations and instructions. It's done that way because it's easier to remember. They're more like poetry, but it does mean I'm better at making up my own rhymes. Perhaps I could write them down and let you see if you can work them into lyrics."
"You'd do that for me?" asked Penny.
"I know it's not the best idea, but-" Ashley started.
"No, it's great! A little unorthodox, to be sure, but still a capital idea!" Penny cut in.
"You really think so?" asked Ashley.
"Yeah! It would help me, it would give you something more to do, and we'd get to spend more time together. I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. You're the best, Ash!" Penny replied.
"A-Ash?" Ashley stuttered.
"Oh, uh, that kinda just slipped out. I tend to give my friends nicknames. It's just a character tic, I suppose." Penny explained.
Ashley's eyes widened.
"Friends? We're...friends?" she gasped.
"Of course we are! You didn't think I considered you a friend?" asked Penny.
"I didn't think anyone thought of me like that. No one has ever wanted to be my friend. Well, besides Red, but he has no choice, since he's my familiar." Ashley explained.
Penny looked at Ashley with a tender smile.
"I know that people judge you a lot, but I've gotten to know the real you. True, you're not the most approachable person, but you're more than just some strange, angry girl who lives alone. You can be distant at times, but you're trying to improve yourself, and that's what counts." Penny spoke gently.
Ashley merely sat there, letting Penny's words sink in.
"Life dealt you a bad hand, and you've kept trying to play with the cards you're holding, metaphorically speaking. You're smart, brave, and determined, not to mention really pretty." Penny said.
The scientist slapped a hand over her mouth, her face rapidly turning a similar shade to her hair. She hadn't meant to vocalize that last part.
Ashley, meanwhile, was blushing hard enough to mirror her dress. Had she heard that correctly? If she hadn't, would Penny look so embarrassed?
The silence was eventually broken by Penny.
"Look, I'm sorry, that just slipped out. I didn't mean to-"
It was Ashley's turn to cut her off.
"You...think I'm pretty?" asked the witch.
Penny hesitated, but she figured that trying to dodge around the issue would only make things worse, and decided to come clean.
"Y-yeah. I always have. I realized years ago that I like girls, but no one ever caught my eye. Most of the girls I've known had too much of an age gap. Then, when we started spending time together, I...found myself falling for you." Penny confessed.
Ashley was speechless. Her pessimistic side kept waiting for the moment she woke up in her bed, but the hopeful side she kept buried deep down knew she was wide awake. This was really happening.
"Ash? You okay? Did I upset you? Please don't be mad." Penny said, concerned.
Ashley took a deep breath. She mustered up all of her courage...and kissed Penny right on the lips. It was a brief kiss, both girls too caught up in the shock of it all to even close their eyes.
Ashley's face was redder than her familiar, but she forced herself to look at Penny. The scientist was dazed, bringing a hand to her lips. She stared back at Ashley. A feeling of understanding passed between them.
The two closed the gap between them again, coming together in another, fuller kiss. After once again breaking apart, Penny couldn't hold back the smile that spread across her face. Ashley found herself mirroring the expression. She hugged Penny, burying her face in the redhead's torso. Penny wrapped her arms around Ashley.
"I liked that." Ashley muttered.
"I liked it, too. I-I love you, Ash." said Penny.
"I love you, too...Pen." said Ashley.
Penny's smile somehow widened further upon hearing the pet name. Ashley looked up at her.
"You have such a cute smile, Ash." the redhead cooed.
"Stop it, I'm gonna cry." Ashley replied, though her smile remained.
The two simply enjoyed their embrace for a few more minutes until Penny felt the need to break the silence again.
"There's something I've been wondering. Did you really bring a mandrake to 5-Volt's cookout?" asked the redhead.
"There's context to that. First off, while it's true that a mature mandrake can kill people who hear its cry, the one I brought was a seedling. The worst it could've done was knock someone out for a few hours. 5-Volt probably would've saved whoever it was some food, anyway." Ashley explained.
"True, she seems the type to make sure no one goes hungry." Penny agreed.
"Second, I had cast a sleeping spell on it, so it couldn't cry anyway. And third, mandrake does taste like garlic. In fact, it's actually a healthier alternative. Less starch and sodium." Ashley continued.
"Huh, interesting. I wonder what other things you could substitute for food." mused Penny.
"I haven't discovered anything else in that regard so far." Ashley chuckled.
"Your laugh is also super cute." said Penny.
"I thought I told you to cut it out with the mushy stuff." said Ashley.
Penny laughed in response.
"It's getting late. I should get home." she said.
Ashley sighed but nodded and released her hold on Penny's waist.
The two stood to their feet, walking hand in hand back down the hill. Once at the foot of the hill, they shared another short kiss before bidding each other a good night and going their separate ways.
As Ashley headed towards her mansion, she realized that her housemate wasn't going to let her go to bed without first hearing about what had happened during her walk.
"Red is never gonna let me hear the end of this, is he?" she thought aloud.
Steeling herself for the inevitable earful she would receive, she continued onward. As she made her way home, for the first time, her heart was glowing. For once, something had gone right for her, and she couldn't be happier.
A/N: So, I'm almost considering switching to writing only shipping oneshots (not necessarily just yuri), at least temporarily. Let me know what you think about that possibility in a review. I do enjoy writing and sharing these stories, but I need to face the truth: for the time being, I need to find my footing in this medium again, and long, multi-chapter epics are not the way to do that, at least not for me. Regardless, I hope this story was a good read. Thanks.
(Bonus points to anyone who knows what song Penny was singing)