[frantically dusting off this account to drop a oneshot and run] hiiii this is available on ao3 with accompanying art (part of which is the cover image) and the actual title (which was too long for ffn LMAO)! i just wanted to mirror it on ffn for nostalgia's sake!
It starts with an ordinary home ec class.
"Huh? You caught something for me?"
"He reminded me of you when he bounced over as soon as the sandwiches were ready!"
"...Isn't that more like you?"
Penny's gaze drifts away from her stovetop to Arven and Juliana across the classroom. No one else is paying attention—those two don't need to be reminded to use their indoor voices like Nemona often does—but she's used to keeping a listening ear out, used to hearing what no one else does.
(She'll regret this habit later. What a miserable experience caring about 3D people is.)
Juliana's chattering away as she repeatedly fails to flip the contents of her skillet with a flick of her wrist. Leaning over her as he always does because Juliana is so small, Arven's smile remains patient and affectionate as he shows her the motion again (it almost feels like cheating, getting him of all people as a partner for a cooking assignment) and offers an occasional remark on her storytelling. Whatever they're making smells amazing and Penny almost forgets about the Premier Ball resting on the counter until Arven picks it up, running his thumb over the latch. He says something inaudible and Juliana laughs, but soon enough there's a little flash of light as he releases his new pal onto the kitchen floor.
Penny's jaw nearly drops when she recognizes the shape forming on the linoleum, gleaming shiny red and wiggling its green serpentine body. It's an applin. Juliana just gave Arven an applin.
So here's the thing: summoning a pokémon from their Poké Ball is not quiet. As soon as that distinct pop! hits the air, everyone's instinctively glancing over, but anyone able to see the applin just goes "aw!" while the others shrug and quickly return to their work. Except they're at an international school with students of all ages and all walks of life (there's literally a six year old two tables behind being taught to spread jam on bread by some old geezer!), so surely she can't be the one person in the room to know the significance of gifting someone an applin! An applin!
"Well, Miss Penny, Master Ortega," booms Mr. Saguaro's baritone as her view's filled with pink pinstripe and oh, right, Penny remembers, we're fucking up our paella. Bugger. "How's your work coming along?"
She glances back at Ortie, who's looking flounced by the very concept of having to cook his own food and intensely ashamed that he's doing a very bad job at it. Not that she's helping. The socarrat probably charred a good 30 minutes ago and she doesn't know if Mr. Saguaro's a purist who's going to have issues with them putting chorizo and clauncher tails in this thing, even if neither of those things are edible at this point.
"I see you've gone for an… experimental approach to the classic paella," their teacher muses with an equally experimental poke at what might have been a tomato once upon a time, but waitwaitwait Arven's reacting.
"—nk you so much, Julie." Penny rubs her eyes. Are those sparkles? Why's everything so pink? Did Arven's chin turn pointy? "He's incredible." You're incredible, she hears unsaid. Maybe. The dark smoke from their burning paellera might be getting to her. Mr. Saguaro covers their pan with a lid and a bewildered yelp as it suddenly lights on fire.
"They have this tradition in Galar…" Juliana ventures and that's IT. SHE KNOWS. AND PENNY KNOWS THAT SHE KNOWS! Except that's the exact moment Juliana finally gets the flick right, tossing the veggies and meat in her skillet with the finesse of a professional chef and her whole face lights up as she bounces on her heels, train of thought derailed and rolling for the hills. "Ven! Ven, I did it!"
"That's my little buddy!" Arven hoots, pumping a fist in the air. "Attagirl!"
Speaking of little buddies, Ortie is repeatedly slamming his tiny pointy elbow into Penny's side for some reason.
"Miss Penny?" Mr. Saguaro repeats.
"Sorry, sir," Penny says, shaking herself mentally. Their maybe-a-paella-in-a-dream's been swept into the wastebin and Ortie's muttering something about his family's chefs cooking his meals three times a day (never mind that Penny lives exclusively off energy drinks and instant ramen) as Mr. Saguaro segues into a gentle lecture about oven safety and how cooking something at 700 degrees for 10 minutes will not produce the same results as cooking something at 350 degrees for 20, which frankly doesn't sound right to Penny but she guesses she's not the home ec teacher here.
Somewhere in the middle of it, she peeks around Mr. Saguaro once more. For Juliana, the moment's long over; she's squinting at the recipe card on her rotom phone, brow wrinkled in focus as she tosses a bunch of dry ingredients in a bowl. But Arven—oh, when she's not paying attention, Arven's looking at her like she's the only thing that matters in the room and the whole wide world. Like he reached the end of his Treasure Hunt and found there was nothing better or more important than her. He picks up his new pokémon with a gentleness he saves for Mabosstiff, holding it close for a tender moment before returning it to its Poké Ball and getting back to work.
Penny's read enough chapters of Fuwafuwa Aozora Haato: You and Me and the Swablu We Met That Morning Our Lives Changed Forever When We Transmitigated To A New World to know where this is going.
Weeks go by and "this'' goes nowhere. It's enough to make Penny think maybe she hallucinated the whole thing, except the applin is very much real and every time she runs into Arven around the school she sees it, perched on his head or cradled in his arms like a fucking baby. He even calls it his "littlest little buddy." By the time their next group sleepover comes up she's a bundle of hyperaware nerves watching Arven and Juliana like a pidgeot and analyzing their every little interaction, desperately trying to convince her anxiety it didn't mean anything and they're not actually creating a trainwreck of mutually unrequited love straight out of someone's fanfiction and making her experience the slow burn live. AGHHHHH.
Sure, Arven's soft with Juliana in a way that he is with no one but his pokémon. They have nicknames for each other no one else is allowed to use and Juliana practically starts glowing when she sees him and they'd follow each other to the ends of the earth and have matching mabosstiff-dachsbun keychains in little contest costumes and whatever, but that doesn't have to mean anything. Those are normal best friend things to do—Penny would know since her Team Star captains haven't stopped snuggling her and patting her head and calling her cute ever since they met her in person, even Ortie! And he's the cutest person she knows!
But it all just… feels different between Arven and Juliana. He gets her in a way Nemona and Penny don't and it's so clear how good they are for each other that Penny—recovering neurodivergent shut-in who still sometimes thinks someone blinking at her wrong is a sign of aggression—can see it and honestly? She's going to go crazy if she can't get to the bottom of this soon, which might just be the scariest change to what she understands about herself since her return to Paldea.
"Jules," Penny calls over her shoulder, systematically smashing Arven's stupid little onion-flailing astronaut into the sky which prompts a cry of indignation beside her. "Do you think the store's still open?"
"Might be!" chirps Juliana over the rhythmic shuffling of a paper fortune teller. "I can grab snacks!"
"Oh, oh, Arven and Penny are busy with the game, which means…" The sound of Nemona cackling and rubbing her hands together is not promising. "I get to go with you this time!"
Bad idea. Horrible idea. Terrible idea. The school doesn't have a curfew but it does have quiet hours, something Nemona's infamous for breaking with her inability to talk at a socially acceptable volume. Being with Juliana, her self-proclaimed greatest rival-friend in the whole wide world, could only make it worse.
Meanwhile, Arven's hands twitch around his controller. He's usually the one who goes with Juliana on their midnight snack runs thanks to having a giant backpack to stuff junk food (and gross healthy stuff like veggie platters and hummus) into but he's still getting curb stomped by Penny's sword-swinging prince and she knows he's too prideful to just call it quits.
"As long as you can be quiet, Nemo!" If Juliana's disappointed that Arven's not coming with her for once, Penny can't tell without physically turning around to look at her. On the other hand, Arven's definitely sulking as he hunches over, hitting buttons with a bit more force than normal. "Also, your answer is 'definitely!' You'll definitely have a fruitful battle tomorrow!"
"Yes!" Nemona hoots. "Fruitful battles and fruit gummies for me!"
As they extract themselves from the bed, Juliana whistles softly. Over in the corner opposite the desk her dachsbun uncurls herself from a sleeping Mabosstiff so she can trot over to her master. Nemona jogs past the fridge and Juliana and Dachsbun follow, grabbing backpacks and shoving on shoes discarded around that side of the room.
As soon as their current match ends, Arven starts to call out, "Julie, get me—"
"—Mango Pi-Chew, clementines, veggie straws, and tamato juice," Juliana finishes for him, popping back around the corner with a dimpled grin as she finishes pulling his yellow hoodie over her pyjamas and fixing her bedtime braids. The stealing clothes thing isn't a new occurrence (hell, even Penny and Nemona do it sometimes) but it's only just hit Penny that Arven blushes every time Juliana does it. The sleeves are so long they dangle past her hands, her fuecoco-print wallet curled in a little sweater paw. "And Eevee Yan Yan, Chikos, and Mt. Coronet Dew for Pen, obviously. Be right back!"
The thumbs up he gives her is remarkably composed and he's already starting the next game when Juliana disappears again, the front door clicking softly shut behind her. Maybe if Penny pretends to go get something from her dorm he'll shove his face in a pillow and start screaming and kicking his legs.
Insufferable, these two. Curse past her for choosing to stay involved with a bunch of normies.
"You know," she drawls, channelling Cassiopeia's smoothness for the first time in months as she blocks his opening move. "In Galar, there's this thing about applin."
Arven's one visible eyebrow shoots up as he side glances at her. "Julie said something like that—some kinda tradition?"
Yeah, she sure did. She sure said something like that.
Chewing the inside of her cheek, Penny considers whether or not to rip the bandage off or let him simmer in the intrigue now that she's got him hook, line, and sinker. Curiosity will kill the delcatty eventually.
Watching him freak out would be a lot funnier though.
"Rumor says if you give one to the person you like and they accept it, you'll be together forever." She gives it a moment to sink in. It kind of looks like Arven's face can't decide if it wants to go pale or burn tamato red, warring somewhere in the middle like the warning sign of a bad sunburn. "So applin are traditionally caught and given as gifts to confess feelings of love."
"That's a Galarian thing," the stubborn boy eventually manages, turning his attention fully to the video game so his bangs are covering his face from view.
Penny rolls her eyes. Eri was never this obtuse about Carmen. "A Galarian thing that's spread to other regions thanks to a celebrity incident a few years ago, but yeah."
"I don't know what you're implying, Pen."
With a thunderous sigh, she clips him with a Rest and his little blond psychic boy goes flying. Unable to recover as she ledge trumps him, he plummets below the arena. "I'm not implying anything. I'm just laying out some facts. Anyway—" Dropping her controller on the floor despite both of them having stock remaining, she gets up and beelines for the bathroom. "—I'll be right back."
As soon as she locks the door behind her there's the distant thump of a pillow hitting the bed and a smothered scream that harmonizes with Mabosstiff's confused woofing. The soap in Arven's bathroom is this fancy lavender honey lemon foaming stuff and if she uses more pumps than she needs to, it's his fault for making her endure this… this… second-hand embarrassment.
Twenty minutes later, Arven's had enough time to lose his damn mind in peace and Penny's returned from her quest to empty out his high quality bath shop soap bottle, pretending nothing ever happened for either of them. They switch to May Kart 8—the fun racing game from the franchise based on the exploits of the Hoenn Champ herself and her friends!—and she's cursing him out for picking 200cc Baby Pokémon Park when they hear footsteps in the hall, which can only mean one or two things but most likely one.
"—floor's entirely covered with spin tiles," Juliana is saying as the front door begins to swing open. Arven looks like he's ready to fly out the window in terror, something Penny almost feels bad about. Almost. "Apparently the new gym leader kept them in because he thought it was funny, but he also gets someone else to clean up when a challenger inevitably voms from it."
Nemona's whine switches from "guhhhhHHH I wanna goooOOO," to an energetic "HEYYY, WE LIVED!" as she skids into the kitchenette on her fluffy pawmi socks and nearly crashes into the sink, thankfully recovering before she can give herself a concussion. "And we got snacks! And we—heh, well, I only got told to be quiet three times!"
"Literally don't understand how she's prez like that," Penny mutters as she pauses the race. "Is it rich kid nepotism?"
Dachsbun appears next with a little yip that's muffled by the bag of treats in her mouth. The doughy dog dashes past Arven and Penny to the now-awake Mabosstiff, who she bumps noses with before dropping their snacks at his feet.
Finally, Juliana appears, four plastic bags of junk food in one hand and in the other a can of milk tea. "Miss us?" she asks cheekily.
Penny not-very-discreetly elbows Arven's arm, smug in her safety from retaliation since he won't want to cause a scene.
The other half of their quartet joins them on the floor pillow pile, Nemona cheerfully rocking into Penny's shoulder as Juliana crosses in front of the TV to sit on Arven's other side. Snacks are distributed and a bag is left in reach for trash because Arven will kill them if they leave a mess in his room, and as they settle in Nemona recounts their misadventure to the student store all the way up to their last conversation before they came in.
"Jules was telling me about all the places she lived before Paldea! I wanna challenge their Leagues so badly—"
Ohohoho SHIT, hollers Inner Penny, clapping hysterically and laughing like a seel because caring about her best friends' conjoined love life has made her insane and she sees an opportunity. OH FUCK YEAH.
"Cool," Outer Penny says with absolutely no ulterior motives whatsoever. "I saw Champion Gloria when I was back home last year."
"You did?" Nemona makes a noise that can only be dignified in writing as a squee! "Did you meet her team? Did you see how strong they were? Did you battle her? Can I battle her?!"
Of course I didn't battle her, Penny doesn't scoff, because Nemona's her friend and she cares for her, weird battle hyperfixation and all. "I didn't actually meet her. She was at some restaurant my dad took me to. On a date with Professor Hop, I think, so we weren't gonna intrude."
"Aw," coos Nemona, hands clasped together and eyes sparkling. "I bet her appletun is crazy strong now."
Right. Because that's what they're all focused on right now. Never change, Nemona.
Doing her very best not to burst out with a villainous little laugh, Penny turns to Arven and Juliana. "You guys might not know"—she smiles pleasantly atArven, silently daring him to call her out on her bullshit—"but in Galar, you gift applin as a romantic gesture. The trend went kinda viral when Professor Hop confessed to Champion Gloria with one a few years ago."
"Oh, but Jules said she lived in Galar for a few years!" Nemona offers completely unprompted and Penny could kiss her right now. "And the applin thing was all over TV when it happened!"
"I wasn't exactly using this TV on the regular before you guys made my room the Super Slumber Party Palace," Arven mutters, rubbing the back of his hand across his ruddy cheeks, but he goes totally ignored as both Penny and Nemona lean toward Juliana.
The smallest member of their quartet scratches her cheek, taking a long swig of her drink before offering a mild, "I don't really remember anything like that."
Liar. Liar. Liar. A Flamin' Hot Chiko snaps in half in Penny's fingers, sprinkling a shower of red dust onto her sylveon kigurumi. "But," she says a bit louder and more accusing than she probably ever could be to someone's face before she met everyone in this room, "when you gave Arven that applin in home ec I heard you say—"
"What?! I didn't know you got Arven an applin!" Nemona blurts, only to completely miss the point as she goes, "Did you get him one with good IVs?"
Despite their demanding stares, Juliana doesn't so much as quiver. "Guys, this isn't exactly the right time or place," she says slowly, glancing worriedly at a still silent Arven who has his arms crossed as he stares down at his lap. "Don't make this uncomfortable for Ar—"
"It doesn't make me uncomfortable," Arven interrupts. His head snaps up to meet Juliana's gaze. "The traditions and implications or any of that. But what did you mean by it, Julie?"
For a really awful moment, Penny thinks that maybe she fucked up. Maybe she went too hard and too fast into being an active friend and she just ruined the most important human connection Arven's ever had in his life. Juliana is silent, expression unreadable, and—and— She knows what she heard and what she's seen but she still doesn't really know how to help her friends without resorting to extremes. What if she was wrong? What if this is when she's irreversibly fucked up and this is how it's all going to fall apart?
In a rare tactful move, Nemona grabs her shaking hands. Penny remembers to breathe.
"Arven," Juliana says softly. "I didn't give you Applin because I needed you to know my feelings or because I wanted something back from you. I gave him to you because I love you and that's a fact. It's a constant."
He's looking at her with eyes wide. They shine with emotions Penny knows clearly: fear and hope.
"I think what I'm trying to say is that it only means whatever you want it to mean, Ven." She squeezes his hands in her own, just as she had when they found out the truth of the professor in the depths of Area Zero. "It always has."
Penny slaps her hand over Nemona's mouth preemptively, hiding her own smile behind her sleeve as she makes herself as small as possible, not daring to tread any further on this moment between two of her best friends in the whole damn world.
"Something really good, then," Arven says, squeezing Juliana's hands back.
"Something really, really good," Juliana echoes. An impossibly wide grin blooms on her lips before she throws herself forward, tackling him in a hug that makes Nemona start cheering against Penny's hand which in turn causes Penny to pull away with a disgusted Nemo! Ugh! as she starts shaking her stupid friend's spit off. Dachsbun and Mabosstiff offer up a series of excited yips and barks that'll probably get Arven's neighbours on every side to come banging on the door telling them to shut up (or worse, with a teacher to tell them off), but he's too busy burying his tamato red face in Juliana's shoulder, his own grin pressed against the fabric of his favourite hoodie.
Somehow, Penny feels like crying.
They can figure out the rest later—for now, Juliana pulls over the controller she left charging on the console table, settling back with her head resting on Arven's shoulder. He grins down goofily at her and she beams back, and maybe they'll be a different kind of insufferable going forward. It's kind of exciting.
As they set up the game for four players, Nemona and Arven squabbling over who gets to play as Treecko and Juliana bolting for Sentret May, Penny thinks that she feels good. She feels happy. This is where she's meant to be, surrounded by people who care for her and who she cares for in turn, whose happiness matters to her more than her fears and worries. This version of her is still her, and she can't wait to learn more about her.
"Pen," Juliana says, leaning over Arven's lap to grab Penny's hands between races. "You're the best. You know that, right?"
"Said the pot to the kettle," Penny wryly replies before she's yelling and slapping Arven's hand away when he yanks down her hood to ruffle her hair. The yells only increase in number and volume when Nemona decides that she wants a group hug and they're a pile of too-warm pyjama'd limbs and assorted Switch controllers giggling hysterically at two in the morning (but hey, at least it's a Sunday).
"Wai—Nemona! You accidentally started the next race! Get off! Nemona!"