One Step at a Time... KOTLC One-shots

Five (Marellinh)

Bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bored. Marella lay sprawled out on her large, plush bed in Fluttermont, doing homework for Midterms. Her restless brain tried to think of anything interesting to think about,  but her thoughts drifted to Linh each time. They had secretly been dating for about two months, and Marella loved every second of it. Suddenly, Marella's eyes lit open with an idea, and she snatched her Imparter from the table by her bed. Humans always have something fun going on. Maybe Sophie has an idea of something perfect for Linh. She thought.
"Hail Sophie Foster." She said to the small box, and Sophie's familiar face popped up on the screen a second later. 
"Hey, Sophie," Marella started, "do you remember a few weeks ago you had mentioned a human celebration thing. Fire pops? Fire--"
"Fireworks. Yeah, I remember. Fireworks are a often at celebrations or special occasions. Why?" 
Marella bit her lip. "I was hoping to take Linh to see some... do you know where and when we could watch them?" 
Sophie thought for a few seconds, before saying, " I think you should go to London in about a week. That's when New Years is. The fireworks are usually held by the London Eye, near a river. They're really pretty, and tons of people gather to watch them. "
"New Year's?" 
"Humans celebrate the start and end of a new year, and they often make New Year's resolutions, like goals for the new year."
"Oh, cool! I'm gonna hail Linh now. Bye, Sophie!" Marella waved, and hung up.
 Marella fiddled with her Imparter, silently rehearsing what to say.
"Hail Linh Song."
A moment later, Linh's smiling face came on the small screen. Marella was left breathless at her beauty. She always was. 
"Hey, Linh." Marella tried not to sound a little shy, but she heard the catch in her voice. 
"Hi, Marella! What's up?" 
"Uh, I was wondering if you'd like to watch some fireworks with me in about a week? It'd kinda be like a date?" 
"Yes, I'd LOVE to!! I'm gonna start getting ready." Linh beamed, her excitement radiating through  the screen.
"Linhy, you don't have to get ready yet!" Marella smiled, though her heart was doing happy summersaults. Linh said yes! Linh grinned back at her. 
"I know, but I'm excited." 
"I'm  glad. I'll see you here, in about a week? We'll head to London together." Marella asked, and Linh nodded.
"Great! See you there. Love you!" She blew a kiss to Marella, and Marella pretended to grab it and blow it back.
" Love you too, Linhy." Marella smiled as she hung up. She hated nicknames, but 'Linhy' suited Linh.  She was the only exception. 

      Marella met Linh at Fluttermont, taking her by the hand and lifted a blue crystal to the light. 
They materialized near a blue blanket that Marella had laid out a little bit before, as well as a basket. The air smelled odd, and was chilly, but Marella didn't mind. The space was secluded from all the humans, and they had a obscurer to protect them just to be safe. The area had lush emerald green grass, and the beautiful night sky was a lovely touch. Marella held her breath as Linh checked out the date spot, anxious to see if she would like it. Of course, being Linh, she loved it. Her eyes lit up once she opened the lid of the straw basket and saw the bags of--
"Sugarnuts! Marella, how'd you know they're my favorite?" She held up a bag, an adorable happy smile on her face.
Marella shrugged. " Of course I know! Girlfriend's instincts." 
Linh grinned and snuggled up against her, popping some nuts into her mouth. 
"Well I love it. Thank you."
Marella gave Linh a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Any time."
And they sat like that for a few hours, sharing funny and heartfelt memories and snacking on treats until there came a loud 'POP!' followed by a crackle that echoed across the quiet field. Marella jerked up, startled by the burst of pink in the sky. 
"Are these fireworks?" Linh breathed, her smile widening. 
"I think so. They remind me of the Celestial Festival, do you think so?"
Linh nodded. "It totally does. I wonder what Tam would think of it."
Marella laughed a little at the name of Linh's brother. Once upon a time, she might have been distracted by his quiet mystery, but now she couldn't imagine being with anyone except Linh. 
 
She gazed at Linh's eyes as the girl watched the light show unfold. The sparkling bursts of brightness in her silvery-blue eyes were striking to Marella, and she had to force herself to look away from the beautiful, perfect girl next to her. 
       Linh rested her head on Marella's shoulder, and the gesture felt oddly soothing. The two girls watched the lights flashing and popping in the sky, both grateful for each other's company until it was midnight. 
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" All the humans shouted at once, as a large glowing timer on a big clock tower struck twelve. 
"Humans' sure make a big deal about numbers on a clock, huh?" Linh asked, pulling a tin of prattles from the basket. 
"I don't either, but it's interesting." Marella sighed, happily resting her cheek on Linh's head. 

           Marella woke to see sunlight pouring on her face, warm and bright. She blinked, confused why she was outside. Then she saw Linh snuggled up next to her, and Marella remembered where she was.  Linh's eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at Marella.
"Good morning," she whispered sweetly.
"Good morning," Marella replied, tucking a few stray hairs from Linh's face behind her ear, her hand lingering on her cheek. Linh leaned in, and they shared a sweet kiss until a human wandered too close to them, and they grabbed their stuff and lightlept away, hand-in-hand. 

          Marella and Linh trudged up the stone steps to Solreef, still holding hands.
One foot after the other, they finally reached the landing at the door. Marella stepped up to it, and  knocked. A moment later, Tam answered it and noticed his sister's and Marella's intertwined hands. He furrowed his brows, almost glaring and Marella realized that he didn't know she was dating his sister. Oops. 
"Umm, Linh, what's going on?" He asked, looking suspiciously at his twin. 
"Why don't we go inside to talk about this." Linh suggested, leading Marella inside. 

         "Okay, so, uh, Marella and I are--" Linh looked excitedly at her girlfriend, "we're dating!!" 
"WHAT?! Linh, we talked about this!! Crushes are bad! If you have one, you have to tell me!!" Tam tore a hand through his hair, a very conflicted look on his face. Anger? Disbelief ?  Marella didn't know, and she looked to Linh, who, to her confusion, looked perfectly calm. 
"Tam, if you wanna talk about crushes, why not talk about Biana?" She asked sweetly, tilting her head innocently.
"That's different!" Tam glared, his face red, and Linh giggled. 
"Have you told her yet?" 
"UUGH! WHY are we talking about this?!" 
"Because it's fun watching you blush." Linh replied simply. 
         Just then, Wylie walked past the living room to the kitchen. He glanced their way, and caught Marella's and Linh's hands clasped together. His eyes filled with hurt at them, and Marella winced. Oh, gosh. Linh really didn't tell anyone we're together...including Wylie, who I'm pretty sure really likes her.  OOH JEEZ. Poor Wylie. I didn't even think about him liking her.   

"Linh-- I thought you liked me! I've liked you for a long time, but I guess you don't feel the same way. Sorry, I just wasn't expecting this." His face crumbled with sadness, and Marella felt her heart break.
"Wylie," Linh said carefully, "I do like you, but not that way. I'm sorry. Could we still be friends?" 
Wylie looked miserable, just being rejected, but he said, very softly it was almost inaudible, "I guess." 
Linh brightened slightly. "Really?"
Wylie gave a small, sad smile. "Sure," He said, walking over and giving her a quick hug. "Thanks." He whispered, and Marella felt relived. I'm so glad she's and he's okay. I was worried this would hurt Linh terribly. She thought.
"So, are you going to tell the rest of our friends?" Wylie asked looking between the two girls.
"We will. In time." Linh smiled at Marella, squeezing her hand tightly, and Marella smiled back. 
"Of course."
Tam almost smiled, looking through his bangs at his sibling, though he still looked a little worried.
"Soo...how long have y'all been dating?" He asked.
Linh thought for a moment. "Probably about two months."
"TWO MONTHS?! When were you gonna tell me?!" 
"Pretty soon. We needed to talk first, I think." Marella answered for her.
Tam gritted his teeth, crossing his arms. "If you so much as think about hurting  my sister, I swear-"
"If you hurt my girlfriend, we'll have a problem- " Marella challenged back.
"I would never." Tam sneered at her. 
Linh groaned. "Seriously? I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"
They stopped and stared at Linh's outburst, both equally surprised. 
"Okay then, I believe you." Marella admitted, giving Linh a peck on the cheek. 

         
                 ❃ Later ❃

     As Marella got ready for bed, after she left Solreef and said goodnight to Linh, she started missing her girlfriend. 
"Hey, Linhy. I just really wanted to hail you to say I miss you. Already."
"Awww! Thanks, Marella. I miss you too." Linh cooed, looking sleepy and adorable in her mercat nightgown and fuzzy pants. 
"I should head to bed, but thanks for the call. Love you." Linh said, her voice soft, and blew a kiss. Marella pretended to catch it and blew it back. 
"Love you too." And with that, both girls drifted off to sleep. 

              (Sorry that was long, but still sweet! I LOVE Marellinh. P.S, I'll try to add Tiana and Sokeefe soon. And what other ships do y'all wanna see? Let me know in the comments ;D) -- TianaSokeefe42