Morning came, and with it, the sweet smell of blueberry pancakes.
[break][break]
"Mmm..."
[break][break]
Weariness dried along her eyelids, crust from a restful night spent with a ghost of her past. It rubbed at it, slowly crawling out with mutters and moans of desperation for an extra hour.
[break][break]
But the smell of pancakes proved too powerful to resist.
[break][break]
She slipped out of bed, eyes still blinking awake, and tossed on one of his many scattered t-shirts. The one she picked was a personal favorite of their shared past - a brightly lit yellow shirt with a character from their favorite cartoon on the front, smiling.
[break][break]
"Morning," she hummed, walking out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. The familiar image of him cooking in his boxers brought a wide smile to her face. "Look at you, Chefin' it up. First thing in the morning, too?"
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

ollie is busy pouring pancake batter onto a skillet when penny walks into the room. his head lifts up, and emerald eyes widen briefly at the sight of her.

[break][break] in his shirt. just like old times. it was like he was transported into a vacuum of the past, back when they'd been in love and happy.

[break][break] was it really too good to be true?

[break][break] his expression warms as she steps towards him, and he gestures for her to sit on one of the stools near the counter.

[break][break] "course," he says with a smile. "you hungry?"

[break][break] before she has a chance to answer, however, he is already scooping a pile of freshly-cooked pancakes in a plate for her and sliding some utensils her way.

[break][break] "i'll have you know," he teases. "my recipe's gotten a lot better over the years."

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

Ollie didn't have to gesture twice. Memory zapped down her legs, carrying her over to the counter where she would perch herself high on the stools. It felt no different than the wooden ones they'd gotten from some random neighbor's garage sale years ago.
[break][break]

Her fingers drummed against the countertop and she smiled as she'd always done in the iridescent memories of their shared past.
[break][break]

"Um, yes? I'm always hungry for your pancakes."
[break][break]

Life bubbled out from her throat in the form of melodic laughter.
[break][break]

When the utensils came her way, Penelope didn't dare hesitate. She dug in, fork clanging against the plate with excited clamor. Though, when mentions of the years lost came into perspective., her movements slowed to a crawl. It hurt remembering all the time that's passed. All that they've had to forgo.
[break][break]

"I'm jealous of whoever you practiced with."



[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

"i'm always hungry for your pancakes."

[break][break] laughter bubbles to his lips as it echoes in the shared space between them. in the kitchen, nothing but the sound of sizzling pancake batter and the wrap of warmth and nostalgia mingling in the sweet, morning air.

[break][break] "had i known that, maybe i would've invited you over for pancakes earlier."

[break][break] his voice is a warm, gentle tease. absent from it is the bitterness that one might expect of an ex-boyfriend, who had spent the last several months dodging scathing remarks from her or frosty-cold glares. it's like first day of spring, the frost now melted away by sunshine and warmth and new buds bursting forth.

[break][break] the griddle hisses as he flips another pancake onto a plate.

[break][break] "you mean tofu?" he chuckles.

[break][break] speaking of, the pikachu crawls out of his spot on the living room. sleepy bedroom eyes blink, and then grow excited upon seeing not one - but two - prizes in front of him. with a happy squeal, the pikachu leaps from the carpet and onto the councilwoman's lap, seeking pets before looking for his breakfast.

[break][break] ollie laughs at the sight, placing a tiny plate of pancakes on the table and a whipcream smile.

[break][break] "yeah, you're right. tofu's a real catch."

[break][break] as if to enunciate his point, the pikachu turns to penny then with whipcream smeared onto his face.

[break][break] 'pika?'

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

"Is that right?"
[break][break]
Despite her bright smile, a bitter tinge lays beneath the surface, thick and dangerous. It gnawed at her insides, reminding her not only of the time she'd lost waiting for his return, but the time her own pride had stolen.
[break][break]
She bit into another forkful of pancakes.
[break][break]
Rather than answer the small mouse's cries, she gave him a soft pet before wiping off the excess whip cream.
[break][break]
"Well, anyways, I'm glad to have them now. They're delicious."

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

for a few moments, ollie thinks he can pretend that this is all okay. that it's all normal. sitting at a table and cooking pancakes for PENELOPE LIVY is all he'd wanted to do — once.

[break][break] he grabs a napkin and reaches for his pikachu sitting between them both, dabbing the whipcream smile off his face.

[break][break] if he closes his eyes, he can will this all into reality — he, penny, and tofu. the sweetness of this moment, forever captured.

[break][break] but he can't.

[break][break] "penny," he says, placing a fork down. "what... is this? what are we?"

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

There it was. The dreaded question of the hour.
[break][break]
The question they ought of avoid, if all else was of value. Because, no matter how hard he pinned her down with his warm green eyes, sultry voice, or alluring aura that screamed of all that she ever wanted, there was no answer worth giving. They all started with the same avoidant eyes and forced smile. They all ended with apologies, too.
[break][break]
"I don't know," she tried smiling, but her lips rather hang downward than feel the tide of change lift them toward the skies.
[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales [break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

she was avoiding him, and it made him sad to see. But he also knew exactly why she was doing it - and why he deserved it.

[break][break]

"if you want to forget about it," ollie says, flashing an easy smile. "we can."

[break][break]

It would hurt, would tear him to pieces to think about something like that, but if it was what he wanted, he would be willing to give it to her.

[break][break]

Somewhere, someone was yelling at him. Telling him that it was stupid-awful to destroy everything that they'd built up, all because of the guilt that churned in his gut.

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

"No!"
[break][break]
The response nearly exploded out from her. Fierce and without restraint, she reached over, placing her head delicately over his. They curled around his hands without thought.
[break][break]

"I-"
[break][break]

She forced in a deep breath, letting the oxygen cool her insides.
[break][break]

"I don't want to forget."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

No. [break][break]

His eyes widen at her refusal, sudden and sure. It's the last thing that he's expecting of her - he'd given her an out, and with everything that had happened between them, he'd expected for her to take it. But then her hands curl over his, and it's almost everything that he wants.

[break][break]

It feels right, the feeling of her hands over his. [break][break]

"Okay." [break][break]

But it isn't okay. Penny might not know it, but he knows it. They can't just do this, can't just sweep everything under the rug, when there's so much to sweep under.

[break][break]

"I - are you sure, Penny? Are you sure you want - " Me? "I said I missed you, and I meant it. But I don't want..." [break][break]

I don't want to ruin us. Again. [break][break]

"Are you sure?"

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

"I-"[break][break]

The words caught on her own tongue, twisted and tied. For all that she wanted to say, there was little that could be bound to any promise. She'd learned that with Cian.
[break][break]

Her hand tightened around his.
[break][break]

"I want you."
[break][break]

I want us.
[break][break]

"I know that much."

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]

Her hand tightens around his and he feels it again. That pull towards her, the same one that made her gravitate towards him at the apartment mixer. At the masquerade. At the night that they were discussing now.

It's the ribbon that ties them both together, even when they don't know it themselves. [break][break]

His other hand reached across the table for her, cradling against her cheek. [break][break]

"But what changed, Pen?" he asked. His eyes are soft, and a little bit sad. [break][break]


"You told me you wanted nothing to do with me. You didn't even want to be friends."

[attr="class","ooc"] PENELOPE LIVY [break]

She blinked, confused.
[break][break]

Did she not explain herself last night? Was there something he was missing? Too confused, she pulled herself from his hand, brows furrowing in thought.
[break][break]

"Because it hurt me, Ollie."
[break][break]

A fact that was burnt into her chest. Encrusted by years of pent up angst.
[break][break]

"Back then, seeing you hurt me. "

[break][break]

[attr="class","ooc"] ollie morales[break]


[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-ditto"]