TEEN: - Ongoing Through The Door (my LikoDot one-shot collection)

[terashards]

quick introduction​

hi! this thread will serve as a place to put all my likodot (throughthedoorshipping) one-shots, both historical and any i may write in the future. i don't actually write all that often; it used to be a way bigger hobby for me as a young person, but i was bullied out of it as a teen, and didn't get back to it until recent years when i started dipping my toes back into writing shipping fic for fun. as a result, i tend to be in a chronic state of being rusty, and most of my writing is small-scale one-shots! though i would like to write a multi-chapter longfic at some point... i do have one cooking!

this thread is rated teen because that's the average rating for my work, but i will also add content warnings and potentially mark certain fics in the thread as everyone or mature depending on if it's necessary.

i am okay with gentle concrit! i am a bit sensitive with writing critique because of my aforementioned history of being bullied out of it, but i will still gladly take gentle critique. i would still like to improve, even if this hobby is a softer one for me. if you're also positive and have something kind to say, i'll probably be fine! i am also 100% okay with comments on this thread! in fact i'd be very happy to have your thoughts, even if they aren't super detailed or are just "i enjoyed this" - thank you!!

you can use threadmarks to navigate between fics! i am about to post the first one in another post

 

[terashards]

Escape Fantasy​

Rating: Teen | 11,923 words | CW: Implied parental abuse/neglect, mild cussing | AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54281662
Dot is sure there's nothing she can do to escape being dragged away from the life she's come to love by her mother, until Liko offers her a way out - running away together. It's a ridiculously stupid idea, and Dot knows it, but she's out of options and Liko is radiating warmth and confidence that makes her want to trust her. So, she says yes.

---

a quick bulbagarden exclusive A/N:
this is an older fic from March 2024 and this was my first time writing in quite a while, so this fic is rough around the edges. i am posting it first because it holds a lot of significance to me; this fic was posted during a time when there were no horizons tags on AO3 and the likodot fandom was pretty barren, and somehow it got multiple of my friends into likodot and introduced them to me in the first place. this fic had a bit of a domino effect with forming the current likodot shipping community and that's Really Cool. i am very nostalgic about the passion i was feeling at the time that spurred me to write this thing in a feverish rush of feelings, and the response to it. i don't think it's my best work, but it caused by far the most positive experience i've ever had posting fic to the internet... so yeah. love you escape fantasy
also i know this is a bit long for a one-shot but it's the only one out of all my one-shots that is like this so uhh... yeah

---

original A/N:
i haven't written fic in ages and i don't know where this came from. frankly i was talking about likodot after watching HZ041 with a friend and the idea for this fic (specifically a scene much later within it) ran me over like a train and i spent two straight days feverishly writing the 11k+ words of this fic pretty much without doing anything else all of that time, except eat and sleep. this is by far the longest piece of writing i've ever uploaded anywhere ever, so that's cool. hope you enjoy it and that the characters are believable enough despite being pushed to some extremes here - i did my best :^) AUUUGH i am possessed by likodot help me god
btw i'm fully aware this is canon divergent and this breaks blanca's characterization quite a bit but it had to be done as a vessel for this story to take place. peace

---

Dot couldn't sleep no matter how hard she tried. How was she supposed to sleep? In just a few hours when the sun would begin to rise, she would be deconstructing her PC and gathering up her belongings to carry back to her mom's house. The Brave Asagi was already parked in the woods closeby in preparation to move her things. She did not want to go but her mom wouldn't take "no" for an answer, and as young as she was, saying "no" was all she had. The adults around her were free to take it or leave it, and in this case, her words were left behind. She was powerless to stop it from happening, returning to her previous life of sharing a house with a mother who did not respect her, and being isolated from the outside world she had just been learning to enjoy.

Every second of time that passed agonizingly gnawed at her insides, making her nauseated. For once, her bedroom that was a safe haven from other people and the outside world actually felt lonely. Saying goodbye to the familiar faces that she had come to love for the last time was approaching and she couldn't bear it alone. She wanted to cling to the time she had left as hard as she could - and so, in desperation, she anxiously texted Liko to please come to her room. Liko was the person Dot was most comfortable with, the person who always went out of her way to see her, the girl that had stood up for her to her mom when she couldn't do it herself, and she just felt in her gut that Liko's face was the one she wanted to see right now. To her surprise, Liko was actually awake to receive her text, and she responded uncharacteristically quickly. The near-immediate buzz of Dot's phone almost made her drop it from her already trembling hands.

dot: i know i'm texting at 3 in the morning and i'm sorry, i don't mean to wake you up but
dot: could you come to my room? this is really out of nowhere for me, but
dot: uh
dot: i want company and.
dot: yeah
liko: DOT!! oh i'm so glad you're awake actually
liko: i wanted to text you but i didn't want to bother you or wake you up
liko: i can't sleep either!! don't worry!! i'll be there in a few minutes, i'll be quiet Q_Q

Liko, true to her word, softly knocked on Dot's door a few minutes later, making Dot's heart skip a beat. She took a deep breath and gathered herself on the edge of her bed, very aware of Quaxly staring at her and waiting for her to move. He would probably yell at her to get up if she remained there for too long, but this time she didn't need it - she really wanted the company. After collecting herself for just a moment, she got up to open the door. She was immediately met with a concerned smile from her dear friend and the impossible to read but familiar stare of the Sprigatito in her arms. "Hey," Liko spoke simply, instinctively lifting Sprigatito in front of her mouth and chin a little out of shyness. Now that she was here, she seemed a bit more awkward than usual.

Dot wasn't much better. She was too aware this might be the last time they talk face-to-face alone, at least for the foreseeable future. Her heart ached terribly. "Hey," she responded similarly simply. "Come in?" she offered, stepping back a little to let Liko into her room.

"Yeah," Liko managed to say before taking the offer and walking inside, naturally taking the spot she usually took at the end of Dot's bed. She always sat there to give her some physical space because she knew Dot didn't like having people too close. Usually, Dot appreciated this, but for reasons she could not understand even admist her loneliness, she felt like the gap between them was far too large this time. Still, she took her routine spot, practically sitting on her pillow. Immediately, she curled her knees into her chest and hugged them, hiding her face not only behind her hair but by burying it in her legs too. Quaxly hopped up on the bed and sat next to her in an attempt to comfort her, but Dot didn't budge.

Liko's concern was practically palpable as she stared on in worry, reflexively petting Sprigatito in her lap to soothe herself. Dot had reached out to her, obviously for comfort, but Liko wasn't sure what to say or do. This was not a fun goodbye like the party she had thrown for her grandmother; this was just awful. She felt miserable at the idea of Dot leaving as well. It had also been keeping her awake, unable to sleep while waiting through each agonizing tick of the clock until she had to say goodbye. She honestly had wanted to see Dot as much as Dot wanted to see her, but she didn't want to jeopardize Dot's ability to gather her things in the morning by keeping her from getting any sleep. She had done everything to try and stop it, but similarly her protests had fallen on deaf ears. It was at times like this she wished she was older and had the same level of autonomy that people like Friede had, to do whatever she wanted and go wherever she wanted.

What felt like an eternity passed as Liko scrambled internally to figure out what to say, and eventually she landed on expressing her own feelings to try and connect with Dot - something she had learned from communicating with Pokémon which she figured could work with people too.

"You know," she began, the anxious sound of her voice contrasted with the soothing sound of Sprigatito's purrs, "I couldn't sleep either. I can't believe you're leaving! I don't want you to go." Her voice cracked and tears rushed to her eyes, though they didn't come out. She had to keep it together for Dot's sake. "I almost wanted to text you but I didn't want to wake you up if being tired would make things even harder for you in the morning. I'm sorry I didn't reach out sooner. But I'm glad I'm here now."

Dot inhaled shakily, also trying to keep herself together because she hated when anyone saw her cry. "I can't believe my mom wouldn't listen to me. She never listens to me. I hate her," she complained with obviously longstanding bitterness, muffled into her knees.

"I can't believe she didn't listen to you either!!" Liko exclaimed loudly. Dot visibly flinched from the sudden volume and Liko hastily reeled herself back in. "Sorry. But yeah, she didn't listen to you or me or Murdock. Even Murdock? Why? I swear I try to understand people but I don't get this at all. He loves you, surely he wouldn't let this happen to you. I mean... I don't know."

The mention of Murdock seemed to strike a chord with Dot, and not a good one. "If he loved me he wouldn't be doing this to me. He would tell mom 'no' and take me in. I thought he would and he didn't. I don't understand." She was having a difficult time keeping herself from crying and awkwardly closed in on herself even more to hide the few tears that were starting to spill. She subtly turned away from Liko, though it only illuminated her slightly more in the moonlight from her window, making her huff in frustration and return to her previous position.

Liko was very aware of Dot's emotional difficulties but she had actually never seen her reclusive friend cry before, and her heart raced with worry. She couldn't stand the sight of Dot this miserable. Every nerve in her body lit up with the desire to comfort her friend and for a moment she forgot about Dot's usual desire for physical space. Hurriedly she picked up Sprigatito and set her to the side, ignoring the small meow of protest elicited from the Pokémon, and scooted closer to Dot. Before she could hug her, though, her sense kicked in and she remembered Dot hated being touched. Awkwardly she remained in place, not reaching out to embrace her but not backing up either - her body wouldn't let her, maybe against her better judgement. "Dot, I..."

Dot suddenly swung her head in Liko's direction, her bangs a mess and falling to the side, eyes visibly piercing Liko so deeply she nearly fell backwards in shock. "There's nothing you can do about it! There's nothing we can do about it!" she yelled. Liko recoiled from the angry tone in her voice and tears flooded her eyes again. Somewhere behind her, Sprigatito hissed in surprise, but Liko's eyes were fixed on Dot's. "I'm just a stupid kid who doesn't know anything and can't decide anything on her own, right?" Dot's anger began to trail back off into sadness. "I don't know anything. I can't do anything. That's what my mom thinks, that's what my uncle thinks, that's what everyone thinks. This is all some sort of stupid joke." She gave a small laugh despite herself. "Yeah, it's some sort of stupid joke. I'm a joke."

"You're not a joke," Liko stammered in response, breathless. She felt like her soul was being stabbed directly by Dot's eyes.

"Then what is this? If I was capable this wouldn't be happening. I wouldn't be dragged back home away from everyone and-"

"Dot-"

"I wouldn't be packing up all my things in the morning and taking apart my computer and-"

"So don't!"

"...What?"

Dot was so caught offguard by Liko suddenly interrupting her that she just stared with her mouth half open, waiting for her to elaborate. Liko was shaking, but the passion and determination filling her eyes was achingly familiar to Dot nonetheless. When Liko sincerely wanted to do something, she always had a specific look about her.

Liko clutched the front of her shirt where her pendant once was to steady herself. She took a deep breath. "Don't go back home. Don't pack up your things. We can leave. Right? It's three in the morning, no one is awake, we could-"

"Are you crazy?" Dot was flabbergasted. "Leave? What am I supposed to do with my computer? We don't have money. People would be looking for us. I don't-"

"But! I don't want you to go! I don't want you to be miserable at home. Surely we can do something. We have our Pokémon, right?" She turned around and picked up Sprigatito as if to prove her point. The small Pokémon didn't seem opposed to the idea at least - just confused if anything. Dot was speechless and she looked down at Quaxly who was still next to her for some sort of guidance. His facial expression wasn't saying "no" at the very least.

"Quaxly?" she questioned, testing how he felt. The bird hesitated but then let out a confident cry, brushing his hair back a little. Yes, he was willing to go. "You're sure?" Dot was somehow still surprised by the following confirmation. She turned to face Liko once more.

Dot was honestly still sure that Liko must be crazy, and she knew in her gut that this was a terrible idea, but her heart spoke otherwise. She didn't have any other options - it was either accepting her fate or running away, and with Liko in front of her gazing at her with so much compassion, it was hard to reason with herself clearly. In that moment she was not thinking about the rest of the Rising Volteccers, she wasn't thinking about her career as Gurumin, she wasn't thinking about her possessions, she wasn't thinking about anything other than the girl in front of her who cared for her enough to offer to run away with her. She could not possibly say goodbye to Liko in a few hours, she could not lose the warmth that practically radiated from her, seeping into the parts of her heart that were always left cold. In that moment she felt like someone had finally come to rescue her in a way adults refused to. She knew this was ridiculous, but she wanted to trust Liko's determination that everything would be okay. It was hard not to feel safe in her confidence. Briefly, her face warmed and her chest tightened, but she didn't have time to think about it. If they were going to run away, they needed to get out as soon as possible before the sun started to rise.

"Okay," Dot confirmed. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could feel it in her throat. "I trust you. Let's go."

---

Even though Liko and Dot had set out from the Brave Asagi in high spirits, the two of them quickly realized just how difficult running away was actually going to be. They had shoved a change of clothes each into a backpack, but had no way to actually wash those clothes. They had pocket change, but it wasn't enough to actually pay for food and transportation, and foraging for food like berries was hard work. Quaxly and Sprigatito were dedicated to protecting their trainers, but they were not the strongest Pokémon ever, and they had to be really careful about bumping into wild Pokémon.

Liko, in her rush to get out, had left Terapagos back on the ship because she didn't know what else to do with it, and felt terrible about it, opting to try and not talk about it. Hatenna was in her Poké Ball as she didn't want her to have to deal with the emotional exhaustion of everything. Dot had similarly put Tinkatink in her Poké Ball, much to her protest, unsure what to do or how to take care of her in this situation. But, despite the difficulties and the second thoughts about the people and Pokémon they left behind, every time Dot considered turning around, she thought of her mom's face and couldn't bring herself to. Surely if they kept going, a miracle could happen. They would find some way to make money and everything would be fine. She had Liko who had been on a bunch of adventures before, so even if Dot couldn't figure things out, Liko could, right? Dot shoved down any thoughts of missing her computer, being absent from streaming, missing the Rising Volteccers crew, Roy who they hadn't explained anything to, her uncle... Murdock. If he loved her he would let her stay on the ship. He didn't love her. She had to keep going. She couldn't think about him.

Despite her best efforts though, Dot was practically losing it just a couple days into this whole running away thing. She wasn't one to eat much, but even she felt hungry from the tiny meals they were rationing, and she could tell that Liko was hungrier. She wished she had lighter clothes, something she never had to worry about on the ship with air conditioning; her pants clung to her sweat and even with her cardigan off, her black tank top sucked in heat from the sun and made her miserable. Her replacement clothes weren't much better, consisting of more pants and long sleeves. Being in the outside world for this long in such bad conditions was quickly proving every thought she ever had about going outside being an annoying waste of time, and she was rapidly approaching the point of being so exhausted that she would rather sentence herself to living with her mom again than take one more second of trekking through the woods.

They were finally approaching the nearest town where Liko planned to find a way to make money... Somehow... She wasn't sure. The sun was setting, though, so it would have to wait for the next day. The plan was to sleep in the wilderness again just like they had the night before, but Dot couldn't imagine doing that a second time. Liko was walking ahead of her and Dot picked up the pace a bit to catch up, her breathing poor from physical exertion. "Liko," she started, causing Liko to pause in her tracks. Dot was relieved when she stopped walking and bent over to catch her breath. "Can we sleep in the Pokémon Center?" she asked between panting. "They have free lodging for trainers, I think."

"But if we go to a Pokémon Center, the nurse might recognize that we're missing and contact Friede and everyone. I think in missing children cases Pokémon Centers are the first place that get called..." Despite her protests, Liko sounded weak and tired as well. Even her proclivity to physical activity wasn't saving her in this situation. Sprigatito, who had been walking by her side, meowed in frustration at her trainer. Liko cracked a smile despite herself and reached down to pick her up. "You don't want to be out here any longer either, huh?" she wondered out loud. Sprigatito meowed again in confirmation, irritable. "Okay, maybe..."

"You bend easily when it comes to Pokémon, huh?" Dot mused quietly with some mix of indignation that Liko's cat made her consider the option faster than she did, and wonder for how good Liko was with Pokémon. Quaxly squawked at her, pushing her to keep talking. Dot sighed and stood up straight, speaking louder than before. "Well, I’m gonna die out here if I don't sleep in a bed and experience air conditioning, like, right now. I am not built for this. At this point I’d rather be caught and dragged back home than sleep out here again. I don't know what else to do."

Liko smiled, but Dot could tell she was worried. "Okay, we can do that, I guess. It should be fine for just a night, right? Maybe word hasn't spread yet." Her voice wavered and she was obviously trying to assure herself.

"Yeah, maybe." Dot couldn't offer any other reassurance, and frankly hearing Liko's confidence drop was getting to her. They really shouldn't be out here, should they? This was a bad idea. Her stomach twisted and her head felt fuzzy. She could think about all this later. She needed air conditioning, and fast.

---

Dot was sure when they entered the Pokémon Center that even if the Rising Volteccers hadn't contacted local Centers yet, they looked disheveled enough to indicate that they were missing children regardless. There was being an exhausted Pokémon trainer coming to a Pokémon Center for rest, and then whatever Liko and Dot were doing, obviously in the wrong clothes and completely unprepared for being outside alone for multiple days. Dot avoided eye contact with the nurse, her Chansey, and the couple of other people in the lobby area. She didn't know if they were staring, but she didn't want to find out. The vulnerability made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she found herself scooting closer to Liko as if to hide behind her. Liko was surprised by the girl huddling so close, and despite everything, still had the energy to be a little flustered about the sudden contact. "Dot, are you okay?" she mumbled with a wavering voice to the girl behind her as they walked up to the front desk.

"Oh, sorry-" Dot stammered, backing up, but only a little. She couldn't bring herself to back up any further. Liko didn't say anything else and Dot figured her tone of voice was just her being tired.

Together, they reached the front desk. Liko leaned on the counter a little bit in her exhaustion. "Hi, you um, provide rooms here for trainers, right? To stay the night," she asked. Dot peeked out from behind her but quickly shrunk back behind Liko when the nurse made eye contact with her.

"Yes, of course," Nurse Joy replied in her usual chipper attitude. If she was aware of them being runaways, they couldn't tell. "Child and teenage trainers can stay here for free. How old are the two of you?"

"We're, uh, 17. Yeah." Oh Arceus, Liko is terrible at lying, Dot thought to herself miserably. They definitely did not look 17, but if Liko had spoken with more confidence perhaps they could have fooled someone into thinking they were really small 17 year olds. But Dot was small even for a 13 year old and Liko honestly wasn't much better. Dot knew this was horrendously suspicious.

"Okay, and your names?" Nurse Joy followed up, still chipper, still not reacting to how strange this all was. Dot swallowed nervously, offput by how normal she was acting. It just didn't seem right.

Liko looked at the floor, struggling to come up with what to say, knowing that she couldn't give their real names to the nurse. The pause between the question and response was dragging on way too long, and Dot, in a burst of panic to resolve the situation, took it upon herself to respond instead. She glanced towards Liko who was holding Sprigatito, blessing her with an idea on the spot. "I'm Dash and this is Kat. Sorry, Kat’s just tired." Liko looked back at Dot in surprise and relief, fidgeting with Sprigatito in her arms uncomfortably. She really did hate lying to people.

"Alright, Kat and Dash, your room will be on the second floor at the end of the hall, number 414. All the rooms are labeled with large numbers, it's impossible to miss." Nurse Joy rummaged through some sort of container behind the counter and pulled out a room key, handing it to Liko. "The room contains a bunk bed for two people and the bathroom and shower are included in the room. We only ask that if you're going to use the shower that you do so on the earlier side since the sound of the water can bother nearby rooms, and try to keep your Pokémon from destroying furniture if possible." She looked distantly frustrated, implying that she had dealt with fixing destroyed rooms before. "Feel free to call if you need anything."

"Thank you!" Liko exclaimed, relieved that the nightmarish social situation was over and also excited to have a place to shower and sleep comfortably despite her concerns. "Come on, Dot," she directed, tugging lightly on the cardigan Dot was carrying in her arms, keys jangling slightly in her grip. Sprigatito mewed with her trainer. It snapped her out of her zoning out state, fretting internally about how poorly they had lied to the nurse.

"Yeah." Dot followed Liko around the counter and down the hallway towards the elevator, taking one last glance behind her before turning the corner. The nurse was behaving normally still. Maybe they really weren't figured out? Her worries began to subside, replaced by the excitement to lie down in a bed again, and maybe get some actual sleep.

---

Once Dot and Liko had set down the few things they had on them, Dot's first reaction was to flop into the bottom bunk of the provided bunk bed in raw relief, sinking into the cushioning as if she had never slept in a bed in her entire life, just taking in the softness and letting herself finally enjoy the air conditioning now that she wasn't in a terrible social situation in the lobby. She could have drifted off to sleep right then and there if Liko didn't call out to her and remind her that she wanted to shower. "Do you want to shower first or should I?" she asked politely.

"You can shower first, I wanna lie here longer, my legs are killing me," Dot responded, voice muffled into bedsheets. Liko laughed a little and Dot realized that was the first time she had heard Liko laugh since they left the Brave Asagi. It made her crack a smile but despite herself she continued with a false irritated voice, "Hey, I don't get outside much like you do. Get in the shower already."

"Alright, alright. Watch over Sprigatito for me please?" Dot made a whining noise that just barely serviced as a confirmation. Liko laughed again. "Okay, I'm getting in now," she called out, the sound of a door shutting quickly following. Dot was left alone with their two partner Pokémon dozing off at the foot of the bed and the sound of the shower.

Dot's second reaction after a minute or two of Liko's shower passed was to realize how... Unusual, this felt. Liko and Dot had technically been sharing a living space on the Brave Asagi for months now, but Dot was in her own corner of the ship and it wasn't like she was actually sharing a bathroom with Liko, or sharing a bedroom with her... In fact, she wasn't really used to sharing a living space with anyone, but it felt especially strange doing this with Liko somehow. Liko was her peer, a friend of the same age - it wasn't like sharing a room with a family member while on a trip or something... Family. Right. She didn't want to think about that too much.

But seriously, sharing a room with Liko? They had slept in the woods the night before in the same space but that was so viscerally uncomfortable and she barely slept at all due to being on high alert the entire time, unable to think about much else than a wild Pokémon attacking them, or being discovered so closeby to the ship, or some other awful thing happening. Now that she was lying down in a comfortable bed and could hear the familiar sound of running water and it almost felt like home, it was really starting to hit her. She was sharing a room with Liko. They were going to use the same shower and sleep in the same bed.

Dot flushed at the thought and quickly assured herself that it was a bunk bed and they were going to be on separate bunks, and then whined into the mattress when she simultaneously wondered why she was panicked so much at the thought of them sharing a bed in the first place and why she was also a little disappointed somewhere inside that they were going to be on separate levels. Didn't she like her personal space? Why on earth was she reacting so childishly? Don't normal people who leave their rooms have sleepovers with other teens all the time without it being weird? Is this just because she's a shut-in? Surely all of these weird emotions were just a result of her being delirious and tired and an unadjusted NEET? All of these thoughts continued spiraling in her mind until Dot heard the sound of the bathroom door handle, causing her to jolt upright.

Liko stepped out, a towel around her shoulders being the only barrier between her drenched hair and her simple white t-shirt. Instead of her usual black shorts she was wearing blue ones - the replacement pair she had grabbed in a rush to leave the airship. "You can get in the shower now," she said, but Dot didn't really hear her. Dot was staring at her hair and thinking about how she's never seen Liko with her hair wet, and how she looks kind of silly with the usual wave at the ends of her hair being straightened out by the weight of the water, blue and black spilling over her shoulders and onto the towel. "Dot?" Liko repeated, naively unaware of Dot's thoughts.

"Huh? Oh-" Dot sheepishly lowered her head a little bit, trying to cover more of her flustered face with her hair. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"You must be really tired," Liko stated sympathetically. Dot didn't have the guts to tell her that she had been staring at her cute wet hair. Wait, cute?

"Yeah, I'm surprised you aren't practically falling over after all of that," Dot huffed in response. She leaned over to grab their shared backpack that was sitting on the floor by the foot of the bed and dig out her clothes - pretty much identical to what she usually wore, though the pants were a different shade of green and a slightly different cut. "I'm awake enough to take a shower, at least. I'll be out in a few minutes." She stood up with her clothes in hand, feeling like she needed to exit the situation quickly. She did not want to handle thinking through why she just thought of Liko as cute while Liko was in the room with her, and the only way to leave was by getting into the shower.

"Okay - oh, Dot, I was uh, thinking I might go try to find snacks? They have to have something here to eat, I assume anyway. So if you hear the sound of the bedroom door, that's just me."

Dot gave her a thumbs up and quickly walked past her into the bathroom to shower without checking Liko's facial expression. She trusted her and the further away she could be left alone with her thoughts for a good 20 minutes, the better.

---

Unbeknownst to Dot, Liko was having a similar internal panic in reaction to realizing they were sharing a room, and she had stepped out partially because she was actually hungry, but also because she needed to lose her mind outside of the girl's perception. While locating food, which was thankfully not difficult as there was a vending machine down the hall that she hadn't noticed on her way up, she was pacing erratically and mumbling something or other to herself about how on earth she was supposed to handle sharing a bed with Dot, maybe the cutest and coolest person she knew. In fact, didn't this mean she was also technically sharing a bedroom with Gurumin?? Oh sweet Arceus she needed a moment, and she leaned on the vending machine as if winded, unable to hold back a girlish squeal of excitement and panic at the same time, in which she quickly covered her mouth and hoped that no one had heard her. Silence.

Well, she didn't want to stick around longer and see if anyone was about to come out and yell at her for making noise, so she slinked back to her and Dot's room carrying bags of chips and granola bars, trying desperately to ignore her pounding heart and straighten her faltering composure. She was not sharing a room with Gurumin, she was sharing a room with her friend Dot and there was definitely nothing weird about that, and what was the alternative anyways in this situation? It's not like they were going to sleep in separate rooms while running away together! ...While running away together. Right, running away together.

Liko was now also convinced she was crazy and was questioning how she managed to put herself in this situation. Her whiplash response to Dot crying had been so powerful she had offered to run away with the girl. Was that normal for friends? Do teenage girls just run away together to protect each other from their crappy parents? Did it make her crazier that even while replaying the situation in her mind she thinks she'd do it again despite everything? Probably!

Trying to pull herself together, Liko waited for Dot to get out of the shower.

---

When Dot emerged from the shower, Liko yelped in surprise. Dot was confused by her sudden change in behavior. "Are you good?" she asked, walking over and taking a seat at the small table in the room that Liko had tossed all the snacks onto, grabbing a bag of chips on her way down. Liko couldn't see that Dot was avoiding eye contact with her, because Dot's hair covered even more of her face while wet. In fact, Liko thought her hair looked kind of ridiculous, in a cute way.

"I-I'm fine!" she stammered. "You're just... Uhhh..." Her hands were stiff in her lap, clinging to whatever composure she had left.

"I'm what?" Dot asked between shoving chips in her mouth. She had almost forgotten how hungry she was and was still trying to distract herself from looking at Liko and having affectionate thoughts about her wet hair and sharing a room together, which was getting exponentially more difficult the more flustered Liko was behaving. What had even gotten into the two of them?

Liko couldn't take it anymore. "You're... You're just really cute and you're even cuter with your hair looking like a pathetic Furfrou that just got rained on and I don't know how I'm supposed to share a bedroom with the cutest and coolest person I know and I think I'm crazy. This is crazy! This is just me being crazy, right? I was crazy enough to offer to run away with you and now I'm freaking out about how cute you are and it's all falling out of my mouth and I am definitely crazy. This should not be happening to me right now. Ahhh!!" Liko covered her face with her hands and squealed again. She thought she had gathered her composure but Dot walking out of the shower had immediately put her back into shambles.

Dot quietly set her chips down on the table and couldn't do anything more than stare blankly for a few long moments vaguely in Liko's direction, processing everything she just heard. Out of all things she was expecting tonight, it wasn't this. She could hear the sound of her pounding heart in her ears. There was no way Liko just called her the "cutest and coolest person" that she knows. Dot? Really? The pathetic shut-in who had to be dragged out of her room just to eat with others? Who was always messing up and failing expectations? Who dressed like she didn't give a single damn about her appearance? What could Liko possibly see in her?

First she was embarrassed and incredulous about all of this, but second came the emotions. Liko was right, she was crazy, they were both crazy actually - it was crazy of Liko to offer to run away with her, to care for her to the point of leaving everything behind on an impulse, to look at Dot and think she was in any way cute, and it was crazy of Dot to accept the offer, to push her physical limits this hard just because she somehow found Liko trustworthy and safe, to look at her with her messy wet hair and think she was cute, too. Though, was any of this really new? Liko always reached out to Dot - she was the one who dragged her out of her shell and continued to chase her despite Dot's repeated attempts to get her to leave, she was the one who put in the effort to understand her communication style and social signals when she began to reciprocate, and now she was the one coming to try and rescue her against all odds in one of the worst moments of her life when no one else would.

And frankly, who was Dot kidding? She always thought Liko was cute, she just never had to face that head on until now. Tears flooded her vision and fell uselessly down her face. She couldn't even bring herself to hide them. She was beginning to understand. The warmth she felt radiating from Liko all the time, the compassion she refused to say goodbye to, the tightness in her chest that she always felt around her - that was it. She was in love with her, wasn't she?

When Liko heard Dot's breath stagger from crying, she peeked from between her hands and quickly devolved into panic seeing Dot cry for the second time. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, did I say too much? I wasn't trying to upset you, I just got ahead of myself and-"

"No." Dot cut her off. Her voice was rough and cracking. "In fact, I'm really happy right now."

"You are?" Liko felt like she wasn't breathing anymore.

"Of course I'm happy, dumbass, you just called me the 'cutest and coolest person' you know. Of course that makes me happy, even if I don't understand what you see in me. I don't understand what could possibly be so 'cool' and 'cute' about me that you'd run away with me like this. That you'd try to save me. Me, the good-for-nothing homebody who has to be dragged back to her mom's house ‘cause she apparently isn't doing good enough by making friends and leaving her room and catching two Pokémon on her own, who's unable to prove she can be someone real, someone capable. I..." Dot couldn't continue what she was saying, and she wished Quaxly hadn't fallen asleep so he could yell encouragement at her once again to keep talking. Her words were failing her.

Dot didn't have to wait long for Liko to fill the gap of her silence. "Dot, of course you're cool and cute!" Liko started, that familiar passionate fire in her eyes. "I can't believe you’d say all this awful stuff about yourself." Dot felt like she might pass out from the warmth. "You're... You're Gurumin! That's amazing! But, um," Liko stammered for a moment, "I don't want you to think that you're only amazing as Gurumin. Dot’s amazing too. There's so many things you've learned to do by yourself that I could only dream of understanding, like making the communications app for everyone and maintaining the airship's systems! And, and, you always shrug it off like, 'ohh, it's no big deal', but I think it's a huge deal! Even if it's endearing when you pass it off so easily! You love the stuff you do so much! I think that's amazing!"

Dot began to protest by opening her mouth and mumbling Liko's name, but Liko just kept talking. "And even if no one else thinks so, I think you getting out of your room is amazing, I think you catching two Pokémon is amazing, and heck I'd probably be dead or have amnesia somewhere if you didn't come to rescue me that one time..." She trailed off, but only for a moment. "You’re plenty capable, and you're real to me. You're in front of me. You're my friend Dot, who I love."

Dot's head was spinning, struggling to process even just one part of what Liko just said, but her thoughts were drawn to one part in particular that she couldn't shake. "Who you love?" she questioned aloud.

"Of course I love you!" Liko replied enthusiastically with a level of confidence that made Dot feel like she was going to melt out of her chair.

"Love... in what way?" Dot continued to question, tentative, wishing she could look away, but she was trapped by Liko's eyes.

"In... what way?" Liko suddenly lost steam and zoned out, like she didn't understand the question. She looked down at the table for a long moment, processing. Dot couldn't bring herself to do anything more than wait. She was left on the edge of her seat from how long it was taking, but also wished time would slow down more and give her more space, somehow, to think.

Liko finally spoke up again. "You mean... You mean like that?" Her voice was spacey and disoriented.

Dot bit her lip and nodded, finally looking away. Shame and embarrassment prickled her skin and gave her goosebumps. Of course Liko didn't love her that way, she was just a really kindhearted person who would want to help anyone who was obviously struggling, and as much as Dot loved that about her she knew for certain that she was nothing more than just another one of Liko's friends who happened to be a person in distress that she could reach out to and help and-

"Wahh!!" Dot's spiral into her own head was cut off by Liko squealing for a third time. She whipped her head around to face her, eyes wide like a cornered animal. Her pupils only dilated more as Liko continued, "A crush? On Dot?? Is that what this is? Oh no. Ohhh no." She stood up in her panic as if she needed to run away somewhere, but after a quick glance around the room, she realized she didn't really have anywhere meaningful to go and sat back down in her chair, shoving her face that was noticeably red into her hands, gripping fistfuls of her bangs, making a mess of her hair. "I can't like you that way, that’d mess up everything, I can't like someone as cool as you, and... and!!" The repeated compliment made Dot dizzy.

"I have no idea how to handle this situation," Dot breathed out to no one particular, just grasping for straws of stability. She put her arms down on the table, her head soon following to rest on them. This was too much for her.

"I don't either," Liko awkwardly agreed, her initial outburst of energy finally starting to slow. "I, uh, um." She could barely even start her thought, much less finish it. She found herself tapping her hands in her lap nervously. After a long moment of silence and taking a look at Dot with her head down, she simply asked, "Dot?"

Dot tried to muster confidence. "So. Do you like me that way or not?" she repeated. Her hands tightened. "This is like a textbook confession scene out of a manga or something. I feel like I'm dreaming."

"I guess... I guess so?" Liko wondered out loud, seemingly unsure of herself still somehow. "I mean, I’d never really thought about it before until you said it, but I love talking to you, and I'm so happy when you succeed, and I think you're really... cute... so... That's what a crush is, right? I... think? But I don't want to make you feel awkward or ruin our friendship... or..."

Dot took a deep breath and sat up. She needed to speak her mind before this situation got more out of control. Her heart was still pounding so hard that she thought her chest might burst, and she was so dizzy she seriously thought she might be dying, but she knew she had to do this. There were so many times where she ran from reality, figuratively and literally, but this time, ironically, she refused to run. Liko had taught her to experience more things, and right now she knew that this was something she needed to experience, too. With a slight tremor to her hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her hairband, mumbling "mental switch, on" under her breath out of habit, and pushed back her bangs in an attempt to channel what confidence she had and face Liko head on. Liko squeaked and leaned backwards, flustered by the sudden stark eye contact.

"Liko." Dot just saying her name so harshly like that felt intimidating.

"Y-Yes?" Liko stuttered. Dot couldn't help but notice that her face was a cute shade of pink, that her bottom lip trembled nervously, that her still partially wet hair was in one of her eyes still from the mess she had made of her bangs - she had always noticed little things about Liko but never had she been so close and so vulnerable and such a wreck. It only motivated her more.

"You're right, this is crazy, we're crazy, this whole situation is nuts, and I don't know if I'm going to regret saying this but I think just now I realized I'm in love with you, so there's no way in hell that you having a crush on me would in any way mess up our friendship. In fact, I was really convinced there was no way that you could like someone like me that way, and I was extra convinced that I was just another person that you wanted to help because you do that for people and Pokémon and everything, and there was nothing special about me, so I'm really happy. I'm happy that I'm special to you. That- Yeah. Do you get it now? Please tell me you understand. I feel like I'm going to pass out." By the time Dot had finished, she was completely out of breath, but still she maintained her posture, waiting for an answer.

Liko blinked a couple times and then returned her face to the palms of her hands. "I understand," she whined. "You are special to me. Really special to me. I don't know why but I've wanted to be close to you since the day we met through your door. So..." She peered out from behind her hands. Dot's eyes seriously were pretty when she wasn't obscuring them with her hair, she thought. She was also glad she had a chair to support her right now, because she felt weak in the knees. "I guess we're crazy together?" she suggested, followed up by a reflexive pathetic "meep" noise. It somehow reminded Dot of Liko's Hatenna.

"Yeah, that's what I said, we're crazy," Dot agreed. "And I don't know what to do about it."

"Are we, um, dating now? Gi... Oh my Arceus, Dot, does this make you my girlfriend??" Liko sounded so genuinely excited, like someone had just handed her a candy bar, and it made Dot's surge of confidence finally crumble. Liko could not be acting this cute right now. She was seriously going to die.

"I..." Dot flipped her hair back down into her face and shoved her hairband away. "Maybe... Maybe we can figure that out in the morning. After getting some sleep?"

Liko deflated a little. "Oh, yeah, that's fine," she mumbled.

Dot hated hearing her disappointed, especially after all that. "Well... Okay. Screw it. We're..." A sharp inhale. "We're girlfriends." Whatever that meant for the two of them.

Liko practically bounced in her seat. "Dot's my girlfriend?? Are you serious?? Ohh my gosh..." she continued her mini burst of excitement for a bit, and Dot just stared at the girl she now fully recognized she adored, wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

---

Somehow, Dot had ended up in the same bed as Liko after all, the top bunk of the bunk bed completely ignored. Maybe she should have expected it after confessing to each other and proclaiming they were girlfriends, but it still felt like a massive leap and she had no idea what was normal in relationships. What she did know, however, is when she tried to crawl into the top bunk and fall asleep, the same sense of loneliness that washed over her back on the Brave Asagi came over her like a tidal wave once again, and she didn't want to lose sight of Liko's face, as if she would fall asleep alone and wake up back on the airship, to find out this was all a dream and she really was losing everyone... and losing Liko. She was clingy. With some awkwardness, she had climbed back down and asked Liko if she could join her, and after initially being flustered, she had accepted. Dot climbed under the covers with her, careful not to disturb their sleeping partner Pokémon, though she could have sworn at least one of them briefly opened their eyes and looked at her.

Initially, Dot tried to maintain some distance on her side of the bed, facing away from Liko, but Liko, who also couldn't fall asleep, eventually piped up to meekly ask if it would be okay to get closer. She didn't know if it was being tired, being "in love", or both, but Dot had relinquished her personal space and said yes... And if she was being honest with herself, she didn't mind it. Liko felt safe. Her body warmth from their arms touching was comforting. Comforting enough in fact, that when her worries from earlier in the day started to catch up with her, and she began to remember the terrible situation they were in, she had rolled herself even closer, and Liko, with some sort of sleepy serenity about her, calmly had taken Dot into her arms, making the girl melt into the embrace.

Dot felt like she should be freaking out, but she just... wasn't. She was hyper aware of how much smaller she was than Liko, how her thin frame was being smothered and warmed in every direction, how Liko was close enough that she could hear her slow, sleepy breaths by her ear, but instead of being suffocating or scary, it was maybe the most comforting hug she had ever received in her life, even moreso than any hug she had ever received from Murdock... Her uncle. Family. Ah.

"Liko," Dot began, exhaustion dropping her voice into lower range. She tentatively wrapped her arms around Liko, too, lightly gripping the back of her shirt. "Should we really be here? I... I think I miss my uncle. I miss my room, my computer. We didn't explain anything to Roy. You left Terapagos behind. We can't be in this Pokémon Center forever." The dam of her worries finally broke after so long of trying to hold them back and they all flowed out of her like a river. "There's no way Nurse Joy didn't recognize who we are. There's no way they didn't call and send photos to nearby places. If we're caught, I'll lose everyone, I'll lose you... My... My girlfriend, now. But there's no way we won't get caught. And I don't wanna pretend I'm a Pokémon and live in the woods forever... I can't... We can't... This was stupid, right?" By the end of her rambles she was crying for a third time, sniffling pathetically into Liko's chest. She squeezed Liko in a desperate attempt to self-soothe. "In the end, there's nothing I can do. I'm useless. I'm sorry." She was completely defeated.

"You're not useless and this isn't your fault. Things are rarely actually your fault." Liko's voice was airy with her own exhaustion, dragging as if she were half asleep. Even still, she managed to give Dot a small squeeze back, and then start brushing her hair softly with her fingers. Where had Liko learned to do this sort of thing? Was she just naturally the most comforting girl ever? Was she treating Dot the same way she treated Sprigatito by petting her on the head when she was upset? Dot whined a little at the thought but was too tired to actually protest. She quickly found out it was soothing, anyway. It felt incredibly vulnerable when Liko pushed her hair out of her face a bit, but... she trusted Liko more than anything right now. "But you're right," Liko's hand paused, "I'm starting to have second thoughts, too. I don't know where to go from here."

"Me neither," Dot whimpered, reflexively nuzzling into Liko's neck for more of her warmth, the one thing keeping her sane right now. "I guess it was stupid for two 13 year olds to think they'd be okay like this with no preparation."

"Yeah." Liko's voice cracked slightly - was she crying, too? "I just couldn't stand the thought of you going back home, and now I've dragged you into such a mess..." Yes, she was crying.

Dot pulled herself back just enough to meet Liko's gaze, only a small gap between their faces. Despite the tears, Dot couldn't help but think that Liko's eyes were beautiful this close, the soft moonlight from the nearby window making them glitter slightly, even in the darkness. Actually, this was the first time Dot had seen Liko properly cry, and the realization wrenched her heart. She thought she understood a little better how Liko could have offered to run away so boldly when she had cried herself. "I accepted the mess. I wanted to be here, too. But now I..." Dot had a horrifying realization that made her stomach flip. "Now I'm not sure they’d even take us back. What if Murdock never forgives me? Are we going to be homeless forever?"

"I-I don't think that would happen. Murdock loves you." The acknowledgement that Murdock probably didn't hate Dot made the small girl choke on a sob. She felt so tiny and pathetic. How did she ever accuse her uncle of not loving her? Sure, she didn't understand why he wouldn't take her in permanently, but there was no way he didn't love her. How could she have been so stupid and so rash?

"Ahh," Dot just cried, desperately trying to wipe tears from her exposed face, but they just kept flowing too fast for her to keep them away. She curled in on herself, backing up some from Liko. She wanted the warmth, she wanted Liko's safety, but Liko was not a savior who had all the answers, they were just two girls who had no idea what to do and were crying in a Pokémon Center far from home.

But, even still, when Liko reached forward to cup Dot's face and wipe tears from her cheeks, when she leaned forward to wrap her legs around Dot's small frame and pull her closer again, it somehow managed to be comforting. Dot once again felt dizzy - this was bold, even for Liko's standards. The girl should have been a flustered mess or nowhere near this confident - Dot guessed that this was the same confidence that came over her when she saw a person or Pokémon in trouble, her desire to comfort others above all else. She almost felt concerned for Liko's lack of self preservation, but she didn't linger on the thought long considering she was distracted by once again being enveloped by her girlfriend. It still felt strange and unfamiliar to call her that, despite everything. Her heart was once again pounding in her ears. Somehow, this time, it didn't distract her as much. Liko spoke, "I don't know what's going to happen but tonight I think we should get some sleep and we can figure things out in the morning. We've come this far, I'm sure we can figure it out. Okay?"

"Okay." Dot, despite all her fears, all of the unknowns, was helplessly enveloped again by Liko's safe aura, even while she also cried. She wanted to believe that they could figure something out in the morning. She didn't know how they were going to do it, but she couldn't bear the thought of anything else. She had to believe in the both of them. She had to trust Liko. But it was hard. "I don't want to lose you."

Liko's tears finally came to a stop, and her face softened. "You won't. There has gotta be something we can do. We just need sleep so we can figure it out. I promise."

"You promise?" Dot's voice was small and naive.

"Yeah." Liko smiled.

Dot took a deep, shaking breath, and put her arms back around Liko's upper back, orienting herself and slowing her tears. She clutched the collar of Liko's shirt. After a long time, she just said, "Okay." Dot was so vulnerable and Liko passively wondered if there were more vulnerable sides of Dot she had yet to see. There was a long lull in conversation as Dot was slowly soothed, coming back to a sense of peace and comfort in her girlfriend's arms. Liko's eyes ended up falling to Dot's lips at some point, which had been so close this entire time. Dot noticed her staring and instinctively looked down to hide her face some, though it wasn't really working because of how close they were.

"Dot," Liko didn't know what was coming over her, but she continued, "Can I kiss you?"

"I-" Dot began to protest, but she was way too tired to even pretend to be opposed to the idea, no matter how embarrassing it was. Nervously, she lifted her head. "I've never kissed anyone before," she mumbled. "That's something I've only read about. I don't know how to... Um." Her face turned red and she backed up her head just a little, shy.

"Ahhh, I don't know either," Liko lamented. Despite herself, she kicked a little bit with excitement, though careful not to hit Dot in the process. "But I really wanna try. Please?"

Dot took a second to pull some stray hair strands out of her own face before returning it to Liko's back. "Okay," she sighed, steeling herself. "Let's try it."

Liko kicked a little again and covered her face with her hands, squealing. Dot couldn't help but exhale out of her nose with amusement. After all this, she still had it in her to react this way? Surely all of the sappy crying stuff was more embarrassing? "My lips are up here," Dot reminded her humorously, though her voice still trembled. She was losing her mind internally just as much, no matter what sort of cool front she tried to put up.

"Ah, sorry - okay. Okay okay, I can do this. We can do this." Liko was set on the goal now. Dot made a flustered noise of her own when Liko suddenly took both her hands, holding them gently. Liko's face was so close, and her eyes were so pretty but she was about to close them, and her face was getting closer and what was she supposed to do and-

When their lips met, Dot's mind went blank. She simply experienced what was happening - Liko's lips were kind of rough from being outside for nearly two full days straight, and there was the vague taste of salt from the tears she had cried earlier, and to be honest on account of their mutual inexperience the placement of the kiss was not quite centered, but it was... nice, nonetheless. Dot couldn't believe she was enjoying being this close to someone but she supposed that she shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore, so she was no longer surprised when she returned the kiss as best she could, leaning into it, squeezing Liko's hands in hers. As soon as it had began, it was over, and though she had no idea when to pull away, Liko thankfully took the lead on that and was the first one to break the kiss.

Dot took a breath and opened her eyes. Liko's face was somehow even closer than before. She was overcome with a surge of adoration, and the words fell out of her mouth before she had the chance to think about them. "I love you," she whispered, eyes wide.

Liko smiled wide and excitedly wrapped Dot in another hug, clinging to her. "I love you too!!"

Dot still didn't know what she had gotten herself into, but she thought she could get used to this.

---


Soon after their first kiss, Liko and Dot succumbed to the exhaustion, drifting off to sleep in each other's arms, unsure of what they were going to do when they woke up but at least for the moment, clinging to each other. Luckily, they didn't have to wonder what they were going to do for long, because a few hours of sleep later, they were startled awake by a knock on the door. Liko sat upright in surprise but Dot groaned and in a sleepy haze, clinged to Liko's waist as if to drag her back to bed. "Likoo," she whined, unaware of what had woken them up.

"Dot, there was a knock. On the door," Liko whispered harshly. She was panicked. Sprigatito and Quaxly, who were also awake, bounded over to their trainers. Sprigatito even let out a defensive hiss towards the door.

"Huh? Oh-" Dot quickly realized the situation and it cut through her groggy state and forced her awake, eyes adjusting to the dim morning light just in time for the door to suddenly fly open.

"Liko? Dot? You're in here, right?" Was that... Friede's voice? Before either of them could even begin to process what was happening, it was indeed Friede who barreled into the room and appeared quickly at their bedside with Cap also frenzied on his shoulder. To their shock, Murdock also shortly followed, appearing behind him. In the whirlwind of commotion, Dot had forgotten to let go of Liko's waist, but no one seemed to care or even notice any of that as Murdock practically dragged Dot out of bed and picked her up into a hug so tight she felt like he was going to kill her on the spot. Quaxly hopped off the bed and went to stand next to Murdock, watching as if to make sure Dot wouldn't literally be popped by the hug.

"Dot!! I was so worried! Are you okay? Have you eaten? Are you hurt?" Murdock's worries tumbled out of him and all Dot could do was exclaim "Murdock!?" and be helplessly coddled by her uncle. She was not just mentally winded, but physically winded from being pulled upright so fast after waking up.

Meanwhile, Friede kneeled next to Liko and asked her similar questions with a similar amount of concern, though without the aggressive bear hug. Liko was quick to assure him that they were both fine, at most maybe a few scratches somewhere from their travels, and they had kinda eaten a little last night but barely so they were both hungry, which Sprigatito passionately confirmed with a loud meow, and that she was actually really, really relieved to see him - so relieved that she actually began to cry and lean forward for a hug from the man as if he were her father, which he awkwardly but compassionately accepted. He wouldn't admit it in clear terms but he had been worried sick about the two girls and was thankful to have Liko safe in his arms right now.

They were interrupted however by Dot suddenly sobbing out, "I thought you hated me, I'm sorry," making the two of them break their hug and fall silent to just listen to the conversation between Dot and Murdock. "And then I was so scared that you wouldn't want me back after I ran away. I'm so sorry- I'm so sorry."

Murdock couldn't help himself from tearing up as well, and he gave Dot another tight squeeze in the air. "Of course I don't hate you. I love you so much, I was worried sick. What would I do if I never saw my precious niece again? I'm just so glad you're safe. I'm so thankful."

"But I... I thought-"

"Dot," Murdock interrupted, taking on a more serious tone, "The morning you were supposed to go home with your mother, I woke up first thing as the sun came up to tell you I wasn't going through with it after all, that I wouldn't let Blanca take you home." Dot was stunned speechless. He continued, "Your feelings were the most important thing and I'm sorry it took until the morning of to realize it. But when I opened your door and you weren't there... I thought the worst. We called up every Pokémon Center in the area immediately and rushed over here as fast as we could once Nurse Joy called, but you guys had travelled so far it took us a few hours to get here. I'm really so, so, so glad you're safe."

Liko practically lit up, standing upright out of bed all of a sudden, startling Friede, making him back up to give her room. "You're not letting Dot go home?"

"Of course not. The Brave Asagi is her home, anyway." Murdock glanced over at Friede, looking for him to confirm.

"Without Dot, who's going to maintain the ship's digital systems or our communications app, hm?" Friede looked to Cap who gave a resounding "Pikachu!" and a thumbs up with his small paw-hands. Friede nodded and flashed a smile at Dot, following up more seriously, "Yes, you're always welcome with us. You always have been."

Murdock finally set Dot down on the ground, but she wasn't left alone for long because Liko bounded forward to hug Dot in both excitement and relief. "Dot!! This means you'll still be on the Rising Volteccers crew!! With all of us!!" She was practically jumping up and down and Dot could not take any more motion.

"Liko, Liko, let me sit, I’m going to throw up or something," she choked out.

"Oh, sorry!" Liko let go of Dot immediately and Dot just as quickly stumbled back to the bed, flopping face down, processing. She almost wanted to laugh at herself for ever having run away, but she didn't linger on it long. There was too much happening. Overall, she was deeply, deeply relieved that her worst fears were not true, and that relief washed over her like a tsunami, making her so weak she didn't feel like she could stand up if she tried. She blinked just a few tears away outside of everyone's sight before rolling her head just enough to look at everyone else in the room. She was still worried about just one thing.

"So... Am I getting punished for running away?" She peered up at Murdock through her hair nervously. She honestly couldn't bear the thought of coming back after all of this turmoil and exhaustion and then have to deal with also being punished. Quaxly seemed to mirror her thoughts, because he immediately followed up with an irritated cry at Murdock, as if he was going to Water Gun him in the face if he said yes to that question, and Dot made a hand motion to tell him to stop, which to her frustration, he didn't notice. Thankfully, Murdock shook his head.

"Definitely not," he answered, coming to sit by Dot's bedside on the floor. He ruffled Dot's hair, which she didn't argue against. "And I want you to let me know if there's anything I can do to make communication between us easier. I never meant to make you feel ignored or like the only option was running away. I would never, ever, intentionally hurt you. I love you very much. Okay?"

Dot was tearing up again, but she held it together. "Okay," she confirmed. Awkwardly, she added, "I'll think about it. Communication stuff, I mean."

Meanwhile, Liko was apologizing profusely to Friede, letting him know that it was completely her idea to run away, and that Dot didn't do anything wrong, and that if anyone was going to get in trouble it should be her, not Dot, but Friede just laughed off all her worries. "Liko, you're right, this was an incredibly bad idea and an incredibly dangerous one and you shouldn't do it again. But it sounds like you learned from the experience, and both you and Sprigatito worked very hard to keep Dot and yourself safe." Sprigatito, who was now in Liko's arms again, meowed proudly. Cap and her exchanged words, and while Liko had no idea what they said, she could tell it was a similarly positive interaction.

"Though..." Friede smiled knowingly, and Liko's heart practically dropped to the floor. She already knew what he was referring to. Friede just winked at her when her face went ghost white. "Try not to give Murdock or anyone back at the ship too much of a heart attack."

Liko's face turned bright red and she nodded, practically bowing at this point. "Yes, sir!"

"You don't have to be so formal," Friede rebutted. Liko stumbled a little bit and spit out such a shaky "Yes, Friede!" that he couldn't help but laugh a little bit. That was good enough.

Dot, on the other hand, was trying her best to pretend she didn't overhear their conversation and hoped that Murdock had no idea what was being talked about but he easily noticed his niece's embarrassed posture - she really wasn't fooling anyone. He was a little concerned about Dot getting involved in what was obviously romance, especially as young as she was, and somewhere inside he felt a pang of sadness thinking about his little girl growing up, but if it was someone as kind as Liko, he was sure Dot would be fine. Carefully, he whispered, "In speaking of communication, we can talk about that later."

Dot pushed her hair to be even more in her face and turned away from him, burning up with embarrassment. All she could give was a simple "okay." She knew talking about it was inevitable, but she thought to herself that she probably didn't want to tell Murdock about everything her and Liko said, or their first kiss - she wanted to keep that, and the image of Liko's face so unbelievably close to hers, to herself. But she was willing to talk just a little bit. She wanted to communicate with her uncle better too, so that hopefully something like this would never happen again.

Finally, Friede started to make his way towards the exit. "Why don't we go home then? Back to the Brave Asagi." Liko voiced her agreement and began to follow him, then swiveled around to call out for Dot. "Dot? Are you coming?"

She just groaned, not budging from the bed. "I think if I walk any more, I'll die," she complained, genuinely feeling more physically wiped than she had ever been before. The few hours of sleep she got were not enough to make up for the two days of travel. She felt like her legs were going to fall off her body.

Murdock chuckled. "Don't worry, I've got you," he assured. "Want me to carry you?"

Dot whined. "I'm not a child."

Murdock exhaled from his nose. "Yeah, okay, but you're exhausted and small enough for me to carry still. Let me carry you," he repeated.

Dot begrudgingly accepted. "Fine," she relented. Though, perhaps not-so-secretly, she was really thankful for the help as Murdock picked her up. Liko was moved by the gesture and smiled at the two of them. She really had been so worried for nothing, and she made a mental note to put more trust into Murdock in the future. Though, the thing that she was feeling most was relief that Dot wasn't going to be taken away. She locked eyes with her friend - her girlfriend, now - and smiled. Dot's heart fluttered, and despite her embarrassing position in her uncle's arms, she smiled back.

As the group and their Pokémon left the room and checked out of the Pokémon Center, Dot finally felt excited for the future, not by running away from reality but facing it head on. She was relieved by her uncle's embrace and Liko's smile, which she was so, so thankful she wasn't going to lose. She was excited to see so much more of that smile in the future. Running away had been a terrible idea, but she really was happy it ended up the way it did. As soon as Liko settled into a comfortable walking speed next to Murdock, Dot rolled her head over to face her. "Thank you," she whispered.

Liko smiled again, causing Dot's heart to flutter twice over. "No problem" is what she said aloud, but afterwards she mouthed the words "I love you" and then lifted Sprigatito shyly to her face. Dot mouthed the words back, and then leaned her head back onto Murdock. She didn't even care if he saw that at this point. She was safe and had an uncle and girlfriend who loved her.

 

[Mialentia]

CELESTE FICS ON BULBA

I love EF so much it's still so peak. thank you for sharing it here

 

[bugfacts]

This was extremely cute and sweet! I love this sort of reckless heart-led discovery. Braving the unknown together because the being together is actually, emotionally, a known quantity. Just not fully unpacked. Very tender and relatable, it took me back to so many times I needed to run away and fall in love and discover a new world where I could be with someone I trusted.

Shoutout to Murdock btw, was unbelievably happy he actually did make an appearance. My goat

 

[terashards]

I love EF so much it's still so peak. thank you for sharing it here

no problem!! it felt like the fic i had to post first. there was no other option. fic so notorious it has an acronym LOL

I love this sort of reckless heart-led discovery. Braving the unknown together because the being together is actually, emotionally, a known quantity. Just not fully unpacked. Very tender and relatable, it took me back to so many times I needed to run away and fall in love and discover a new world where I could be with someone I trusted.

thank you very much...!! this is the exact sort of thing i was trying to capture with this story. especially as a young person around liko/dot's implied age, i had so many fantasies about running away with someone and rediscovering myself and my life and ultimately being saved by love. now as an adult i know that being "saved by love" isn't possible and the fantasies i was having about running away were impossible to actually accomplish, but even just thinking about them gave me a lot of hope to continue on, and i wanted to honor those feelings in this fic as well as put a realistic yet optimistic spin on it here. also i'm kind of surprised that you responded to this fic, isn't the episode this is based on (HZ041) still spoilers for you? LOL not that it really matters much, it really only spoils dot's mom's name if anything

 

[bugfacts]

now as an adult i know that being "saved by love" isn't possible and the fantasies i was having about running away were impossible to actually accomplish, but even just thinking about them gave me a lot of hope to continue on, and i wanted to honor those feelings

As somebody who also derived a lot of hope from similarly ill-advised and desperate dreams, I really appreciate the choice to honor those emotions and reframe them as something coming from a genuine place of need rather than only reckoning with the reality that they are a product of misinformed desperation! It’s cathartic!

also i'm kind of surprised that you responded to this fic, isn't the episode this is based on (HZ041) still spoilers for you?

YEAH……… but I wanted to engage with a friend’s art so I did it anyways. I actually skipped the original author’s note and just told myself that anything I wasn’t familiar with re: the setting and characters must be fic original until proven otherwise LOL

 

[terashards]

I actually skipped the original author’s note and just told myself that anything I wasn’t familiar with re: the setting and characters must be fic original until proven otherwise LOL

oh oops well sorry for confirming that dot has a mom named blanca LOL... but yes please look at it that way :3 there's a lot of original/canon divergency in here anyway so you never know...

anyway thank you so much for the kind comments, it means a lot

 

[terashards]

Loud Thunder, Quiet Conversation​

Rating: Everyone | 3,749 words | CW: None | AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55149148
A storm prevents Liko from getting any sleep, and in desperation she heads to the kitchen to hopefully distract herself. She ends up getting a lot more distracted than she expected.

---

a quick bulbagarden exclusive A/N:
this fic is from april 2024! to this day i think it's my personal favorite likodot fic i've written, despite it being so mundane. actually maybe because of how mundane it is. i love writing mundane conversation and trying to detail very simple character interactions. anyway enjoy! i am just dropping all these old fics on this thread at random when i feel like it i guess lol

---

original A/N:
just like my previous fic, this was a really impulsive work that just sort of hit me out of the blue - i had a nightmare about being in a devastating thunderstorm while on an airship (haha wonder where my subconscious pulled the airship from, totally couldn't be the show i've been brainrotting about for weeks) and woke up and was inspired to write this, partially to cope, partially for fun. i meant to make it really short but it kinda just... kept going. became a lot more complex than i intended. whoops. and it wasn't beta read sorry you're just getting my stream of consciousness that i wrote in one night in post-nightmare fervor
i feel it pertinent to mention there's another likodot fic on this site with an eerily similar plot, "Sky Journey" by "elusiverose" - we just arrived at a similar concept for a story by complete accident and that's my bad!! please check out their fic if you like
oh and this takes place between HZ017-HZ026 but that's probably obvious by reading it. o/

---

Another horrifically loud clap of thunder, and Liko couldn't take it anymore. She jolted upright in bed and threw the covers off her legs in frustration, proceeding to sit defeated on the edge of her mattress, leaned over with her head in her hands. It had been storming for what felt like forever, and in spite of her best efforts, she just could not get to sleep.

Sprigatito had managed to doze off through the noise, but the movement of the covers roused her, and she padded over to her trainer with concern, resting her head on Liko's leg and purring in an attempt to calm her. The soothing sound could barely be heard above the rain slamming into her small bedroom window, but the vibrations against her leg were enough to get one of her hands out of her hair and onto Sprigatito's head, giving her affectionate scratches behind the ears, though at this point it was mostly to soothe herself as her chest tightened with another wave of fear in response to yet another rumble of thunder.

"I still don't know how you sleep through this stuff," Liko mused aloud, looking on at Sprigatito with a distant sense of admiration. The small cat Pokémon had adjusted to sleeping on the Brave Asagi in thunderstorms much quicker than she had, usually being able to fall asleep in not much longer than the time it took to fall asleep on a clear night. Liko on the other hand, despite living with the Rising Volteccers for months, still struggled with how much louder storms were in the air, and the feeling of the airship subtly rocking with turbulence when it was particularly windy. Back on the ground in Paldea, the main thing she had to deal with was lightning illuminating her room, in which she could simply close the curtains. The sound had been manageable. Up this high in the air, however, there wasn't really a way to turn off the racket outside; not even earbuds were enough.

Well, even with the comfort of petting her beloved partner Pokémon, she definitely wasn't getting any sleep, and she wasn't enjoying sitting in bed with an elevated heart rate either, so Liko decided she would take a walk, and hopefully by the time she had tired herself out, the storm would be over. Despite her exhaustion, the adrenaline motivated her to rise from her bed, eliciting a concerned meow from Sprigatito.

"I'll be fine," Liko tried to reassure, though the tone of her voice, wavering with anxiety, wasn't convincing. Sprigatito meowed again more assertively, and Liko leaned over to give her another pat on the head. "Really, it's okay. You should go back to sleep." She would be even more frustrated with herself if her partner kept herself awake for her sake. Thankfully, even though she was hesitant, Sprigatito put some faith in Liko and curled up on the side of the bed closest to the wall, leaving room for her to get back in whenever she returned. Liko whispered out a "thank you" and smiled apologetically before turning around and making her way towards the door.

Liko took a deep breath and pushed her door open, revealing nothing but dark hallway as expected, so she pulled out her smartphone and began to make her way aimlessly down the hall with the Rotom floating beside her for light. It felt easier to breathe with the cushion of rooms and walls between her and the rain outside, though the thunder still making her startle made her wish she had asked Sprigatito to come with her after all. Instead of making her way back to her room, though, she found herself approaching the kitchen. She wasn't particularly hungry, but the room was familiar, and maybe snacking lightly on something would be a good distraction. She was a little concerned that Murdock would be annoyed with her for sneaking food, though that worry was immediately followed by imagining him insisting she eat and offering her food after finding out she was anxious, and she exhaled out of her nose with some mix of amusement at the thought, and relief the rest of the crew continued to be so kind to her.

It seemed she had made the right choice by entering the kitchen because she was met with a much bigger distraction than food. Upon opening the door, she was immediately confronted with the surprised yelp of none other than Dot, who's voice she recognized instantly. "Dot?" she called aloud, though she spotted the girl by the pantry before she had time to answer. "Dot! ...Why are you in the kitchen?"

"I could be asking you the same thing," Dot mumbled, discreetly moving a container of cookies behind her, though the crinkling of the plastic gave her away. Despite the non-answer, Liko could tell she had been snacking in the middle of the night. Her posture was stiff. After an awkward pause, she continued, "It's uh, unusual to see you up at this hour. It's two in the morning. Don't you actually like to sleep?"

"It's two in the morning??" Liko asked with shock. A quick glance at her phone's clock which she had somehow neglected to check before confirmed it with a bright 2:27 AM. She sighed with defeat. How had it been storming for this long? She was exhausted. "I couldn't sleep because of the storm. It's really loud," she admitted, sheepish. It felt silly to admit this to Dot, who had lived here for a while now and of course wasn't bothered by something as routine as thunder.

"Oh. That sucks," Dot stated flatly. Her hair was in her eyes and it was hard to make out the enigmatic girl's expression, as usual. Another awkward pause.

Liko nervously pressed her fingers together and curled in on herself a bit, feeling even more silly than she did before. The silence burned into her skin. Even the sound of the rain felt distant as her thunderstorm anxiety was rapidly replaced with social anxiety. Her and Dot had only seen each other face-to-face for the first time somewhat recently, and while she definitely considered Dot a friend, other than brief interactions with a big metal door between them, and the whole Gurumin conversation, they hadn't really talked to each other alone like this yet. Oh Arceus, the Gurumin conversation. On top of not being sure how to position herself or how to read Dot at all, and the embarrassment about her anxieties, she knew somewhere within her that she was talking to Gurumin too. She shoved that thought down as soon as it had come with a nervous swallow. It was too much to think about still, and it wasn't like Gurumin came in here anyway... Just Dot. Her friend Dot. Liko turned her eyes towards the wall to avoid looking at her.

Dot seemingly recognized Liko's awkwardness, and she scratched her head briefly, organizing her thoughts. She took a deep breath and tried to relax herself, consciously releasing the tension from her stiff shoulders. "Sorry, this isn't exactly a situation I've been in before. Here. Do you want one?"

Liko turned back to face Dot, who had pulled the cookies she was eating out of hiding and was offering one to her from across the room. Liko breathed out a sigh of relief at the gesture. Dot was probably just feeling awkward too. They were equal. "Sure, thank you," she confirmed, walking up to accept it. When she got close she couldn't help but notice that she had never stood this close to Dot before, or at least not in a mundane moment like this where she could actually pay attention to what she looked like. First Iono's livestream, then fighting for her pendant on a boat, and then the... Gurumin confession, were all major situations, but now there was nothing to distract her. She almost felt bad for towering over Dot as much as she did - through the door, Dot had felt like this tall, foreboding presence, but in actuality the girl was short enough that Liko had to look down to see her properly, and she found herself hunching forward ever so slightly as if to even their heights out, though it didn't really have much of an effect on their height difference.

Her heart skipped a beat as she suddenly realized that she was close enough to see Dot's eyes properly. The purple of her irises matched the hair messily falling around them. White pupils, somehow bright even in the darkness of the kitchen, pierced black. Liko somehow felt more startled than she had by any of the cracks of lighting prior, and she hurriedly took the cookie and backed away to take a seat on the stool shoved away in the corner of the kitchen. She only remembered to check what flavor the cookie was when she sat down and caught her breath. It was just basic chocolate chip. It made sense considering what she knew about Dot's tastes. "Y-You like chocolate chip?" Liko asked. She was trying to make small talk, but where the heck did the stutter come from? Was she still freaking out about Gurumin or something? Calm down, Liko, it's just Dot. You don't need to be acting like this! she thought to herself. She swallowed her stuttering voice with a bite of the cookie.

"Yeah," Dot replied simply. Despite saying so, she evidently wasn't interested in eating any more of them, as she closed up the package of cookies and shoved them back in the depths of the pantry. Liko realized just how big her cardigan actually was on her as she sat down on the floor by the sink, the back of the thing struggling to fit between Dot's scrawny self and the cabinets. It really looked like her cardigan was wearing her instead of the other way around. On top of that, Liko was also now stationed an entire seat above her, so Dot was tiny. An amused smile crossed her lips without her noticing.

"Liko?"

Liko squeaked. She didn't mean to be rudely staring like that! "Oh, it's nothing, sorry." She hoped her hands and the cookie hid her flushed face, though before she knew it, the cookie was gone entirely.

"Mm."

Honestly, Liko wasn't sure what emotion Dot was trying to express with that "mm" of acknowledgement, and she was a little confused as to why Dot didn't leave after giving her the cookie anyway since the conversation wasn't going anywhere and she was probably being a bother to her, but she didn't have time to ask because a boom of thunder suddenly tore its way through the ship, even reaching the depths of the kitchen through all of the surrounding rooms and hallways. The storm had been a distant hum of rain and faint rumbling for so long now that Liko wasn't prepared and she practically screamed, reflexively covering her ears with her hands.

Dot looked startled, not by the thunder, but by Liko's scream. Her slouch snapped into an upright position instead. "Woah, you okay??"

Liko opened her eyes that she didn't know she had closed and shakily lowered her hands from her ears, though they lingered in the air as if preparing to react to another booming thunderclap. Her heart was pounding. "Yeah, um, I'm fine," Liko tried to assure, though it was even less convincing than when she tried this with Sprigatito earlier.

Dot definitely wasn't convinced, but she relaxed back into a slouch a little anyway. She spoke up, "I'm kind of surprised you're scared of storms."

Liko blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"Well, you're not scared of things like a Legendary Pokémon shooting off a Draco Meteor at you, or, you know, fighting some creep who wiped your memories with nothing but a Sprigatito." She paused to really let the bitterness on the word "creep" sink in before she continued, "You're usually pretty confident."

Liko was flattered, but also a bit incredulous. "Me, confident? I think you have it wrong... And! Also, you were there fighting him too! Without you I wouldn't have gotten the pendant back!" Liko reminded her, voice suddenly fervent. "I was actually really impressed by you using Quaxly's Water Gun as a SOS signal and everything."

"That's-" Dot started, but then faltered. "That's what anyone would do in that situation, isn't it?"

"I don't think so? I think it was really smart," Liko affirmed. She was a little taken aback that Dot didn't seem to agree. She wasn't sure she would have thought to use Water Gun like that in that situation. Dot had been really fast-thinking.

"I just did what any reasonable person would have done," Dot repeated herself. Liko noticed she was blushing a light pink, as if the compliment was somehow embarrassing, even though in her mind, it was just factually true. Before she could argue that Dot was definitely incredibly smart and cool for a whole bunch of different reasons, though, Dot changed the topic. "But back to you. Are you gonna be able to get back to bed by yourself? You seem pretty shaken up."

For another moment, Liko had forgotten about her situation, but now she remembered. "Oh, um-" Another distant rumble of thunder cut her off momentarily, making her tremble for a moment again. "I don't know. I was hoping the storm would end while I was up, but it doesn't seem to be going away..."

Dot went "mhm" to indicate she was listening, though Liko was still so unused to Dot being this receptive to conversation that she searched her face for a signal as to whether it was really okay to keep talking regardless, but of course, bangs shrouded any answers she may have found. Dot had expressed Liko and Roy talking about themselves outside her door being a pain so many times that she was surprised they had gotten this far in the conversation in the first place. Even more to her surprise, Dot reassured her worries by stating more clearly, "I'm listening."

Liko exhaled. "Thank you." She supposed Dot was more comfortable with her after all, and she was glad for that. "Um, I meant to say that I wasn't scared of storms back in Paldea. This is a new thing for me. Which I think is why I'm doing such a bad job at dealing with it, or something. I don't really get it and it's really frustrating. I guess it's just cause they're really loud here. And the ship shakes sometimes." She was sure Dot wasn't going to get it either, but at the very least she wanted to get her feelings out since she had offered to listen.

"You've tried earbuds?" Dot asked, a bit distant, seemingly thinking about something. Liko noticed her head tilted upwards, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, they didn't block out the sound enough, and they're uncomfortable to sleep in anyway... Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just thinking about when I first got here. I couldn't sleep for a while either. Which was bad because I already don't sleep much."

Liko didn't say it aloud, but she thought to herself that she could tell that Dot must not get a whole lot of sleep, considering she had been nonchalantly in the kitchen at 2:00 AM. More importantly, she was trying to imagine Dot being frightened of storms like she was, and she couldn't. Dot was too cool for that. "You were?"

"Yeah, kind of hard not to be when you've been on the ground your whole life. Loud noises are a massive pain and feeling like you could fall on the floor in your sleep kind of sucks when you're trying to, uh, fall asleep."

Liko hadn't even considered that there was a time before the Brave Asagi for Dot, though after thinking about it, of course there was, it's not like she was born here. Dot just stayed holed up inside so constantly that it was hard to imagine her much of anywhere else other than the airship. Even after everything, there was still so much to learn about her - but right now, there was a priority of what she wanted to know. "So how'd you deal with it?" she asked further.

Dot turned back towards Liko's direction. "I think I just got used to it," Dot answered, realizing she didn't really have any sage advice for coping. It was true, she really did just get used to it over time.

"I feel like I'm not getting used to it fast enough. Even Sprigatito sleeps better than I do." Liko was noticeably dejected.

Dot couldn't stand Liko looking upset like that at something she said, so she scrambled for words to say. "Sprigatito sleep more than the average person, that's not surprising," she began. Then a pause. "And..."

"And?"

Dot sighed, frustrated with herself for struggling to spit out her words. She wasn't sure the last time she had a conversation like this, where she was trying to give advice of some sort, and she felt silly doing it. But it was worth it for Liko, and so she finally followed up, "I think you should take your time. It'll happen eventually. You're- You're Liko, so..." She couldn't finish the sentence after all and looked away, face turning red for reasons Liko couldn't understand.

Liko leaned forward, innocently interested. "So what?" Only the sound of rain. "Dot?"

"Ugh, just take the reassurance!" Dot suddenly shouted, cutting through the droning rain, making Liko recoil a little. Dot had yelled like that through her bedroom door before, but it felt sharper in person like this. Had Liko done something wrong?

Dot cupped her mouth with a hand as if surprised that she had just shouted, then quickly moved that hand to brush her own bangs downwards with her fingers, though her face was already covered. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm not trying to yell at you while you're already anxious. I'm not good at, uh." She didn't elaborate. "Yeah. Sorry."

Liko didn't know what Dot meant, but she could tell the girl was genuinely apologetic, and her face softened with sympathy. For some reason, she found it really difficult to be upset with Dot. Every time she thought she hit a wall with communicating with her, that wall would eventually go down, revealing another layer. She had seen it in tiny bits and pieces before, but she thought Dot's softer side was sweet, and she recognized that softer tone in her voice now. Plus, she was genuinely warmed by Dot trying to give her advice despite being just as unsure as she was, and despite them not having a conversation like this before. "It's okay," she reassured, really meaning it. "And, I'll try to take my time. Thank you."

"Mm." Another non-committal "mm", huh? Liko reasoned that she'd figure it out someday. She was completely oblivious to Dot internally fawning over the way her voice softened when she was compassionate, and Dot was glad that she didn't press further on her feelings this time.

Liko idly swung her legs off the stool a few times, just happy that she and Dot had talked for a while. She felt like she had learned more about her and seen more of the reclusive girl's personality. Best of all, they had spent so long sitting in the kitchen together that finally, the distant sound of rain began to fade out of earshot. Liko noticed this with an overwhelming sense of relief. "Oh, I think the storm is finally leaving. Maybe I can finally get some sleep." She stood up from her seat to leave, though not before walking over to Dot and reaching out her hand.

Dot craned her neck up to see Liko from her low position on the floor. "What?"

"I was going to help pull you up." To Liko, the gesture was just a small token of appreciation, but Dot made a defiant whining sound.

"I can get up myself," Dot stated firmly as she peeled herself away from the floor and cabinets. Despite herself, she stumbled slightly, prone to poor balance, but she remained standing. As if to reassure herself after the noticeable stumble, she said, "See? I'm good."

Liko barely heard her because they were too close again. Dot was very clearly making strong eye contact with her through her hair. Her eyes were pretty but also somehow a little scary. Also, this time she suddenly realized Dot had freckles around her nose, and she had no idea how she didn't notice until just now. She wanted to lean away, but she also found herself trying to count the freckles - a silly endeavor because she still couldn't see them all. "Mhm," she just barely replied.

Just like that, Dot broke their eye contact and made her way towards the kitchen door. She spoke as she walked, "Cool. I'm going to go back to my room and sleep. Maybe." She reached out to open the door but stopped a moment with her hand on the handle. "And, uh," she started. Liko looked on at the back of Dot's head, breathlessly waiting for her to continue. "I hope you're able to sleep okay. Like, better sleep than me. Okay?"

Liko took a long moment to realize she was supposed to answer. "Y-Yes!" she exclaimed, a little too loud. She hurriedly turned down her own volume and grounded herself just enough to say what she really wanted to say as Dot began to push the handle. "And, um, Dot?" Dot paused one last time. "Thanks for keeping me company and talking to me through that. Oh, and! Thanks for the cookie too." She smiled through her awkwardness even though Dot couldn't see it with her back turned.

"It's nothing," Dot mumbled. She needed to get out of the room before her heart burst. "Goodnight." With that, she exited the kitchen. Liko managed out a "goodnight" back as she left, though Dot didn't turn to acknowledge it. The cotton ball tail on her cardigan waved back and forth slightly with her steps as she walked away and the door shut on its own.

Liko was left standing in the kitchen, alone. She cupped her own face and let out a whine into her hands. She didn't know why, but her cheeks were warm, and she wasn't sure if she was going to easily fall asleep after all.

 

[Catz]

Review: Escape Fantasy

---

I think this is one of the first pieces of writing I've read from you in full, and I must say, this was an incredible first impression. As a whole, EF was SUCH a great read, and I enjoyed it thoroughly from start to finish.

Primarily, I wanted to talk about the central characters of Dot and Liko. I think you handled them well, especially through their mannerisms and dialogue. You did a great job of conveying romantic feelings and affection through the eyes of a 13 year old -- it was awkward and all over the place initially, and that was great !! It made the eventual comfortability thereafter all the more satisfying. I'm glad they had that genuine raw emotion that would happen in a situation like this. They were scared, so they cried; they're still kids, alone, away from home with no idea what to do next (at least at the time) -- this kind of thing wouldn't be something you handle with an absolute straight face, especially with what was happening before they ran away.

My favorite part was definitely the whole scene of the two of them lying together in bed, simply wrapped up in one another and their emotions. God, I don't know how to explain it in full, but my lesbian ass is kicking and screaming with delight. It's such a good scene that leads into the ending of the fic, where Dot gets the satisfying conclusion of staying with her new girlfriend <3

Seeing these long-form fics is starting to inspire me to potentially write some of my own; I've always been sort of nervous to do so since I can never really reach the heights I want to achieve with them, but people like you and the whole Bulba writing community have been a huge inspiration for reaching those goals one day.

Minor thing that I still thought I'd mention, but I really like the way you write; maybe it's the vocabulary or the descriptions, but it's beautifully made.

Like I said before, this was a wonderful read, and I really want to start looking into some more of your stuff in the near future when I get the chance!

 

[terashards]

I think this is one of the first pieces of writing I've read from you in full, and I must say, this was an incredible first impression. As a whole, EF was SUCH a great read, and I enjoyed it thoroughly from start to finish.

hello, i am SO sorry for getting back to this so late!! i was away from the forums due to IRL obligations and being sick and point is i just haven't had the spoons to respond until now. i really appreciate you leaving such a long and thought out review on my fic

Primarily, I wanted to talk about the central characters of Dot and Liko. I think you handled them well, especially through their mannerisms and dialogue.

back when i wrote this (dear god it's almost been 2 years) one of my main concerns was whether or not i had characterized the two properly and to this day it's still one of my worries, so i appreciate this a lot. this fic is based on feelings i had at that age about wanting to run away with someone and i'm glad my attempt at tapping into that part of my brain to writing those naive feelings comes through for you

My favorite part was definitely the whole scene of the two of them lying together in bed, simply wrapped up in one another and their emotions. God, I don't know how to explain it in full, but my lesbian ass is kicking and screaming with delight. It's such a good scene that leads into the ending of the fic, where Dot gets the satisfying conclusion of staying with her new girlfriend <3

funnily enough this is the scene that actually came to my mind first when brainstorming this fic and the rest of the fic was written around it LOL i was also kicking and screaming while writing it. thank you!!

Seeing these long-form fics is starting to inspire me to potentially write some of my own; I've always been sort of nervous to do so since I can never really reach the heights I want to achieve with them, but people like you and the whole Bulba writing community have been a huge inspiration for reaching those goals one day.

same... escape fantasy is one of the longest things i've written since i was young and i reaaally want to branch out into a multi-chapter fic and i've had one sitting in planning for over a year now but i've still been too nervous to start it. seeing all the writing around me though is at least a little motivating

Minor thing that I still thought I'd mention, but I really like the way you write; maybe it's the vocabulary or the descriptions, but it's beautifully made.

thank you!! wahh

 

[Catz]

hello, i am SO sorry for getting back to this so late!! i was away from the forums due to IRL obligations and being sick and point is i just haven't had the spoons to respond until now. i really appreciate you leaving such a long and thought out review on my fic


thank you!! wahh

Not a problem! I completely understand.
Happy to leave some positivity on your work <3

 

[AetherX]

Hi there. Here from Bulba Book Club. Just read Escape Fantasy for now.

I'm not really familiar with Horizons at all outside of some clips and screenshots and whatnot. Don't know much beyond the characters' names and what they look like, but in my experience that's really all you need to enjoy a decent fanfic. Given that I don't know what canon is I can't really critique on that front, but from a believability perspective I thought the characterization was really good. Both Liko and Dot felt like realistic teenage girls that were acting like people without a lot of worldly experience and who desperately want more control over their lives (even though they are very much not ready for that kind of responsibility yet). It's a tale as old as time, and you tell it well here.

I know you wrote this a year and a half ago and have probably developed as a writer since then, so I'm not sure how helpful feedback on the writing itself would be. But! Maybe I can offer some advice. Or at least my opinions. The main thing I struggled with throughout reading this was perspectives. It looks like you're going for third person omniscient, or at least jumping between Liko and Dot whenever necessary. I've been seeing a lot of third person omniscient here and there on the forums lately (which I suppose means it works for some people), but I'm not really a fan of it. Switching perspectives in the middle of a scene makes it hard to really fit myself in the character's shoes. Part of the fun of this story is the usual pre-confession jitters of "what if she doesn't like me back :c" which relies really heavily on being in the head of one character and not knowing what's going on behind the eyes of the other. You can get a lot more out of the dramatic irony of them obviously liking each other if you let the character (and therefore the reader, in a first person or third person limited POV) sit with not knowing at least until the next scene change or a line of dialogue from a non-perspective character. I don't know what my crush is thinking when I confess to them, so I can relate more when I'm riding along with the character having the same feelings. Being put in the shoes of all characters is the same as being put in the shoes of none of them. I know what Liko and Dot are feeling and thinking in each scene, but I don't really get to feel it along with them since I'm so obviously detached as the reader who can read minds. I really like the idea of switching between POVs, especially in romance, but I would suggest limiting it to only changing when the scene changes.

Hope that makes sense. Those are just my thoughts on third person omniscient as a style and you are free to take them or leave them.

In general I enjoyed this story despite not knowing the characters at all. Like I mentioned above I thought the characterization was good and relatable and the development of their relationship was cute. Keep it up!

 

[Welkamo]

So as a kid, I had a weird fascination with stories about running away from home. From my understanding, it seems to be a normal phase to go through, but even now, I’m drawn to stories about running away, especially ones that really go into the psychology of the aftermath. Like okay, you establish a motivation to run away, and then character runs away, but there’s really no going back from that from a character/relationship standpoint, even if you do decide to go back home. Even though I hated when characters chickened out and went back home, nowadays I’m less annoying about that if the build up to that decision is clear.

I think the thru-line here makes a lot of sense. Teenagers make a lot of stupid and/or impulsive choices, and even if they can realize that after the fact, that’s only after the fact. It might make sense to forage in the woods to survive until, well, it doesn’t. A good night of sleep makes a lot of things more clear. I think it also makes a lot of sense that some feelings would come out when Dot and Liko are spending so much time together in such extreme circumstances!

I also really like Murdock and Dot’s relationship. There’s a level of nuance that i really appreciate, this conflict between what he wants to do and what he can do to help Dot. Family is a complicated thing. But it’s clear that he and Dot really care for each other. It’s really cute.