#bittersweetshipping week

[nyabby-keromatsu-kimori]

Bittersweetshipping Week 2021 - Day 6 - Kiss

Mallow felt the piercing glare on her back and turned around, expecting to meet the eyes of a wild Pokémon or eager young trainer wanting a battle. Instead, she was somewhat taken aback to the see that the glare was coming from none other than her own girlfriend. She looked around to make sure that there was nobody else that the glare could be directed at, but found herself alone and unable to figure out why Lana was looking at her so intensely.

“What?”

“You’re too tall,” Lana muttered, pouting.

“What?! I’m not that tall!” Mallow replied, not entirely sure how to respond. “You’re just short!”

“But…”

“But what?”

Lana finally looked away from Mallow, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. “It’s kinda hard to kiss you from down here…”

Caught off guard, Mallow felt her own cheeks growing warmer. “O-oh��well I mean, you could always just me to bend down!”

“It’s still kinda awkward though…” Lana crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she sometimes did when thinking hard about something. “Maybe…” she opened her eyes, looking Mallow up and down.

Mallow was about to ask what she was looking at when, in a single sudden movement, Lana turned and jumped into Mallow’s arms, clinging to her like a Komala. Instinctually, Mallow had brought up her arms to hold Lana close as she struggled for a moment to regain her balance.

“Lana!”

From the way she was holding her, Mallow actually had to tilt her head up in order to look Lana in the eye. Lana giggled, looking down at Mallow with a cheeky grin. “I caught you~”

“Jeez…” Mallow sighed, but there was no actual exasperation in her tone, only fondness. “So, what are you gonna do now that you’re taller than me?” she asked, already knowing the answer. Mallow reached up as Lana leaned down, their lips meeting in the middle as they shared a gentle kiss.

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I’m not really very happy with this one but I’m already late enough as it is so I’m just gonna have to roll with it

( @bittersweet-week​ )

[bittersweet-week]

Bittersweet Week Information!

The week starts 1/30/2021 at 12 AM your time! AKA in a few hours, or it has already started for you and it ends on February 7th at 12 AM your time! Either way hope you all have a fun time this week! I will try my best to keep up and reblog all the stuff I see on these two! Either way here are the prompts! 1) Holding Hands 2) Star Gazing 3) Cuddling/Hugging 4) Free Day - Draw whatever you want 5) Confession 6) Kiss 7) Future If you would like to join the discord server to keep up to date here’s the link! The link! I hope you all have a great time!!

[kozlliot]

Finally made the Bittersweetshipping (Mallow/Lana) Week Server. It starts January 30th and ends on February 6th!! More info is in the server!!

The Server!

[nyabby-keromatsu-kimori]

Bittersweetshipping Week 2021 - Day 5 - Confession

“So, um…here we are,” Lana muttered, stepping into the field of flowers hidden away in the forest where she and Mallow had spent so many hours together when they were younger. Having come here so many times, Mallow had recognised where Lana had been leading her about 15 minutes ago, but had decided not to comment on it at the time – Lana seemed nervous enough as it was, the last thing she wanted to do was make it any worse. What exactly it was that was making her so nervous, she had no idea, all Lana had said was that she had to tell her something and that she wanted to go somewhere private to say it.

“Soooo…why did you bring us here?” Mallow asked, trying to sound as casual as possible despite her own nervousness.

Lana shrugged. “It’s quiet…barely anybody else ever comes here, so there’s privacy…and I mean…it’s special to us, right?”

“Yeah…it is…”

Mallow followed Lana out into the flowers, both of them stopping around the middle of the field. The clearing was peaceful and quiet, and the silence was filled by the calming sounds of the surrounding forest. In the past, they’d both been content to just sit together and listen to the sounds of nature, relaxed in each other’s company…but right now, both girls were very much aware of the tension hovering in the air between them.

“So, uh…” Mallow cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say.

Lana wordlessly turned to face Mallow, reaching up to put her hands on her shoulders. Due to the height difference between them, this ended up being a somewhat awkward position, so she slowly moved her hands down to hold onto her arms instead, trying to steady her nerves.

“I…I’m…”

“Lana?”

“I have to tell you something…” Lana said, repeating her words from earlier in the day. “A-and it’s hard, because I’ve been hiding it for so long…years, actually.”

“It’s okay,” Mallow said, giving her a smile that she hoped was reassuring. “Just take your time, no pressure.”

Lana returned the smile with a shaky one of her own and nodded. “Y-yeah…it’s just that, well…I’m, uh…” she lowered her head, focusing on the flowers at her feet as she started to flush pink. “It’s- I mean- I-”

Her gentle grip on Mallow’s arms suddenly got a lot tighter as her words kept getting stuck in her throat. Mallow couldn’t tell exactly what she was thinking, but she could see the rising anxiety in Lana’s eyes as her face got redder with each passing second. Mallow could feel Lana trembling, and decided that satisfying her curiosity wasn’t worth all this anxiety.

“Lana? Are you oka-“

“I’m fine! I-I’m fine, I just…”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to…”

Lana faltered, and for a moment seemed to consider taking the offer, but shook her head. “No. You deserve to know…”

“Are you sure?”

Lana nodded. She took a deep breath, letting go of Mallow’s arms and slowly moving her shaking hands to hold both of Mallow’s.

“I, um…I mean, you- we- I’m-” Lana’s voice got quieter with each word, but with so little background noise, it was still pretty easy to make out what she was saying. “I…I’m in love with you…”

Mallow’s heart leapt, barely noticing her face growing three times warmer. Part of her was in complete disbelief, she must’ve misheard her – Lana had been pretty quiet after all and she shouldn’t just make assumptions, but then, when she really thought about it, and thought back on their past interactions, so many things made so much more sense…

And she knew that Lana was waiting for a response, but her brain was barely able to keep up with what was happening amidst all the thoughts racing through her mind, and she was barely even able to choke out a single word.

“w-what..?”

Lana gulped, repeating herself in a louder voice than before. “I-I love you. I’ve been in love with you for years now…”

There were so many things she wanted to say, she wanted to pull Lana into a hug and hold her in her arms, she wanted to kiss her, wanted to tell her how long she’d been dreaming of hearing those words, wanted to tell her how much she meant to her, but for a moment, all Mallow could do was stand there in shock and awe.

“You d-don’t have to respond or anything, I just-”

Lana was interrupted by Mallow pulling her into the biggest hug she’d ever given her, pulling her as close as possible with a joyful laugh.

“M-Mallow…?”

“I love you too.”

“W-wait, you- you do?” Lana pulled back slightly, not enough to break the hug but enough to be able to look Mallow in the eye. “I-I mean…are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. I love you,” Mallow repeated, her heart soaring at how right it felt to finally say the words out loud.

Mallow watched Lana’s eyes light up as the realisation dawned on her, and the smile that followed was the most beautiful thing Mallow had ever seen. Lana flung her arms around Mallow’s shoulders, pulling her closer, and Mallow barely had the time to process what was happening as Lana pulled her down into a kiss.

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okay yes I did steal the backgrounds from the show itself but in all fairness this is practically a very short comic with full colour and shading and I did it all in one day so. I think it’s fair enough

( @bittersweet-week )

[nyabby-keromatsu-kimori]

Bittersweetshipping Week 2021 - Day 7 - Future

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

Lana groaned as she wearily reached over to the nightstand, blindly flailing around before eventually grabbing her phone. She reluctantly opened her eyes as she turned off the alarm, then dropped the phone back on the nightstand. She looked over to the other side of the bed to find it surprisingly empty, but as her brain gradually started to function again she noticed the aroma of freshly brewed coffee flowing from the kitchen.

Still half asleep, but unable to resist the allure of a warm cup of coffee brewed by her fiancé, she forced herself to sit up and stretch. After a moment, she slowly stood up and made her way over to the dresser, picking up the necklace that held her engagement ring. The necklace had been Burnet’s idea, as it allowed Lana to wear the ring everywhere she went without worrying as much about losing it. She stared at the ring for a few minutes, smiling fondly at the memories it brought forth, before putting the necklace around her neck and heading out to the kitchen.

As expected, Mallow was already waiting for her, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, holding two cups of coffee. She turned to Lana with a smile, holding out one of the mugs. “There you are! I was about to come wake you up myself.”

Lana rubbed her eyes before accepted the offered mug, immediately downing half the cup despite Mallow’s warnings about the drink’s temperature. The heat didn’t bother Lana, but the speed at which she’d slammed it down her throat caused some of it to go down the wrong pipe, sending her into a small coughing fit. She slammed the mug down and leaned forward, bracing herself on the breakfast bar, and just a few seconds later she was being handed a glass of cold water. She eagerly gulped down the entire glass, taking deep breaths as Mallow rubbed her back.

“Thanks…” she wheezed, taking a moment to catch her breath.

“Of course,” Mallow replied with a gentle smile. “You have gotta stop drinking so fast, though.”

Lana pouted, but knew better than to start an argument she would lose, instead picking up the mug and taking a much smaller sip. This time she actually let herself taste the coffee, holding it in her mouth for a bit before she swallowed. The natural bitterness of the coffee was offset by a dash of sweet honey, all swirled together with creamy milk.

As with everything that Mallow made, it was the perfect combination of flavours and textures, guaranteed to put a smile on anybody’s face. It was no wonder that Aina Cafeteria had gained so much popularity in the last few years. Mallow had been overworking herself recently, but her family had eventually convinced her to hire some other workers so she could have some proper time off every now and then. Mallow had initially planned on using this time off to focus on planning their wedding, but Lana had been quick to shut that down, insisting that Mallow take a break for once.

“I’m going to be out for a while after lunch,” Mallow informed Lana as she fetched a pan from one of the cupboards.

“Another planning meeting?”

“Yep,” Mallow replied, darting back and forth through the kitchen, fetching ingredients. “Partnering with another business takes a lot of planning and paperwork, regardless of how small that business might be. Besides, Jessie wants to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect,” Mallow giggled. “Honestly, I’m kinda surprised that her and James even accepted my offer in the first place.”

“Really?” Lana took another sip of her coffee. “For a small donut business, teaming up with the best restaurant in Alola seems like the perfect business opportunity.”

Mallow rolled her eyes at the not-so-subtle compliment. “Well, after everything that happened with them from before they quit Team Rocket, I guess I was expecting a bit more reluctance.”

Lana just shrugged, finishing off her coffee and leaving the mug on the counter. “The Aether Foundation wanted me to do another dive for them anyway, check up on the local Corsola population and all that. Might as well do it this afternoon, since you’re not gonna be home.”

“Are you sure? You were out all day yesterday, I’m sure it’ll be okay if you just take today off and rest.”

Lana hugged Mallow from behind, wrapping her arms around her waist. “But it’s boring if you’re not here with me…”

Mallow giggled, pausing her meal preparations in order to turn around to face her fiancé and give her a gentle kiss. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” Lana replied, pulling Mallow down into another kiss.

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sorry for the lateness, I forget to press the ‘post’ button orz

( @bittersweet-week​ )

[nyabby-keromatsu-kimori]

Bittersweetshipping Week 2021 - Day 3 - Cuddling/Hugging

“Sorry about that,” Lana sighed as she slumped down on the couch next to her girlfriend, utterly worn out. “I swear that’s like the seventh time I’ve had to tell Harper and Sarah to not try to climb onto the ceiling fan.”

“At least your mom’s gonna be home with dinner soon,” Mallow replied. “Are you okay, though? You look exhausted.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Lana reassured her, trying to sit up straight but slouching forward regardless. “I think they’re just more energetic than usual because they’re excited about you sleeping over.”

Mallow rubbed her back, thinking for a moment, then shifting in place so that she was partially lying down, leaning her back against the arm of the couch. She gave Lana a gentle smile and opened her arms for a hug. “Come on.”

Lana blushed a little, but swallowed her nerves and slowly moved over to Mallow, lying down in her arms. She wrapped her arms around Mallow, who swiftly returned the favour, resting one hand on her back and slowly running the other through Lana’s hair. Lana closed her eyes as the tension in her shoulders melted away, humming contently as she snuggled into Mallow’s neck. She sleepily opened her eyes part way and looked up at Mallow, meeting her girlfriend’s loving gaze with one of her own.

Mallow’s hair was messy – at least, by Mallow’s usual standards – not tied back or brushed down, just flowing naturally. Additionally, the soft hoodie and sweatpants she currently wore were a far cry from Mallow’s usual clothing style, this look was far more casual and relaxed. Lana knew that Mallow liked to keep herself looking at least somewhat tidy and stylish, but she’d never really cared about all that very much when she was around Lana. She wasn’t sure why exactly – if it was a matter of trust, or love, or something else – but she knew that it meant she was special in Mallow’s eyes.

Which, she had to remind herself, wasn’t all that surprising, seeing as she was Mallow’s girlfriend. She still forgot about that sometimes – they’d only been together for a little over a week, after all. But still, just thinking about it – that Mallow was her girlfriend, and Lana was Mallow’s girlfriend – still made her feel all warm and bubbly inside.

“What are you thinking about?” Mallow asked, her soft and quiet voice bringing Lana back to reality.

“Hm?”

“You’re all smiley,” Mallow said, gently nuzzling the top of Lana’s head. “So I was wondering why.”

“I was just thinking…I’m just…so lucky,” Lana replied, closing her eyes again. “To be able to be with you like this.”

From where she had her head resting, Lana was able to hear Mallow’s heartbeat, so she noticed it start to beat a little faster in response to her words. Mallow giggled softly, then very lightly kissed the top of Lana’s head. “Not as lucky as I am.”

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What do you know, the fanfiction part is actually a reasonable length this time around. I’m not totally happy with the drawing but I’m late enough as it is so I’m just gonna go with it

( @bittersweet-week​ )

[nyabby-keromatsu-kimori]

Bittersweetshipping Week 2021 - Day 2 - Stargazing

“That was such an intense battle!!” Kiawe shouted for the tenth time in the span of five minutes, pumping his fists in the air. “Now I’m all fired up!!”

“You know, you could always just ask Kukui if you can battle Incineroar,” Sophocles reminded him. When the match had first ended, Sophocles had been just as hyped up as Kiawe, but it had been a long day and everybody (apart from Kiawe, apparently) was starting to feel a little worn out.

It was seemingly a regular old Saturday, and for some reason Kukui had decided to treat the entire class (which admittedly was a pretty small group now that there were only 4 of them) to a day out. They’d been all around Alola, taking tours of Lush Jungle and Poni Canyon, having lunch at a very fancy restaurant and getting exclusive front row seats to the Masked Royal’s latest match. The group was now sitting outside the arena, waiting for Kukui to finish up backstage so that they could meet up with Burnet and Lei at a local restaurant for dinner.

“But don’t you think it’s kinda weird?” Sophocles asked. “I mean, Kukui’s always super nice to us, but this whole big day out thing is kind of a lot, especially since he’s been paying for everything. It all kinda just came out of nowhere…”

“Maybe he has something planned?” Kiawe suggested. “Or maybe today is special for some reason, like some kind of anniversary or something.”

“If that were the case, wouldn’t he wanna spend it with his family instead?”

“Guys, can you just drop it?” Lana snapped, taking her eyes off of Mallow for the first time all day in order to glare at the boys. Unlike them, she knew exactly why Kukui had been putting so much effort into keeping everybody occupied and distracted today, and the last thing any of them needed was to draw attention to it-

Suddenly, Mallow silently stood up and started walking away.

“Mallow? Where are you going?”

Mallow stopped when her name was said, but didn’t turn to look at anybody. “I-I’m, uh, just getting some fresh air!” she replied with a shaky voice before breaking into a run.

“But we’re outside??” Sophocles questioned, but his comment only earned him another glare from Lana, who quickly stood up and went after Mallow.

Mallow had already disappeared from view at this point, but Lana knew of a few places that Mallow might go to in order to be alone. It took a few tries to find the right one, and by the time she reached the small hill, the sun had already finished setting, the stars starting to emerge. Lana walked slowly so as not to startle Mallow, who was curled up in a ball, holding her legs to her chest and burying her face in her arms. As she got closer, she could hear the sobs that Mallow was desperately trying to muffle, a sound which always broke Lana’s heart no matter how many times she’d heard it.

Lana sat down next to Mallow, giving her some space but still staying within arm’s reach. They sat in silence for a bit as Lana tried to think of something to say, before Mallow lifted her head slightly and broke the silence.

“I thought it would get easier…”

“Hm?” Lana softly hummed, gently encouraging Mallow to continue.

“Thanks to Tapu Fini…I got to talk to her…get closure…and it’s been 8 years…but I still can’t get through the day without crying…” Mallow’s voice was quiet, unsteady, and she choked up a little. “She wouldn’t want me to cry…”

“There’s nothing wrong with being sad about losing a family member,” Lana gently reminded her. “Especially on the anniversary of her death.”

Mallow curled up more, making herself look smaller. Lana knew from experience that this specific movement and posture usually indicated that Mallow didn’t want to be touched at the moment, so instead Lana looked around for something to distract her with.

“Hey, look, it’s a Rayquaza.”

“Just the constellation though, right?” Mallow tilted her head slightly to look at Lana. Lana gave her a cheeky grin and a wink, and despite how low she felt, Mallow couldn’t ignore how her heart skipped a beat and was kind of glad that her face was already flushed from crying.

Lana pointed up at the sky. “And look, the Drampa constellation!”

Mallow glanced up at where she was pointing, then back at Lana, looking a bit confused. “I don’t think I’ve heard of that one…”

“And next to it is the Tsareena constellation!”

Mallow chuckled a little, smiling fondly at her best friend. “Okay, now you’re definitely just making it up.”

Lana shrugged. “Aren’t all constellations made up?”

“…yeah. I guess so,” Mallow replied. She knew Lana was just trying to distract her, and while it was only partially working, Lana’s presence and the fact that she cared enough to go to so much effort definitely helped her feel better. Eventually, she looked away in order to follow Lana’s gaze, staring up at the stars. “So, what other constellations are up there?”

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( @bittersweet-week​ )

[nyabby-keromatsu-kimori]

Bittersweetshipping Week 2021 - Day 1 - Holding Hands

“You know you two could’ve just waited at the stadium with everybody else, right?” Mallow commented as she made her way towards the donut stand alongside two of her best friends.

“It’s quite alright, we honestly don’t mind!” Lillie reassured her.

“Yeah, it’s not like you could carry six boxes of donuts all by yourself, right?” Lana added, grinning.

“I’ve been helping at the restaurant my whole life, you know very well that I can carry far more than 6 boxes.”

Lana snickered. “Not without crashing into a wall and spilling everything onto the ground~”

“THAT WAS ONE TIME!! I WAS 8!” Mallow protested, pouting. Lana just giggled, jokingly sticking her tongue out.

Lillie silently watched as the two continued their back-and-forth banter about things that only the two of them understood, sharing laughs over inside jokes that had lasted years between them. They’d known each other for so long, so it made sense that they were as close as they are, but Lillie had always felt a sort of spark between them that she hadn’t felt between any of her other friends until quite recently. She’d had her suspicions, but they were only confirmed recently when Lana came up to her in private to ask for advice, confessing to Lillie about the crush she’d had on Mallow since they were kids. If Lillie’s observations were correct then it seemed like Mallow returned Lana’s feelings, but she was also very oblivious…

“Lillie?”

“Hm?” Lillie snapped out of her train of thought, noticing her two companions staring at her with a tinge of worry in their expressions.

“You okay? You were kinda zoning out there,” Lana asked.

“O-oh, sorry about that,” Lillie replied, a little embarrassed. “I was simply…thinking about some things. I’m alright.”

“You’ll tell us if things aren’t alright though, won’t you?” Mallow asked.

“Of course!”

Mallow and Lana exchanged a glance, then both nodded, accepting Lillie’s explanation. Lana quickly changed the topic.

“So…how do you think Ash’s next battle is gonna go?” Lana asked.

“I’m not sure…” Lillie closed her eyes as she thought about it, trusting the others to let her know if she was about to bump into something. “Ash has always been rather creative in battles, but I’m unsure whether or not Rowlet will have the strength it needs to defeat a Decidueye…” Lillie opened her eyes, turning to look at her friends. “Mallow, you’re the grass-type user, what do you think?”

“Well,” Mallow started, using that specific tone that the whole class had grown to recognise as her ‘infodumping voice’. “Decidueye may appear to have an advantage due to being Rowlet’s fully evolved form, but Rowlet is still pretty strong on its own, and it has the additional advantage of being part Flying-Type. We know that it can use Brave Bird, which will definitely help it to do some significant damage…” while Mallow had launched into an explanation, Lillie couldn’t help but be distracted when she noticed Lana suddenly freeze up.

Subtly so as not to draw attention, Lillie peered over to Mallow’s other side and realised that at some point, Mallow had grabbed hold of Lana’s hand. It seemed as if Mallow either hadn’t noticed she had done so, or simply didn’t care – Lillie suspected the former, based on how intently focused Mallow seemed to be on her explanation that at this point neither of the others were paying much attention to. Lana, on the other hand, had definitely noticed, gently returning Mallow’s hold while blushing a bright red, unable to do much other than stare at the ground.

How Mallow hadn’t noticed the effect she had on her best friend after all these years, Lillie could never understand. She just hoped that one day, Mallow would finally notice the way Lana looked at her.

________

SO I’ve shipped Lana and Mallow since I first watched episode 59 of the Sun and Moon anime back in mid-2018, and now there’s a ship week :D! To make up for lost time I’m gonna be doing both art and minifics for each prompt, if I need to use a readmore then let me know :) 

( @bittersweet-week​ )

[kozlliot]

okay so I never really thought of this,,, but there's no bittersweetshipping/aquariumplantshipping day and/or week-- so why not make one diwjdjwj I'll probs pick a date sometime later or just talk to friends about it! But yea if anyone ships Mallow/Lana keep an eye out for the dates lmfao (unless there's already a week and/or day for this ship!)