#someone online said 'what if nemona's family is away on business during the holidays bc they're just barely ever around'

[roxannarambles]

Title: Home For the Holidays

Ship: Nemona x Juliana

Summary: Nemona doesn't have much planned for this holiday season but in the very least, when it comes to getting Juliana a gift, she wants to do things right

Nemona never had such a difficult time getting a gift for somebody before.

Getting gifts for someone was super simple, normally. Just find out what they’re interested in! Then maybe do a little checking to see what they already have and get them something they don’t. Easy, right? With the Winter Solstice coming up, giving gifts was a big part of that. And Nemona had new friends this year, so she definitely wanted to get something for each of them. It was smooth sailing for most of them. For example, Arven: he loved cooking. Nemona talked to Mr. Saguaro to learn what fancy cooking gadgets and ingredients were desirable, and she bought Arven some really gourmet salt from different regions. For Penny, she asked her about the shows she was currently into, and then she checked her shelves of DVDs to make sure what she had, before buying her a nice DVD set of her current favorite anime.

For Juliana, well, of course she loved pokemon battling. Nemona had some really rare and useful Ability Patches, five of them! She knew Juliana would love those, so it was a great gift for her. Piece of cake!

. . . but then Nemona started to second-guess herself.

Getting a gift for Juliana was different, somehow. True, Juliana would love the Ability Patches, but it wasn’t a particularly personal gift, was it? And Juliana was . . . special to Nemona, really special, and she wanted her gift to reflect that. Nemona felt like she wasn’t always really great at telling Juliana just how much she meant to her. Sometimes she would just blurt it out, true, but she usually did that just prior to rushing off in embarrassment, too nervous to see Juliana’s true reaction. And the times she did see her reaction, well, Nemona wasn’t the greatest at reading people, so she didn’t exactly trust herself to know for sure. 

Oof. Feelings were complicated. But maybe gift giving could help with that. She could just show Juliana how much she cared for her. That seemed like a lot less scary way to do it. But it had to be perfect. Not too practical and impersonal, but also not too intimate, otherwise that’d be offputting and presuming too much about how close they were. It couldn’t be too cheap but it also couldn’t be too expensive, she didn’t wanna seem like she was showing off or drawing attention to any sort of expense disparity between gifts. Also it should be something creative and unique, something that really stood out, but not so unique that it misses the mark and Juliana doesn’t even like it. Something that was thoughtful and showed she clearly put a lot of effort into it, but not too much effort, something that told her how she felt but also wasn’t too raw and honest in case that was overwhelming or it wasn’t reciprocated.

She could . . . do all that, right? Nemona brainstormed for hours but every idea she had was rejected for some reason or the other. She wandered shops for inspiration, but nothing seemed quite right. She even asked Arven and Penny for suggestions and asked them what they’d gotten Juliana. (Arven had made Juliana some really nice Solstice cookies and Penny had bought her a cute pair of headphones with Umbreon-shaped ears attached) They tried their best to give Nemona suggestions, but none of their ideas really felt like the perfect answer.

Eventually Nemona just had to go with something and hope it would turn out okay. She chose something that had to be custom-ordered, a little on the pricey side but not extremely so. Once she put the order in she tried to just put it out of her mind and stop worrying. 

As the Solstice drew nearer, they had to bid Arven and Penny a temporary farewell. Penny was flying back to Galar for the holidays to be with her dad. Arven’s case was a little more complicated. When he learned of his mother’s death, his next of kin had to be notified, once they’d managed to track them down. He hadn’t actually met any of his extended family before. But they did track someone down, Arven’s grandmother on his mom’s side. She lived in Kalos and hadn’t been in touch with her daughter for some time, but had seemed very warm and welcoming when Arven contacted her. She had invited Arven over for the Solstice, and so he was flying out to Kalos to meet her. They made sure to exchange gifts before they left. And so that left Nemona and Juliana in Paldea. Juliana would no doubt be spending the holiday with her mother, of course. It was nice that all of Nemona’s friends were spending time with their families. She was happy for them, truly. 

Thinking about it sometimes made her feel a pang of loneliness and maybe even jealousy, but she ignored it as best she could. Her home life was not exactly ideal, true, but she wasn’t going to complain about it and bum her friends out. They deserved this chance to enjoy their time. 

There was a piece of bad news that did manage to really dampen Nemona’s mood, though. It turned out that the gift she had custom-ordered for Juliana probably wouldn’t be ready in time for the holiday. They had called that morning to give her the update– they would do their best, but it might be delayed for a few days. Nemona felt very disheartened after that. Not only was she unsure whether the gift she picked out would be a good one, but it wasn’t even going to be on time. She moped in her dorm room after that, not really feeling like going out. She was leaving Mesagoza tomorrow to return to the house in Cabo Poco, since her family wanted her to tend to the house. If she wanted the chance to buy something last-minute, she should really jump on it now. Yet she couldn’t seem to muster the willpower. Seeing all the Solstice decorations and music and such seemed a bit . . . unappealing now. She didn’t want to be a grump, but she couldn’t help feeling like one at the moment.

Nemona was busy zoning out with videos of pokemon matches, munching on junk food, when a knock at her door startled her. The door swung open soon after, a girl bounding in, her voice cheery as she sing-songed,

“Happy Solstice Eve, Nemona!”

Nemona immediately dropped her tablet, her face brightening.

“Jules!”

She bounced off her bed and rushed up to her, hugging her.

“Happy Solstice Eve! How’s it going, you excited to see your mom tomorrow? Betcha she’s excited, we’ve been so busy this semester you’ve hardly seen her for months now, huh?”

Juliana chuckled,

“Honestly I think she’s been enjoying the time alone, she tells me all about the places she’s been exploring in Paldea. She’s kinda been having her own treasure hunt, haha. But yeah, it should be nice! We’re going to have a big Solstice breakfast and everything. Mom’s cooking is the best. Oh, don’t tell Arven I said that.”

“I’m sure he’d understand. Tell your mom tomorrow I said ‘hi,’okay? You still have to invite me over one of these days, I’m dying to meet her.”

“Of course! Oh, and that brings me to why I’m here.”

Juliana had an excited gleam in her eye as she set down her bags. She pulled a brightly-wrapped package from one of the bags, presenting it with a little flourish.

“To my best friend and beloved rival, heehee. I figured we should exchange our gifts now since we’ll both be with our families tomorrow.”

Nemona accepted the gift, a slim, tiny package wrapped in shiny red paper, topped with a little green bow. She felt the guilt and anxiety return.

“A-about that, I . . .”

She trailed off and sighed.

“What? What’s wrong?”

She looked to Juliana with sad eyes.

“I got you something, but the problem is, it’s, um, it’s a custom-order kind of thing and they just called me earlier today and said it’s gonna be late, probaby for a few days. I’m really sorry, Juliana–”

“Oh, gosh, that’s all? Nemona, don’t worry about it, it’s fine!”

“I really wanted to give it to you on time though, I feel really bad . . . I guess I should have ordered it sooner, ugh . . .”

“Nemona,” Juliana put her hands on both her shoulders. She spoke breezily,

“You’re being silly. I don’t even need a gift from you, you know that. Not when I have you!”

She leaned in and rubbed the tip of their noses together the way Pawmi kissed. Nemona giggled,

“J-jules!”

“Now don’t give it another thought, just open your present, okay?”

Nemona tried to ignore the tingly sensation that had spread across her entire body– if she knew any better she’d be convinced Juliana packed as much electricity as any Pawmi’s Nuzzle did– and instead just laughed,

“O-okay, okay, you win. But um, you want me to open this now? It’s still Solstice Eve.”

“That’s okay, you can open it now. Unless you wanna save it for tomorrow when you open gifts with the rest of your family?”

Nemona glanced away from her, discomfort flickering across her face briefly before quickly being replaced. 

“Mmm, well, let’s just do it now!”

“Okay! Heehee, great, I can see your reaction then.”

Nemona turned her attention to the little package, excited and curious about what it could be. It was very small, whatever it was. She carefully tore the paper off and found a jewelry box within. She opened the clamshell.

Inside was a necklace. It was a pokeball encrusted in sparkling little gems, red gems on top and white ones on the bottom. The center button of the pokeball was set with a pearlescent gem that had a rainbow sheen. The little pokeball rested on a thin gold chain. 

“Oh wow . . . Juliana, it’s beautiful!”

When she looked to her friend, she saw that Juliana actually looked a little nervous.

“You really like it? I know you’re not much of a jewelry kind of person, but when I saw these, I thought . . . well, it seemed like such a good fit for you.”

Nemona smiled brightly, answering,

“I love it! And yeah, you’re right I’m not usually one for jewelry, usually it kinda just gets in the way, you know? But a necklace like this is perfect. It’s so cute and it’s so sweet of you . . . oh, I hope it wasn’t too expensive though?”

Juliana shook her head.

“It was pretty reasonable. Those little gems are tera shards that pokemon drop after they Terastallize, the jeweler collects and polishes ‘em.”

Nemona’s eyes widened.

“Whaaat? That’s so cool!”

“Yeah! Oh, also, there’s a little surprise. It’s also a locket.”

“A locket?”

“Yeah! I guess it’s kinda an old-school thing, hold on, I’ll show you.”

Juliana gently pressed down on the little center ‘button’ of the pokeball. The top and bottom of the pokeball swung open on two hinges, revealing a flat compartment beneath.

“See? You can put a tiny little picture inside it. Usually people put a picture of their pokemon in these, I thought you could put a photo of Pawmot or something!”

Nemona made a delighted noise and gushed,

“That’s amazing!! Juliana, thank you so much, this is such a cool present!”

“You’re welcome! I’m glad you like it so much.”

Nemona hugged her again, squeezing her tight.

“I love it. You’re the best, Jules.”

Unfortunately, Juliana couldn’t stay for very long after that– she’d promised her mom she’d do a bit of shopping for her while she was still in Mesagoza. Juliana invited her to come along if she wanted to, but Nemona declined, saying something vague about finishing up some work. In truth, she didn’t have much work to do; she just was nervous she’d bring the mood down. Or worse, Juliana would notice something amis. But this was fine, she didn’t mind lounging in her dorm the rest of the evening. It was rare she took the time to just chill, after all.

As the hour grew late and she was sitting in bed with Pawmot, she looked up ‘locket’ online. Juliana had mentioned it was sort of an old-school thing. She found a website on the history of the locket and read aloud,

“A locket is a pendant for storing a photograph or other small memento, usually given to loved ones . . . it symbolizes something you want to cherish forever. . . ooh, Pawmot, that’s so sweet!”

It was supposed to contain a photo, but Nemona figured it probably had to be a physical photo. She didn’t have any of those. How did you even get physical photos? She did a little more searching and found out you could get any digital picture printed as a physical photo if you wanted. Great! So she could just use any of the pictures she had on her phone. She scrolled through her phone, trying to see if she had any really good shots of Pawmot. She found plenty of photos of Pawmot, but they hardly could be called ‘good.’ The majority were super blurry because Pawmot rarely stood still and Nemona wasn’t exactly great at snapping pictures. 

“Urgh, none of these will be clear when they’re really small. Hold on, let’s try to get a better shot.”

She aimed the phone at Pawmot.

“Smile, Pawmot! Lemme see those cute ‘lil cheeks.”

Pawmot came closer and shoved his face into the phone.

“No, back up, silly, that’s too close. Here.”

She nudged him back and tried taking some shots, but Pawmot squirmed and squeaked at her.

“Hold still, Pawmot, just for a second, okay? Ok, look at the camera!”

Pawmot bumped the phone again and jumped onto Nemona’s chest, nibbling on her face.

“Pawmot, c’mon!”

She struggled to get a proper photo, but the pokemon was way too wiggly and refused to sit still long enough. Eventually she gave up, sighing,

“Ok, ok, fine. Maybe I’ll try again when you’re sleeping?”

Pawmot shoved his way ontop of her again, smooshing his face against hers and chirping happily. Nemona pet his fluffy head and chuckled.

“Not that I really need a photo of you, huh? You’re already in my face pretty much always.”

Pawmot purred, his big ears twitching as she pet his soft fur. Nemona let her thoughts wander as she pet him and relaxed. As her mind lazily rotated around the memories of Juliana’s visit earlier, an idea occurred to her. 

A really amazing idea.

“Something you cherish . . .”

She scrolled through the photos on her phone again, until she landed on one that would be perfect.

“Yeah!”

So excited by her idea, she leapt to her feet (Pawmot slipping off of her) and grabbed her bag. It wasn’t too late yet, the shops should still be open. 

“C’mon, Pawmot! This shouldn’t take us too long, if we hurry.”

On the morning of the Winter Solstice, Nemona got up pretty early to make the trip out to Cabo Poco, packing some essentials in her bag and taking the first Air Taxi out there. It didn’t snow in this part of Paldea, but it was a pretty chilly morning, cold enough for Nemona to see her breath– she was glad she bundled up. When she arrived, she walked down the familiar path and let herself into the house with her key. 

The house was very empty and quiet. Truthfully, the house always felt pretty empty to her, but it felt even moreso this morning, with even the usual house staff gone for the holiday. Nemona did some basic tasks, taking in the mail and checking on some of the family’s pokemon. Her mother was particularly fond of Pachirisu, and she fed the hyper group of squirrels, all of whom seemed very excited to see her. It didn’t take Nemona long to finish the rest of her house chores. After she did, she got herself some breakfast, eating it while sitting on the couch in front of the massive TV. She sighed as she flipped through channels. A million different channels and yet it felt like nothing good was on. She left the station on some cartoon and tried not to think about anything in particular.

Inevitably, her thoughts turned to her friends, though. She wondered what they were up to. She hoped Arven and his grandmother were getting along well in Kalos. Arven had mentioned he was going to cook for her. She bet his grandmother would be very proud of whatever he made. Penny had made a big show of being annoyed about returning home for the Solstice, telling them about all the twee holiday traditions her dad was really into, but Nemona suspected that deep down, Penny was actually looking forward to it. Nemona hoped Penny didn’t take what she had with her dad for granted. 

And, of course, Nemona wondered about Juliana. Just down the path from her, so close, and yet so far away. Nemona’s chest ached just thinking about it, but she refused to give into self-pity. Juliana deserved the chance to catch up with her mom and have a nice holiday– Nemona wasn’t going to interrupt that. She sighed, deciding to make herself some tea. Maybe she’d put a movie on to watch.

Nemona was sipping her tea and in the middle of halfheartedly purusing her family’s streaming services for a movie when the doorbell chimed. Huh. That was weird, she was pretty sure there was no reason for anyone to drop by the house today. She moved to the foyer, hoping it wasn’t somebody from house staff that thought they needed to work today.

When she opened the door, she found a delivery man standing there, large box in tow.

“Hello! Have a package here for a . . . hmm . . .” The man checked his tablet.

“Nemona Sánchez?”

“Oh! Yep, that’s me, although I don’t remember getting any . . . oh, oh! Is this from Dragon Claw Sports?!”

She grabbed the box to check before the man could even reply and then exclaimed,

“It is!! Oh my gosh, this is fantastic! It got here on time!”

“Happy to hear. I just, um, I need a quick signature here . . .”

“Right, of course. Sorry.”

Nemona scribbled a messy signature and thanked the delivery man before hauling the box into her house with a grin. She had completely given up on the idea that Juliana’s gift would arrive in time, so this was a really big boost to her mood. Once she’d dragged it in, though, she realized she still needed to wrap it. Dang. There’s no way there was any wrapping paper around here. She wasn’t about to give up yet, though. Maybe she could find something that would work?

After a lot of digging, she managed to find some parchment paper in the kitchen. It took a surprising amount of work but eventually she was able to wrap the box after she found some scissors and tape, although when she finished, her wrap job still looked pretty lumpy and sloppy. She groaned, unhappy with the results. Not only was it really sloppy but the plain white paper was ugly, too. She tried to think of how she might make it look better. Nothing in this house was whimsical or pretty, not in a Solstice-presents sort of way, so it seemed an impossible task.

“Oh! Maybe . . .”

Nemona rushed to her bedroom. Clicking on the light, the room was very clean and stark, much like her dorm room at school. A long time ago, her room had been vibrant and colorful, covered in posters and fairy lights and wild decorations, but that was back before Nemona had been made self-conscious over such things. She’d painted over the walls and given away a lot of that stuff since then. 

But not all of it. Nemona got down on the floor and pulled a box out from under her bed. She rifled through the box for a bit, giving a satisfied, ‘Aha!’ once she’d landed on something useful. It was a sheet of pokemon stickers, bright, colorful, childish. Maybe a bit silly, but at least it was something. She went back downstairs and used the whole sheet of stickers on the box. It looked a lot better after that, and she smiled. 

It didn’t take long for Nemona to think of her next problem, though. Juliana was still busy enjoying the Solstice with her mom. She didn’t want to interrupt that, but at the same time, she wanted to get her gift to her. Should she just leave the box on her doorstep, maybe? Although somebody might swipe it, that’d be awful. It would take a pretty cold heart to steal a gift like that, sure, but the possibility still made her nervous. Well, she could always give it to her after the Solstice? 

Feeling very indecisive, Nemona took her phone out, typing out a text.

hi jules, sorry to bother you but I just wanted to let you know your gift arrived today

Juliana replied soon after.

 oh cool!!  you can bring it by if you want to :D or if you’re too busy with your family we can do it whenever

Nemona hesitated, then typed out,

ok. sure. we can do it after the solstice that’s fine. 

Juliana answered,

ok, if that’s what you wanna do, sounds good.

She went to sit back down on the couch, slumping. For some reason her stomach was twisted into a knot. What was wrong with her? Was she secretly hoping Juliana would want to drop everything just for her stupid gift? Ugh.

so how are things going? enjoying solstice with your folks?

Nemona blinked at the text. Her heart picked up speed, nervous. She hated lying, she hated it so, so much. Especially if it was to Juliana. Not that she ever had lied to her before, she couldn’t think of any time she did, although she did omit stuff sometimes. She’d hoped her family situation could remain a lie of omission, but that was tough with such a point-blank question.

well the solstice isn’t a super big deal for my family to be honest

She hoped being indirect would work.

wait, really??

yeah, we don’t do much for it. but that’s fine, I don’t mind.

After a bit, Juliana came back with,

so what’s everyone doing right now then?

Nemona stared at the question for a while, trying to think of how she could weasel out of this. She answered vaguely,

they’re working

working?? seriously? you tellin me your parents cant even relax at home on the solstice, damn. 

The guilt was getting to be too much. She tried to type out an excuse or just laugh it off, but she just couldn’t make herself do it any longer. She typed out her confession.

well they’re actually away on business right now

Juliana’s reply was rapid.

what?? wait so it’s just you and your sister then?

she’s with dad. family business stuff, they’re in unova. mom’s in kalos. 

so you’re ALONE?! 

yeah, but it’s no big deal jules, I’m used to it! I’ve spent a lot of solstices alone, so no need to worry.

This apparently was not the right way to convince Juliana that it was no big deal.

are you kidding me?? that’s horrible!! why didn’t you tell me sooner, I could have just invited you over to have solstice here!

I didn’t say anything because I don’t want to intrude on your family time. juliana, really it’s fine. it doesn't bother me

I cant believe they’d do that to you, thats so messed up

they’re just super busy is all

I dont care if they’re busy, they still should make time for their own daughter! theyre like NEVER around!!

jules, thank you for being mad on my behalf but i dont wanna make this about me. just go back to enjoying your solstice, ok? we can–

There was a knock at the door and Nemona grumbled.

brb theres somebody at the door again

As she walked to the foyer her phone bleeped again,

how am i supposed to enjoy it knowing youre sitting there all alone?

Nemona typed,

one sec ok

She pocketed the phone and opened the door. When she saw who it was, she sputtered a surprised,

“J-Jules–”

Juliana was clad in a cute Solstice turtleneck and her winter coat, a checkered scarf in her hands. She looped the scarf over Nemona’s head and gave it a little tug, pulling her close. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she said,

“You’re coming with me, tesoro, no excuses, no escaping. We’re gonna give you a happy Solstice this year.”

Nemona was doomed the moment she’d opened the door. How could she possibly resist this girl? She felt her resolve crumbling instantly, her cheeks heating up as Juliana held onto the scarf firmly with a smirk, as if daring her to try and escape. For some reason, she felt a little tongue-tied. 

“I-I-”

A laugh bubbled up from her chest and she agreed helplessly,

“Okay.”

They had to stop briefly for Nemona to get her coat and her bag– and then she realized she needed to grab Juliana’s gift too– but then they were off, walking down the path to Juliana’s house. Juliana’s eyes widened when she saw the gift.

“Whoa, that’s my present? It’s huge!”

“Mmm, yeah,” Nemona mumbled, glancing away and feeling a little self-conscious.

“I love all the stickers . . . man, I wonder what it could be. And you said it’s custom-made? Hmm . . . do I get any hints?”

Juliana was poking at the box, trying to see through the paper.

“Hey! No peeking! I thought you liked surprises, Jules.”

“I do, but I also hate waiting.”

Nemona laughed, 

“Well you won’t need to wait much longer, I promise.”

“Okay, but first we gotta get you some breakfast. Have you eaten anything yet?”

“Just some toast.”

“Oh, perfect.” Juliana took the steps to her house quickly and swung the door open, calling excitedly,

“Ma, we’re back, I got her!”

The woman that came to greet them was in an apron and had her hair tied back in a loose ponytail. She smiled warmly at Nemona; she had kind, hazel eyes and pretty features, the family resemblance obvious. 

“It’s so wonderful to finally meet you, Nemona. Oh, let me help you with that!”

“Oh, thank you! And it’s great to meet you too!”

The woman took the large box from Nemona and helped deposit it on the floor in the living room, right beside their Solstice tree and some other gifts. 

“I have to say it feels like I already know you, in a way. Juliana’s talked about you probably every single day since we’ve moved here,” the woman chuckled, wiping her hands on her apron. 

Juliana’s eyes widened and then she squirmed, looking embarrassed.

“Mommmm! C’mon, I don’t talk about her that much. . .”

Her mother smiled mischievously, ruffling Juliana’s hair.

“If you say so, dear. The two of us have already eaten, Nemona, but there’s plenty left over. Why don’t I serve you something, Juliana and I can enjoy our tea while you eat. Does that sound good?”

Nemona nodded, somehow feeling a bit more shy than usual. Well, it was Juliana’s mom– it was important that she liked her, she wanted to leave a good impression. 

“Y-yeah, that sounds great. Thank you!”

Nemona was treated to a full Unovan breakfast; eggs, bacon, crispy potatoes, toast with jam, and fluffy pancakes covered with fresh fruit. It was a much heavier meal than Nemona was used to for breakfast, but she had to admit that everything tasted amazing. She spent the time chatting with Juliana’s mother, learning more about where they used to live in Unova and where Juliana’s mother used to work; Juliana’s mom also had plenty of questions for Nemona, excited to hear more about her experiences during her first year at Naranja as well as the more recent adventures she’d been having, including a new school club she and Juliana were trying to start up. Juliana mostly let the two talk and would put in the occasional comment or exciting detail. 

Nemona found Juliana’s mother to be a very smart and surprisingly very funny woman– not to mention incredibly kind– and she took an immediate liking to her. And judging by just how much she already knew about Nemona, she was perhaps not exaggerating about how much Juliana had talked about her. It felt a little foreign for an adult to listen to Nemona so very intently and to clearly care so much about all the details of her life, for somebody to be so warm and encouraging and present. Well, it wasn’t entirely foreign, because Nemona had some wonderful teachers of course, but that wasn’t quite the same. Nemona found herself actually getting a little emotional over how quickly she felt welcomed into the household, how easily and effortlessly she already felt at home here.

After a very leisurely breakfast, Nemona helped clean up and then they went to the living room to open gifts. They had a little tree dressed in fairy lights and tinsel and a modest number of gifts sitting below it; the room was decorated with pinecones and sprigs of evergreen, a snowglobe on the coffee table and candles flickering merrily on shelves. The house was quite small compared to Nemona’s– the entire downstairs could practically fit into Nemona’s foyer alone. It also felt like the coziest, nicest home she had ever been in, and she was so grateful in the moment that she was here instead of sitting in the cold, empty house just down the path.

Opening gifts didn’t take too long, but it was very enjoyable to watch Juliana and her mother open their presents, especially to see Juliana’s reactions to Arven’s and Penny’s gifts. They had saved Nemona’s contribution for last, at Nemona’s insistence. In truth, Nemona was still nervous about Juliana’s reaction to her gift, even though there was no reason to be. When the time came, though, Nemona realized she still had another present she’d almost forgotten about.

“Right, one sec! I got something for your mom too.”

She got up to rush over to her bag and dig through it. She took a tiny box wrapped in gold paper and handed it to Juliana’s mother.

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you, thank you dear.”

“It was kind of a last-minute purchase,” Nemona confessed, sitting back down with a nervous smile. She’d seen it in the shops last night when she had gone out and they’d been good enough to wrap it there; she never expected she’d be able to give it to her in person, though, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

Once Juliana’s mother had torn the paper open, she exclaimed cheerfully,

“Oh, how lovely! Juliana, look.”

She held the box out for Juliana to see; it was a glass ornament in the shape of an Ice Tera Jewel.

“They’re really popular in Paldea, a lot of people put them on the very top of their trees. Like, erm, like the same way a Tera Jewel sits ontop a pokemon’s head, you know?” Nemona explained. Juliana laughed,

“I love that! What a good idea. We should put it up now!”

She fetched a stool to stand on and lugged it over to the tree.

“Careful, dear. Why don’t we have Nemona put it up there?”

“Oh, yeah, good idea. You do the honors, Nemona! Your arms are longer than mine anyway.”

Nemona laughed and took the ornament from her. She carefully placed it on the top, adjusting it until it looked perfect. They all admired it for a few moments. Juliana’s mother said,

“Very nice. It looks beautiful, Nemona.”

Nemona smiled,

“Yeah! Your tree’s terastallized now, heheh.”

“Okay okay but now it’s time for my last gift!!” Juliana said, clearly with other priorities in mind. She got down on the ground and grabbed the large box, her eyes glinting with excitement. Nemona sat back down on the couch and watched Juliana poke and prod at the gift, trying to see through the paper.

“I thought you wanted to open it,” Nemona commented, amused.

“It’s part of the ritual, okay?” Juliana said, knocking on the box as if that would somehow give her more information. Nemona gave a little snort. 

Apparently finished with her assessment, Juliana proceeded to tear the paper off with gleeful abandon, finding a plain box inside. She grabbed the pair of scissors to cut through the tape and open the box, rifling through the packing peanuts and flinging them all over.

When she pulled out the contents of the box, her eyes grew wide.

“Whoooa . . .”

Her mother said,

“Oh, goodness. Look at that!”

Juliana held aloft a large saddle. It was made of a rich, beautiful black leather and had a wide, comfortable-looking seat, looking similar to the higher-end saddles that Cyclizar were sometimes fitted with. Juliana seemed speechless, just gazing at it, and Nemona started to nervously ramble.

“It’s for Koraidon. Um, you remember the day I borrowed him? I took him in so they could take measurements and everything. They normally made saddles for Cyclizar so this was a bit unusual for them, but they were very thorough with it. It should fit him perfectly if they did their job right–”

Juliana cut her off with an excited,

“Nemona, this is incredible!”

Nemona smiled, relieved at her reaction– maybe more than she cared to admit. Juliana set the saddle down on the couch beside her, smoothing her hands over it.

“It’s so soft!”

Nemona nodded.

“Yeah, w-well, you know how you’re always saying your butt hurts after you ride Koraidon for too long, I wanted to fix that. It should feel even better once it’s broken in a little. Oh, and it should be more comfortable for Koraidon too! They made sure to make it well-padded. I also made sure they made the seat big enough for when we– uh, when we both ride him together . . .”

Juliana gave an excited squeal,

“It’s perfect! We should go try it on him now, let’s go!”

She started to haul the saddle to the door, Nemona laughing and following after. Juliana’s mother called,

“Juliana, don’t forget your coat! Goodness, that child is always in such a hurry . . . don’t forget your coat either, Nemona, dear.”

Nemona was grateful that the saddle fit Koraidon just as it was supposed to; she helped Juliana put it on and then they went out for a ride together. They raced along the path all the way to Los Platos, tearing through the sleepy town at high speeds, laughing all the way. Juliana wanted to go further but Nemona made her promise to not overdo the first journey out so they could break the saddle in gradually. They spent some time fooling about in Los Platos, enjoying the Solstice decorations and letting their pokemon romp around, then returned home. It was surprisingly still quite chilly out, the overcast skies and nippy breeze suggesting it might rain later. 

When the girls returned, Juliana’s mother made them some hot chocolate, and the two went up to hang out in Juliana’s bedroom. Juliana said she used to sit in front of a fireplace back in Unova during the Solstice, but her new house didn’t have one, which kind of bummed her out. Nemona joked she could always just sit in front of her Volcarona, but Juliana loved that idea. They gathered a bunch of pillows together on the floor and Juliana let her Volcarona out so they could sit there together, sipping their hot cocoa. Rain began to gently patter against the windows, and Nemona had to admit it felt incredibly cozy.

“So how’s your butt?” Nemona suddenly asked with a smirk.

“Whuh? Oh, pffft. It’s great! Way better than riding bareback. I could tell Koraidon liked it better too. Thank you again, Nemona, I love my present so much. And I love that it’s something we can enjoy together.”

Nemona's expression melted into something soft.

“I’m glad. To be honest, I was kinda nervous about getting you a gift. I must have spent weeks agonizing over it, so it’s a relief I did an okay job with it. Hold on, oof, getting too warm here.”

It was very toasty in front of Juliana’s snoozing Volcarona, so Nemona pulled her sweater off, tossing it aside. Juliana leaned against her and giggled,

“An okay job? You did fantastic. Also, you worry too much, I meant it when I said I would have been happy with anything, Nemona."

“I knooooow, but I still wanted to–”

Juliana’s eyes brightened as she suddenly exclaimed,

“Oh, yay! You’re wearing it now, that makes me so happy!”

Nemona glanced down and realized she was referring to the necklace she’d given her. 

“Oh, yeah! Of course. I’m gonna wear it every day.”

“What?? Aaaa, that’s so sweet, Nemona, you don’t have to!” Juliana buried her face into Nemona’s shoulder bashfully and Nemona laughed, 

“Of course I don’t have to, I want to!”

“Heehee, I’m so glad . . . oh!” Juliana looked at her with bright eyes, asking,

“Did you decide yet what you wanna put inside it? I thought I could help you take pictures of Pawmot if you want.”

Nemona’s smile disappeared and she glanced away, suddenly looking very shy. She mumbled,

“Oh um, well . . . I kinda, um, already put something in there . . .”

Juliana’s eyes widened.

“Oh wow, already? Can I see?”

Nemona looked to her, hesitating. She knew that of course Juliana would want to see, she’d always planned on showing her, of course she did, but now that she was faced with it in the moment, there was a sudden terror gripping her. What had seemed like such an incredible, brilliant idea late last night was starting to look like an awful, horrible idea now that Juliana was looking at her and wanting to see, oh god, what if she thinks it’s weird–

“What’s wrong?”

Nemona forced a laugh, grinning,

“Ahaa, nothing! ‘Course you can see, here . . .”

She took the little pokeball up with shaking fingers and depressed the button, revealing the little photo beneath. Juliana leaned in to see.

Then her eyes grew wide and she held a hand to her mouth in shock. The little photograph of Juliana’s face was very crisp and easy to make out– the photo printers at the store did an excellent job with it– so there was no mistaking what it was. Nemona’s heart was pounding and she was trying so hard not to start on her usual nervous rambling, but every second Juliana spent staring in silent shock was just killing her. 

Finally, Juliana’s brows curved inward and she squeaked in a high-pitched voice,

“Nemona . . .”

The trouble was that still did not clarify anything- was that good? Was that bad?? Nemona opened her mouth to start backpedaling like a champion, but before she could get a word out, she suddenly found herself in the tightest grip of her life, Juliana squeezing her so hard that it felt like she was trying her absolute best to suffocate her. Nemona grunted,

“Ulllk!”

With her face smooshed against her, Juliana squeaked,

“Nemona this is the single sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me ever in the history of ever??”

“J-jules– n-need air–”

Juliana loosened her grip a little, saying,

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just– gahhhh!” She buried her face in Nemona’s neck and squeezed her again, making adorable and completely indecipherable noises of joy. Nemona decided if she was going to suffocate this way, it was entirely worth it and she had zero regrets.

Eventually Juliana managed to pull away, though, her face flushed and her eyes just a little teary. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me sooner, you coulda just– oh, my god, you– you were worried about it, weren’t you! You acted all worried when I asked, you silly Zangoose, why?”

Nemona smiled self-consciously and glanced away, answering shyly,

“I dunno, I guess I was worried that it, um, y’know, maybe you’d think it was a little . . . a little . . . too much? I-I–”

Juliana quickly hugged Nemona once again, saying earnestly,

“Never. You’re never too much, Nemona. Never hold back for me, never.”

Nemona felt as though a soft, rhythmic static was rumbling pleasantly inside her, echoing through her head and crackling under her skin, making it quite impossible to string a coherent thought together. She hugged Juliana back, not trusting herself to speak.

Still hugging her, Juliana giggled,

“To be honest, now I kinda wanna get a necklace too so we can match, and put a 'lil picture of you in there, tesoro."

Nemona’s face grew incredibly warm and the static grew impossibly louder, her heart stuttering in her chest. Some distant part of her mind managed to wonder if this was what people meant when they used the word ‘bliss.’

Juliana finally pulled away so she could look at her and ask,

"Would that be okay? I don't wanna make your present seem less special, so it's fine if you don't want-"

"Of course it'd be okay that'd be AMAZING!" Nemona blurted quickly. Juliana laughed, then said,

"Okay! Oh, wait, I gotta tell mom!! C'mon, let's go show her!"

Juliana bounded up and grabbed Nemona's hand, pulling her along. Nemona stammered,

"O-oh, um, w-we- okay-"

Juliana rushed downstairs, finding her mother in the living room, reading a book.

"Mom, look what Nemona put in her locket!!"

Nemona laughed nervously, not at all prepared for this but apparently this was a thing that was happening now. She held up the little pendant awkwardly and glanced away as Juliana's mother carefully examined it. She felt a blush rapidly spreading across her face.

"Well, now. Would you look at that."

Nemona's gaze flicked briefly to Juliana's mother. When they made eye contact, there was something very knowing in the older woman's eyes. Nemona quickly looked away again, reddening further.

"What a bold statement of devotion. Very beautiful, Nemona."

"Thanks," Nemona mumbled. Juliana exclaimed,

"I'm gonna get one too so we match! I gotta find the perfect picture for it."

Juliana's mother returned her focus to her book, smiling fondly.

"Why don't you borrow my camera, dear? I'm sure you'll be able to get a very lovely photo of Nemona with that."

"Ooh, yeah! Good idea! Thanks ma!"

The rest of the day was spent very comfortably: helping Juliana's mother with cooking, playing games in the living room while Juliana's Gengar and Nemona's Pawmot rough-housed, and later, when the rain eased up, walking along Nemona's litte piece of private beach. Juliana snapped so many photos, but her favorite one was a picture she snapped at the top of the lighthouse when the skies had cleared and the sun was beginning to set. She'd angled it so that the setting sun had given Nemona an orange, radiant glow. She said it suited her perfectly. They stayed out there on the lighthouse until the stars came out, just talking, breathing the sea air, and enjoying each other's company. They could see all the houses below glittering in their multicolored Solstice lights, in Cabo Poco, in Los Platos, and even further beyond into Mesagoza. It had never looked so peaceful and beautiful to Nemona before.

It turned out that it was a much, much happier Winter Solstice than Nemona had ever dared to dream.