Penny's love language was gift-giving.
Ocean figured it out rather quickly. Soon after Penny first declared Ocean her friend out loud, the taller girl began bringing her little trinkets. At first, they were fairly normal - a chocolate bar from the school vending machine, an energy drink the night before an important exam, pen when Ocean's ran out. Nothing you wouldn't expect, just typical things friends gave each other. It would be all.
Ocean thought so. And she was dead wrong.
Penny would give her things that reminded her of Ocean. A porcelain frog she found in her newest foster parents’ basement, Penny said, “reminded her of Ocean’s eyes”. In Ocean’s opinion, the frog, with big orange eyes and one arm broken off, showing white porcelain inside, was nothing like her, but she gladly accepted any gift from Penny. And if she lingered on delicate touches from Penny, it meant nothing. A figurine of some cartoon character Penny found in the Kinder Eggs Penny loved for some reason quickly became Ocean’s. Penny gave Ocean stickers without reasoning, slapping one cat sticker after another on Ocean’s personal notebook. She always found people touching her things extremely offensive, because they were called personal belongings for a reason, Noel, but when Penny did, it didn’t feel like that.
One Saturday in April, gratefully free of work, choir practices, homework or any bigger school projects, they were hanging out with the rest of the choir at the bowling alley at Mega Mall. As they were waiting for the bus to pick them up, outside the mall, accompanied by dark, starry sky and whistling wind, Ocean was painfully reminded that she didn’t bring any type of cover, besides her white cardigan.
Penny noticed (because she always noticed little things) and silently slipped off her own coat, handing it to Ocean.
The ginger’s head snapped up and started shaking. “What?- No, no, put it back, you will be cold, I don’t need it, seriously-” Ocean rambled, looking up at Penny, trying to push the coat and Penny’s hands (how does she have such warm hands?) away. The taller girl’s eyebrows furrowed, and she pushed back.
“No. Take it. You’re cold already.” Penny looked at Ocean with so much genuine concern in her eyes, silent pleading Ocean felt deeply, she had no choice but to sigh and slip on the coat.
The coat was comfy, way bigger than Ocean’s coats. It was probably handmade, cut for Penny, made of some material resembling thick, beige wool and soft lining. She flexed her hands inside of it, relishing in how warm the inside was, still radiating Penny’s body heat, and how the material felt on her cold, bony hands.
She took the coat home.
The day Penny came back to school, Ocean forgot again. Next day, she was so absentminded, worrying about her English essay and Geography test she forgot to bring another coat for herself to wear. Penny offered to go home on foot with Ocean, she would wear half of the coat and Ocean the other.
At first, they couldn't choose a rhythm to walk - Penny was tall, long legs and despite walking slowly, she was actually speeding away from Ocean, who, even with her naturally fast walk, had issues in catching up with her. But, eventually, they managed to walk in one pace.
It was nice. Walking with Penny under one coat, arms brushing against each other, hands colliding. It was like their own private escape from the cold, harsh world outside. A barrier no one but them could break down, but it seemed neither wanted to.
Penny brought Ocean some sense of peacefulness, with her calm demeanor and logicality. Even though Ocean should've been the more logical one, already being the responsible, clever one, she often gave in to her pet peeves. That's where Penny came in. Her almost cold and brutal logical thinking helped
And she brought that feeling back. Only ten times stronger. Under that coat, with hands brushing against each other, Ocean's belly was filled with a thick, warm feeling, as if she ate a good soup and was now content and full. But it was nothing like that - just the feeling of Penny brought the feeling. Ocean didn't have to think for a moment, just focus on the feeling.
It was nice. First time in many, many years, she let go of the leash she was holding herself. She grabbed it right back just a beat after, but the feeling persisted. Even after Penny hugged her - hugged her! - goodbye, taking the coat, it stayed.
The warm, sweet feeling had Ocean sitting on a cotton candy cloud for the rest of day. Her mind was going a thousand miles a minute, but the feeling kept the crazy part of her brain and the muted part apart, trying to not make them mend and come together. While trying to sleep, snuggled up in her floral bedding, a thought dawned on Ocean.
Penny gave her another gift.
Peace of mind.
And then the parts mended.
Suddenly, her brain started going batshit crazy. Like all the feelings, emotions and thoughts from today, shielded before by Penny’s leftover warmth. Now all she could think about was Penny touching her! The way their hands brushed against each other, or how she hugged her tightly, touching still vaguely lingering around Ocean’s shoulders! Her coat! The way she almost levitated above the ground, her presence so light but at the same grounding, so mystic and delicate, like a porcelain doll. Waves of emotions crashed over Ocean, shaking her up, making her blush and pale at the same time, eventually making her green.
Shit.
Shit shit shit.
She’s not supposed to be like that about girls. She should want to do normal girl things with them, like gossip about boys and complain about school and grades and parties and parents not allowing her to go out late, about that cute football captain, math teacher not liking her, the latest party last Saturday and-
Shit.
Since then, Ocean tried to distance herself. To not hurt both herself and Penny. But the girl seemed to only push further, and no matter how hard Ocean tried and tried, Penny would find her way back.
Penny started giving her things she did herself. The most memorable one, still standing on Ocean's bedroom shelf, right in front of her bed, is a painting of the ginger herself. Ocean’s head was slightly turned to the left, eyes glancing to the same side. Her hair was in its usual style - down, decorated with a black, plastic headband. And she was smiling brightly. Every single crook, every single smile line and crinkle in her face was drawn with a careful hand.
Penny made it in her Advanced Arts class, while Ocean was in PE and Advanced Calculus and gifted it to her one time they hung out after school. She said her teacher told her she had a great talent and should continue her career in that direction.
Ocean almost sobbed when she looked at the picture. It was made with love, it radiated love, and Ocean was practically never given things made with such intense feelings.
It stood proudly on her desk, among colorful notes and pens, in a DIY photo frame Constance made some time ago.
Penny kept giving and giving, silly little things, like clay figurines, food (even though Ocean told her many times she didn’t need to be fed like an animal in zoo, but Penny persisted. It was even kind of adorable. Especially during exam, when Ocean would forget about her most basic needs and Penny would deliver her energy drinks and snacks to her house.), scented candles and other stuff. And Ocean didn’t know how to react each time. Her heart would speed up, face go red and tongue tying on itself, words getting lost in throat and mind going blank.
She felt so stupid. Embarrassing herself because of simple gifts.
Penny kept giving, and giving. Ocean slowly eased herself into being thankful for these presents, being better and better at hiding her reactions to Penny’s gifts, and she was becoming confident in her ways of pretending it didn’t affect her (it affected her horribly.).
But then, one cold night, one of many cold nights in Uranium, the biggest present arrived at Ocean’s doorstep.
Penny.
Ready to give Ocean her heart.