#pannelivia

Olivia wrings her hands nervously, the picnic basket looped on her arm swinging with the motion. It was Valentine’s Day, but she and Panne had been too busy during the day to do anything. Couples loved visiting theatres together, apparently. Hard to take time off, even just for a lunch date, when your performances had sold out weeks ago. By now the moon was high in the sky, and soon it wouldn’t even officially be Valentine’s Day anymore. But it was the principle of the thing!

Hopefully Panne wasn’t too busy for a moonlit picnic. She should still be awake, but Olivia hadn’t texted ahead. That would ruin the surprise. It wasn’t every year that Valentine’s Day fell on the full moon, after all. Panne shouldn’t be doing anything at 11 pm on a Wednesday night, but there was a persistent nagging feeling in Olivia’s gut telling her that this was a terrible idea. Well, she was almost at Panne’s house, so it was too late to turn back now.

The lights were on, so that was a good sign. She pauses outside the front door to gather herself, focusing intently on the cheesy welcome mat. With one final breath, she puffs up her chest and knocks. There was a terrifying moment of silence, and then some rustling. Then more silence.

“Panne? It’s me.”

“Olivia?” Panne sounded… odd. Had she come down with a cold? Her voice was even deeper than usual, and more than a little scratchy.

“Uh, yeah. S-sorry to bother you! Are you sick? I can, uh, always come back later,” She calls through the door. Her stomach was right. This was the worst idea ever. There was more movement behind the door.

“No, no, this is… this is fine.” The lock clicks as Panne unlocks it, but the door doesn’t open.

“A-Are you sure?” Because Panne doesn’t exactly sound fine.

“Yes. You will need to let yourself in, however.” Is she hurt? But she was fine earlier today, and if she had gone to the hospital, surely she would’ve been told? Does Panne just not want to see her?

“I-If this is a bad time, you don’t have to let me in, really, I wouldn’t want to be a bother, you must’ve had a, a really long day, we can hang out tomorrow, I uh-” Great, and now she’s blabbering. This is one of the worst starts to a date she’s ever had.

“I am not busy! My hands are, um, occupied. With. With pie. Just go ahead and open the door. You may be a bit surprised but-” Olivia can’t take the tension anymore, and grabs the door handle, flinging the door open. Inside is-

“OH MY GOD!” Her hands fly to her face, the basket in her hands going airborne. There’s some sort of… creature, sat back on its haunches. It looks vaguely like a rabbit, with floppy ears and whiskers and giant evil teeth and glowing eyes. It lashes out with a paw, and she flinches, but it simply catches the basket before it can hit the ground.

“Do not be alarmed, dear. You see-.” Olivia nearly faints.

“A giant rabbit ate you!” she wails. The thing chuckles, revealing even more teeth.

“That is not the case, I assure you. I am, well, essentially a werewolf. The moon is full tonight, hence me being in this form.” Olivia blinks, too startled to be afraid. Is she supposed to believe that? But the thing in front of her doesn’t look like a costume.

“Werewolves are real?!? When were you going to tell me?” She accuses. She’s plenty trustworthy! The crea- Panne. Panne looks sheepish, rubbing the back of her head with her free paw.

“I promise I would have soon. I did not have it in me to turn you away tonight. If it was planned, I swear I would have revealed myself in a more reasonable manner.” Olivia takes a deep breath. Baby steps. She can totally process this like a reasonable person.

“So, uh, does this happen every full moon?” If so, she’ll make sure to plan any future date nights around it. It’s rather strange, but there’s stranger things out there. Probably. There has to be. If there is, she can handle this just fine. Panne nods.

“I can transform at other times if I wish, but it takes a lot more energy. There are not many benefits to this form.”

“R-Right.” Olivia stares at the ground. Panne’s carpet is a lovely shade of brown. She can’t think of anything else to say except for more questions about the logistics of it all, but those would just be rude to ask, right?

“C-Can I pet you?” She blurts, smacking a hand over her mouth as soon as she says it. Panne’s her girlfriend! Not a dog! Her red eyes twinkle.

“Of course.” Olivia slowly moves closer, stretching out a hand and standing on her tiptoes to reach the top of Panne’s head, where the fur is thick and smooth. It feels like petting a rabbit. They stand like that for far longer than necessary, Olivia gently stroking Panne’s fur, before Panne clears her throat.

“Was there a reason you came to visit?” Olivia pulls back her hands, a little embarrassed.

“Oh, right!” She gestures to the basket, still on the floor. “I was hoping we could, uh, stargaze. And eat. And stuff.” Suddenly Panne owning a few acres of her own land makes a lot more sense. It would suck to be cooped inside a house once a month when you were three sizes too big for it.

Panne lowers her head to sniff at the basket, nose twitching. Her mouth curls up.

“You made my favorite,” she rumbles fondly. “Carrot cake.”

“And vegetable kebabs,” adds Olivia. “You told me you had a busy day at work, so I figured you p-probably didn’t have time for dinner.” Panne turns and nuzzles Olivia’s cheek.

“You would be correct. Come. We can eat outside.” Olivia scoops up the basket and smiles to herself, following Panne through the house to the back door.

They wander for a bit, meandering through the woods that make up Panne’s backyard. Out here in the countryside, the only light comes from the moon and twinkling stars overhead. They come to a stop on top of a hill that has a perfect view of the night sky.

Olivia lays out the blanket she prepared, though it wasn’t quite big enough for the two of them now. To make up for it, Panne curls tightly around her, fur tickling her bare skin. Olivia shivers and snuggles closer.

“Guess I didn’t even need to bring a jacket, huh?” Her breath is visible as she speaks, but she can’t feel the chill anymore.

“You will have to assist me with this.” Panne is nosing at the basket, trying in vain to flip open the top to reach the treats inside. Olivia shakes her head fondly and opens the basket herself. She ends up having to feed Panne, but she doesn’t mind. A giant rabbit can only eat so cleanly, and she ends up with frosting all over her nose and whiskers.

Sure, she didn’t start the night expecting to find out Panne was a supernatural creature, but she can’t help but be happy all the same. Her favorite constellations are out, she’s warm and cozy, and her girlfriend loves her cooking.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” she whispers, wiping some frosting from Panne’s whiskers and leaning close to kiss her right on the nose. Panne nuzzles her right back.