Author's Note: So there I was playing FireRed, when it suddenly hit me - I have yet to write any Originalshipping. Words can't describe how appalled I was at this ghastly revelation. So here is my solution~

Disclaimer: As much as I wish it were, Pokémon is not mine.

Chapter One

XxXxX

Like any other summer's day that came before it, that particular afternoon was the bright and sunny picture of a cliché, plagiarized right from a picture book.

However, unlike those days before it, there was one small difference that set it apart from the others. Sat beside the extensive lake built specifically to home various water pokémon, two boys – one with silky black hair, the other with auburn spikes – tore chunks of bread from the stale loaf stolen from the former's kitchen into the cool water for the array of pokémon to feast upon. Both with their jeans rolled up to their knees, and their feet submerged within the refreshing depths, neither spoke a word – one pair of crimson eyes lazily skimmed over the rippling surface, the other pair of emerald were instead glazed over in thought, the pattern of tearing off irregular pieces of bread having become an automatic, almost clockwork response.

The irregularity in the scene was the absence of a third child, a blue-eyed brunette girl to be precise.

Ironically, it was her lack of appearance that gave the final push in confidence for the eldest of the two boys to break his silence and blurt out four certain words;

"I wanna get married."

The black haired boy didn't respond immediately; the other may as well have coughed for all the reaction – or lack of – that he received. He continued his motion of tearing bread, throwing one piece directly into the waiting mouth of a plump Poliwag who kept coming back for seconds. "Then get married," he replied as the tadpole-pokémon gobbled down its stale, but much appreciated snack.

Green looked down at the last remaining crust in his hands, methodically tearing it to pieces. "No, I mean .. " He clenched his hands into small fists, reducing the tatters of bread to crumbs. "I – I wanna get married .. to you."

Another piece of bread found its way into the maw of a Psyduck. "Oh," Red replied, already breaking off another chunk.

Taciturnity was Red's modus operandi and Green was more than used to it by now, but that didn't make it any less frustrating when hoping for a reply that never came. He brushed the crumbs from his hands, sprinkling them into the glistening water, emerald eyes watching Red from beneath strands of auburn hair. Any other person would have demanded to know 'why', but it was rare that Red made any attempt to further, or even engage in, conversation.

"I asked Daisy why our mom and dad got married, and she said that it was because they loved each other very much, way more than absolutely anything in the whole world and they wanted to spend every day of the rest of their lives together. I told Daisy it was a really long time, and she said when you are in love, you would happily be together forever."

Something to that effect; Daisy's exact words were along the lines of 'spend every moment together for all eternity', but most other options sounded way less sappy. The last thing Green wanted was anyone, much less Red, thinking he was some kind of sickening sweet-heart in the making. He may be young, but he had his reputation to think of!

But Red said nothing, quietly leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees, propping his chin in his hands.

"Daisy said that if you love someone then you will stay together even if you die, and since .. y'know, you're my favorite person in the whole world; I thought we should get married. Then we can be together forever, just like my mom and dad."

Green stared back at the lake, a small smile touching his lips as he immersed himself within a memory; thoughts of the years they had been in his life, barely around outside of special occasions, but always together. If they had been as in love as Daisy claimed (and Green saw no reason to doubt her about anything concerning their parents) then surely there was no way they couldn't be together .. well, wherever they were now, right?

"No."

Green blinked, falling back to reality at the one spoken word. He turned to face Red, whose crimson eyes had never wavered from the lake. " .. what?"

"No." Red repeated, as bluntly as always. "I can't marry you."

And there it was, the heavy weight of rejection settling in Green's chest. He quickly looked away, returning his gaze to the water. "Oh, well," he swallowed, grateful that he at least wasn't stuttering, "don't worry, then. I just thought, you know, that we're best friends, but anyone can have a best friend, and I wanna make it special. Well .. more special, but if you wanna marry Leaf or something, then that's okay too, but I – "

"I don't want to marry Leaf."

Green had hardly noticed he'd been rambling. " .. huh?"

The final chunk of bread bonked an unsuspecting Horsea right between the eyes. It looked utterly flabbergasted for a moment before regaining its senses and diving beneath the surface to catch its sinking snack.

"Leaf does not want to get married."

For a long moment, Green stared at his best friend. Thinking back, Leaf had mentioned marriage once, perhaps twice. Or rather, how she didn't need a guy to complete her, and she would be completely independent, or something of the likes. Appropriately enough her little speech had come to attention no more than a week following the day her dad moved out – her mother had mentioned the same thing once, to Red's ..

Green shook his head. This was not the time to dwell on Leaf's life choices – whatever she planned to do or not do was up for discussion when she was actually around to comment on it. "Oh," he finally said, "so who are you going to marry?"

Red shrugged as best he could in his position, reaching one hand down to stroke the top of the Poliwag's head.

This was strange. Green didn't know why he felt so miserable about Red rejecting his little marriage proposal – he'd not expected Red to really give it much attention, if he acknowledged it at all. But still, now that he had his answer he was beginning to wish he'd never asked.

It was stupid. If Red didn't think Green was 'marriage material' – as Daisy had once put it – then that was just too bad, right? Even so, Green couldn't help but inquire: "Hey, Red? Why can't you marry me?"

The Poliwag dipped underwater, swimming away into the patch of shade by the reeds. Red sat up into his original position, back straight and eyes fixated upon the water. "You didn't give me a ring."

The lake didn't leave Green's line of sight as he blinked once, twice, thrice – then he turned to stare at Red. "What?"

"When you ask someone to marry you, you're supposed to give them a ring."

Wait – what was this?

Green swallowed, forcing himself not to look away – even though Red wouldn't have been able to tell if he had. "I .. um, so if I get you a ring, does that mean you'll marry me?"

At last, Red looked up from the pond, his crimson eyes locking onto emerald as he gave a small nod.

Green stared back at the crimson irises, his own eyes blinking several times in quick succession. Not once did Red make another move, no matter how small. But then Green felt the corners of his lips twitching, and knew that even if he had tried, he wouldn't have been able to keep the smile from forming on his lips. "You mean it?" He knew Red perhaps better than he knew himself, but Green still hadn't considered, much less received an answer on, how his little proposal would have had an effect – and that was only going by the possibility that Red would even consider it.

And in response to his question, Red nodded, unfazed by the emotion that was overwhelming Green, who was on his feet barely two seconds later.

"Then I'll get you a ring," Green promised, moving backwards away from the lake as he spoke. "Wait here, I'll be right back!"

Not that Red would have had enough time to protest, for Green was immediately gone, sprinting across the green field and following the dirt path to his house, which stood a small distance from his grandfather's lab, and an even shorter distance from Red's home. It was little more than ten minutes away from the lake at walking speed, and around seven if he ran, but the surge of adrenaline racing through him from Red's acceptance meant Green was on the front porch in no more than five minutes.

He swung the front door open, making it bump against the wall and fall closed once again, the movement startling Daisy, who sat at the kitchen table sipping her afternoon tea. Before she could question his behaviour, Green had swiftly ascended the stairs and reached his destination.

Green's room was abnormally tidy for a child his age; everything had its place, barely a speck of dust touched the wooden surfaces, and the bed was always made. There was no secret to the lack of clutter, from typical childish things like partially broken toys and crayon drawings tarnishing the wallpaper, or even clothes that should have been strewn around the flooring, spilling from half-open drawers and falling from clothes hangers in the wardrobes. Mostly it was because little of that existed in the room.

Perhaps Green was an unusual child, desiring none of the latest gadgets or plush collectables that were all the rage, advertised non-stop on television. It could be that he wasn't a sentimental type. His room was generic, a bed, a wardrobe, a dresser – the basic necessities required for any bedroom – and the few more personal belongings were hidden away, each one protected as far as his seven-year old mind required to be deemed 'safe'. More than that, each one had a story to tell.

Kneeling down beside his bed, Green slid his arm beneath the wooden frame, rummaging around for one of those belongings – those treasures. His fingers grazed over the smooth wood of the object, just large enough for one small hand to pull free.

A small, mahogany jewelry box; there was nothing spectacular about it, simply the kind of box that wouldn't look out of place in most room, nothing conspicuous enough to draw attention. But like the moral of many a fairytale, the exterior didn't matter – it was what lay inside that counted.

Carefully flicking open the latch, Green lifted the lid to rest open upon it's hinges, the tiny gems inside, too many to count, gleamed in the limited sunlight that fell upon them. It seemed like the typical thing for a mother to pass on to her daughter, especially one who had been nearing her teens, but it had been Green who was openly fascinated by the tiny diamonds and precious stones, the variety of colours enough to make Ho-Oh dim in comparison.

Over a dozen rings were nestled within velvet bedding, each one as stunning as the last. Some were simple, thin bands encrusted with a few shaped crystal, others more expensive and thus far more elaborate, the stones larger and elegantly arranged, while the white-gold bands each had delicate markings etched within them.

But as radiant as Green knew them to be, he couldn't have spoken for Red.

"You don't need a ring, you need the ring; the perfect ring. Some folks find it real easy, others spend months in dedication, but when you find it, you just know that it's the right one. And however long and frustrating the journey is to find it, in the end it is all worth it to have that perfect ring."

His father's words echoed easily in his mind as though the man himself were repeating them at that moment, recalling the years leading up to his happily ever after with his wife. That perfect ring had been a white-gold band, a single sapphire embedded in the centre and surrounded by several smaller, clear diamonds. Green had only seen it a few times, but he had honestly agreed it was lovely. It was much too easy to picture his mother wearing it. That same ring was in Daisy's possession, resting within her own jewelry box; it had seemed only fair to both be given something so precious to their mother.

But then Green wondered: what if none of his mother's rings were right for Red? His father had spoken of the perfect one with such intensity, Green had felt slightly nervous. He might not have the right one. Perhaps there wasn't a 'right' one? Did that mean he was not supposed to propose to Red?

Had he been wrong?

Green stared back at the rings, taking in each detail one by one. There was a simple gold one with an emerald held upon it; a thicker, white-gold one with almost a dozen diamonds encrusted around the entire band; one with a swirled design that must have taken an eternity of patience to craft, and sparkled with diamonds so impossibly tiny they must have been grinded into dust to achieve.

But it had been so easy to think of his mother wearing her perfect ring, and none of these seemed even halfway decent for Red. He doubted Red would want something overly elaborate, but Green didn't want to offer something too simple

One at a time, he picked them up to examine. They were lovely, but when thinking of Red in the same context, they paled in comparison. He slotted the last one back into its place with a sigh. Somehow it felt so wrong, the thought of giving one of these things to Red. There was no satisfaction in that mental image, as though he'd promised to give Red a Master ball but was instead presenting him with an Ultra ball. It wasn't bad, but nor was it .. well, Green would have always known there was something better. And he was never one to be out-shined.

In resignation, Green sighed. As long as there perfect ring was out there, he would find it. That is, if it truly existed. Which it must, right? Even if no one ever found it, there was no reason why it couldn't exist in the first place. It must at least have been very well hidden.

But then, a muted ruby gleam caught his attention, halting him mid-action as he went to lower the lid. Drowning and nearly completely hidden within the deep velvet lay one more ring, swallowed up by the material and just barely peeking out.

Green reached towards it, pinching his fingers to try and grasp it. His eyebrows drew together, his lips pressed firmly into a straight line as he struggled to pull the forgotten ring free.

Dedication paid off. After a full minute of all but tearing apart the velvet to get at the small ruby, it finally emerged from the velvet folds just enough for Green to grasp a hold of. He then easily pulled it free, holding his palm out flat and allowing the ring to tumble into full view.

It was simple enough not to be too much, yet with the right touch of design to stand out. A thin gold band with two crystals nestled side by side, a ruby and a diamond, shaped to form a minute poke ball.

His father said one knew when it was the right one, and when looking at the ring in his hand, Green immediately understood.

With a swift click, the jewelry box lid was closed and Green was on his feet the instant it was once again hidden from sight. With the ring held safely in his left hand, Green ran down the hall, descended the stairs and dashed past his bewildered sister for the second time that day.

Back outside, he sprinted towards the lake in the fields behind his grandfather's lab. The heat of the afternoon glared down harshly upon him, sweat beginning to trickle down his back and form upon his forehead. There was a stone in his shoe that relentlessly jabbed into his heel, but as unpleasant as it was, Green could not care. The long grass whipped at his legs, still partially bare from rolling up his jeans, but the lake was in full view. Other than the water-types, some of the pokémon had retreated back to their habitats in the time that Green had been gone, but Red was still there. True to Green's command, he hadn't moved and was skimming his fingers through the clear water.

His chest rapidly rising and falling as he skidded to a halt, completely out of breath, Green fought not to double over and submit to the pain of the stitch jabbing at his side. He wiped his sleeve across his forehead, ridding it of moisture as he looked down upon Red.

The overfed Poliwag sat beside him, leaning against his arm and wagging its tail in content and Red stroked the top of its head.

Green cleared his throat, though Red couldn't have been so deep in thought as to miss the other's return. "Red," he said, prompting the boy in question to look up, ceasing his ministrations. Green held out the ring in clear view, offering it to his friend almost shyly, "marry me?"

For a long moment, Red stared, first into Green's eyes, then at the ring in his hand. He could have held that gaze for only a few seconds, but in the face of judgment, the 'moment of truth' so as to say, Green felt it must have been at least several minutes before Red got to his feet, his hands cupping Green's.

Then he took the ring, sliding it over his index finger and holding his hand out to examine it as Green had seen women do on jewelry advertisements.

Only a brief moment later did a small, sincere smile grace his lips. "Okay," he said so quietly, his voice could have been part of the summer's breeze.

Green had thought it was some sappy, girly expression, but in that instant those beliefs were discarded. He felt his chest swell like an elated Jigglypuff, his head spinning and so light he felt as though the breeze could carry him off as easily as it would a Hoppip. And in that dizzying delirium, Green couldn't prevent himself as he leant forward, pressing his lips to Red's cheek.

When he pulled back, Red was no longer smiling. His eyes were noticeably wider and his pale cheeks were tinged with pink. He blinked, then stared up at Green, who smiled brightly back at him. "My dad used to do that to my mom," he explained. "And since we're married now .. "

For once, Red's silence seemed out-of-character for him, as though he simply did not know what he should do, and either couldn't or wouldn't ignore it like he tended to disregard almost everything. He soon looked away, staring down at the pond, where – Green was surprised, and a little embarrassed to discover – a sizeable audience of water-pokémon were staring up at them, beaming at what they must have identified as a courtship of kinds. Except for a few of the little ones as a Poliwrath conveniently covered their eyes, and – was that Psyduck blushing?

"Shame on you." Red's voice snapped him from his musings before he could dwell any further on them. "There are babies looking."

Perhaps it was the obvious cover-up for his flustered thoughts, or his pathetic attempt at scolding, or even just because of the euphoria of the situation, Red's words did nothing more than break free the laugh that had been building up inside of Green. And the clear displeasure glinting in crimson eyes did little more than fuel the laughter bubbling within Green.

"S – sorry!" Green spluttered, only partially honest, but the last thing he wanted was to receive the cold shoulder from Red. Last time he'd displeased Red to such a level, he'd been abandoned for a full week. "Uh, maybe we should, um .. go get ice-cream? I think Daisy still has strawberry left."

Though still a little miffed, Red visibly perked at the idea of sweets, especially on such a hot day. But when Green went to walk away, he was barely a few steps ahead when he realized Red wasn't following. "What's wrong? Do you want to stay here?"

Red pursed his lips, crimson eyes boring into emerald. "If we're married now, then that means you have to hold my hand when we go places."

In the face of what was either a challenge or a request, Green could only stare. His lips parted and closed a few times, but as no sound came out, he quickly decided against a verbal response. Uncaring of the intention of Red's words, Green was back at his side and gingerly took Red's hand in his own.

Offering no words of confirmation or denial, Red gazed at their intertwined hands, then gently squeezed Green's. Unlike his own, which were slightly damp and cooled from splashing at the water, Green's hands were much warmer and clammed up with sweat.

Red had never let Green – or anyone – hold his hand before, but it honestly wasn't bad. It was rather nice, in fact.

Green was making little effort to keep his smile from showing, and squeezed Red's hand in return, all but skipping on the return trip to his house. Red followed silently at his side, all the while keeping a firm grip on his husband's hand, and offering a perplexed Daisy no more than a second glance as she watched the two walk through the kitchen like that.

Closing her mouth and shaking her head, Daisy decided she'd rather not ask questions.

XxXxX

"You aren't married, dummies."

They were on the back porch of the lab; Red was quietly putting the final touches on the chalk masterpiece he'd etched into the wooden planks – Green had recently abandoned the time-demanding task after Red had slapped his hand for the fifth time when he'd tried to pick up the blue chalk – and Leaf was sitting cross-legged on the grass a small distance away, making daisy-chain necklaces which were much too fragile to endure even her careful handling. When Green had made the announcement of his and Red's nuptials, the mangled, flowery mess had fallen from her fingers into her lap as disbelieving blue eyes looked up to meet his.

"Yes we are, I asked him, he said yes, and I gave him a ring," Green elaborated. "Of course we're married." In as much sense as they could be, of course, as even Green wasn't naïve enough to believe his 'marriage' to Red was 'legal and binding' – whatever people meant when they said that – but did 'official' technicalities matter when they truly meant it?

Leaf rolled her eyes, clearly frustrated with him. "No you aren't. You're engaged, there's a difference. If you want to be married you have to have a big ceremony and exchange vows, promise to stay together forever no matter what. You're so stupid, Green, everyone knows that." As she'd worded it a few months prior in a well-rehearsed voice: 'your existence is to make Slowpoke seem intellectually desirable'.

Thus the childish argument was on.

"But we know we'll be together always, so there's no point," Green insisted. He bit down on his tongue when he caught Daisy putting down her book from where she sat on the garden swing, overlooking the trio of seven-year olds.

"No, she has a valid point, Green." Daisy interjected herself into the conversation. "Whether or not you mean it, you can't be married without the vows. The ceremony is a choice, though."

Leaf smirked smugly. "See?"

Green glared at her, his lips firmly pulled into a frown as he then turned it towards his sister. "Well, it's not like we're married for real, so it counts."

"Oh? And since when do you content yourself with doing things half-way?" Daisy teased, a tell-tale gleam in her emerald eyes. "This could be a great opportunity; you could get married properly, exchange vows and rings, have a nice little ceremony – "

Green quickly protested: "No way! Weddings are boring, don't you remember Mr. Elm's?"

"That's professor Elm now, Green. And if I recall correctly, it was a delightful get-together. Hardly my fault you fell asleep before the fun began. There was dancing, and cake, and she had the most beautiful white dress – "

"We're both boys, we don't wear dresses. And we're doing this our way, so we don't need a wedding to be married."

"Oh, that's such a shame." Daisy looked at Leaf with a mournful expression. "Do you suppose they will offer to refund the wedding gifts we bought?"

For a fleeting moment, Green's eyebrows rose, before falling back down as he shook his head. A frown reappeared on his features. "Quit lying, Daisy. We only just told you, so there's no way you would have a present."

"Oh come now, Green, it's traditional to give presents to the newlyweds. It would be like a birthday, only they'd be given to the both of you to share. You tend to be able to choose, as well."

Green's eyebrows came together marginally, but his lips remained shut.

"Weddings can be whatever you like them to be; it doesn't have to be a big white affair. Remember cousin Cyan?"

Vaguely, but Green nodded anyway.

"You were only a baby at the time, but when his parents married; his father was determined to make it a memorable occasion. He didn't think through the planning, though, bless him. The celebration was great, before his village in the Sevii Islands became one drunken party for the remainder of the week, that is. Unfortunately it was all poorly timed enough to intercept with the local Caterpie mating season, and the less said about that the better." She shuddered dramatically, setting her book down on the empty seat beside her.

Green's eyes widened slightly, lighting up as realization struck him. "Is that why Gramps won't let bug pokémon in the house?"

"No, that's why he won't allow Tangela in the house." She quickly raised her hand to halt any further questions Green might have on the matter. "Again, the less said about it, the better. I'm not going to be the one to corrupt your innocence."

For a few moments, Green was conflicted, but ultimately let the matter drop. There were more important things to deal with, after all. "Whatever. Why do we have to get married your way, anyway?"

"My way? Oh no, Green, I'm just following tradition to make sure you two are properly married in the eyes of Mew." She then added quietly, "As though Gramps would allow it any other way."

Green huffed as Leaf giggled, and folded his arms over his chest. "What would we have to do?"

When Daisy's innocent smile morphed into something far more devious, Green sincerely regretted having ever informed anyone of the news, with or without her present. "Just leave that to me, little brother, and the two of you shall be married by the end of the afternoon."

"I thought it takes months to plan a wedding?" Leaf interjected. "That's what my mom said – and that it's the most stressful time of a woman's life."

"Usually, but this is me we're talking about. I perform miracles," Daisy replied. "But first things first: who is going to be the bride?"

"Red," Green quickly decided before anyone could say otherwise. Red shrugged, still immersed in his chalk drawings and clearly uncaring either way.

"No way!" Leaf protested, abandoning brushing the daisy petals from her skirt to place her hands on her hips. "Green should be the bride."

Green scoffed. "No chance. Besides, I'm taller than Red." As though that solved everything.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Such stereo-typing," she muttered.

"Green should be the bride, it's only fair." Leaf went on. "My mom said that the bride is always the most beautiful person in the world on her wedding day, and Red is always pretty."

In light of this 'logic', Daisy's emerald eyes glittered. "You mother is absolutely right, Leaf!" She clapped her hands together, standing up tall. "It's decided: Green, you will be the blushing bride in white."

Mild shock at the development combined with the implication of Leaf's words sinking in kept Green occupied enough to prevent him from protesting earlier, but at his sister's words, Green's eyes blazed. "What?! There is no way I am going to be a bride, or wear a dress."

Daisy gentled thwacked the back of his head. "Oh hush you, get in touch with your feminine side once in a while, won't you? It's healthy. Now Leaf," she turned towards the younger girl, "why don't you take our handsome groom upstairs to get spruced up for his big day? I'll help the beautiful bride squeeze into her gown."

As Green spluttered in his abysmal attempt to form words, Leaf saluted his older sister and skipped over to Red, taking hold of his hand and leading him inside. Red's lack of protest certainly didn't help matters. Only when he found himself swept off his feet and carried inside by Daisy did Green find his voice;

"Daisy! Put me down! I'm not doing this, you can't make me!" He protested loudly, struggling to break free of her abnormally strong grip.

Unfortunately, years of dealing with his tantrums meant that avoiding Green's punches and kicks had become something of a sixth sense to Daisy. "I think you'll find, dear brother, that you will and I certainly can," she replied calmly.

XxXxX

"Green, if you keep squirming you'll get lip gloss all over the collar of your outfit. It leaves quite a nasty stain; you don't want to look sloppy on your big day, do you?" Daisy tittered patronizingly, unaffected by the death glare she was receiving from her oh-so angelic younger brother.

"But it's sticky and it tastes horrible!" He protested, wisely choosing to fold his arms instead of wiping the icky stuff from his lips with his sleeve – when Daisy glared at you, it wasn't a threat; it was a promise. "Why do girls wear this stuff? You said it was meant to taste like strawberries."

"I say a lot of things, Green. What you lack is the imagination. Now hold still or I won't be held responsible for turning your behind into a pin-cushion." She punctuated her sentence with a sharp slap to his butt, but Green's protest died in his throat as he caught sight of the needle held between Daisy's index finger and thumb. She lowered it, burying it into the white material wrapped around his upper half, and opting to avoid giving Daisy a legitimate chance at skewering him, Green promptly shut up. "There we are. See how much quicker we're getting through this now that you're taking my words of wisdom to heart?"

Although that did not mean he would stand by and allow her to belittle him in her subtle sisterly ways. "You're the one who wanted to make a dress – which I don't need!" He snapped sulkily, scowling at his reflection in the nearby mirror. The 'dress' in question was an abomination Daisy had insisted on creating, and Green had only ceased squirming to take the difficult task to an impossible level when Daisy had threatened to let Chansey take over. The normal-type may have typically been a happy-go-lucky pokémon on any given day, but she had zero tolerance for disobedient seven year olds. Thus obedience equaled safety, as begrudgingly as Green could admit it.

"Don't pull that face, don't you remember those stories? If the winds changes it'll freeze like that. It would be most unfortunate. Although it might help boost Victreebel's self-esteem if we had a total gonk walking around. It'd be nice to make him feel more attractive in his own body."

"Gramps promised me that was just a myth."

"Sweet, naive Green, when have I ever lied to you? And no, that wasn't an invitation to start counting the non-existent ways," she added as he began to do just that.

Green sighed – or huffed, really. "Are you nearly done?"

"Patience, patience! Goodness, haven't I taught you anything? You won't get anywhere in life by complaining about it. The only way you can reach your goal is through hard, honest work."

"But you're the one working, and I don't want a dress! Can't I wear something else?"

"Absolutely not! Frankly, I'd rather find out how Muk reproduce than allow you to walk down the aisle in anything other than the best hand-made attire my skills and sewing box will allow. Now unless you have something to say that doesn't involve whining, then shut your little mouth and let me work in peace."

Green rolled his eyes, defying the order by muttering under his breath: "Like I'd ever look halfway decent in any rags you could put together – ow!" He clapped a hand to the back of his head, right where Daisy had thwacked him with such casually timed aim only she could perfect.

"Them's fightin' words, Green. Don't think you'll ever be able to get anything past me, even when I'm more than a few feet away from you. If you'll be so kind as to remain quiet for as long as I demand it, then this should be done in ten minutes, tops."

Green scoffed, flicking a stray strand of hair away from his eyes. "You said that twenty minutes ago," he grumbled.

"Yes, I do recall that I did. I also distinctly remember how you refused to listen to order and in your haste to rid yourself of my masterpiece in the making, you tore a sizeable hole right down the middle." She tutted, shaking her head in a mocking gesture. "Whatever shall I do with you, hmm?"

"Why are you making me wear this abomination, anyway? I feel so stupid .. " He mumbled, not attempting to stop himself from pouting - maybe it would gain him sympathy points.

"Green, if you knew the first thing about fashion, then you would know that this 'abomination', as you were so tactful as to name it, you would be aware that the correct name for this is 'yukata' and it is, in fact, not a dress." She wrapped what Green could only assume to be an abnormally large red ribbon around his waist, pinning it up at the back, and giving the 'yukata' (if Daisy's words were to be believed) a little more shape. Well, it no longer looked like he'd cut holes in a white sheet and thrown it over his head, at the very least.

Of course, any minor happiness just had to be sort-lived. He winced at the high note call of "Daisy~!" that reverberated from down the hall, followed by soft, rhythmic thumps against the carpet, sounding very much like someone was skipping towards the room.

"Almost done, Leaf, just a few more minu – Green! What did I tell you about staying still? You'll rip it again!" Daisy scolded as Green leapt down from the stool he'd been forced to model on, dashing across the room to hide behind the door, snagging a needle on his arm. A thin trail of blood trickled from the small cut, earning an annoyed groan from Daisy. "If you're that embarrassed you could have at least warned me," she muttered, grabbing a tissue from a nearby box on the dressing table and pressing it to the cut. "If I didn't love you so much, you'd be able to experience first-hand the amount of damage I can do with one little pin."

"Daisy?" Leaf called out again, this time her voice accompanied the door slowly being pushed open. "Are you ready yet? We've been waiting ages, and I – ah!" She shrieked as Green slammed the door shut, staggering back several paces. "Green, you idiot! You almost crushed my hand!"

"Yes, Green, you almost crushed her hand." Daisy mimicked, covering the small gash with an appropriately-sized band aid. "Is this how you intend to treat those you share a mutual trust with? Because if so, someone should warn Red exactly what he is getting into."

Perhaps Green didn't possess the natural level of talent Daisy had at mimicking an Arbok's Glare attack, but just because he couldn't make a Tyranitar cower in fear didn't mean it wasn't effective to a certain degree. To anyone besides Daisy, that is, who had nonchalantly chosen to continue her task of sewing together the white material while her brother was determined to strike her down with emerald-green laser beams of the non-existent kind. "I am not letting her come in here while I'm dressed like this," he growled – a near-perfect imitation of a Growlithe. "She'll take pictures and laugh and show them to everybody! You said you loved me, so why would you let her do that to me?"

"Because Leaf is the little sister we never had. And if you won't let me humiliate you, then someone has to keep your ego from inflating to a record-breaking degree."

"You're just evil."

"We females have powers you mere men cannot hope to understand. Don't anger us and we'll hold back on the whole 'ruining your life' thing. Deal?"

" .. only if I can take the lip gloss off."

Daisy sighed, and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

The confirmation was barely spoken by the time Green wiped off the icky, sparkly stuff with the back of his hand - Daisy could at least be glad he didn't get it on the sleeve. "Why did I have to wear that, anyway? It's nasty."

"Because it will make your lips soft and thus much more appealing to touch. No one likes to kiss someone with chapped lips."

" .. what?"

"Now don't tell me you didn't expect this? 'You may now kiss the bride' – that whole shebang? Goodness, Green, how much do you know about wedding ceremonies?"

"I don't know. Mr. Elm's was so boring I fell asleep, remember?"

"Oh, Green .. well, I suppose all there is to do is educate you in the time we have left. Now, it's perfectly straight forward: Leaf and I will be witnesses, you and Red will exchange vows, then rings, then you'll both kiss. And yes, then Leaf and I will leave you both alone. Wouldn't want us to interrupt the honeymoon, would we?"

Green scowled, but said nothing. Daisy took the opportunity to put the finishing touches on the homemade yukata whilst outside, Leaf whined, "Daisy? Are you guys done yet?"

"You and Red go get ready - remember, the groom cannot see the bride before the wedding."

Leaf's giggles were barely heard over the sound of Green grinding his teeth together. "Okay!" She chirped, the soft thuds resuming as she skipped back down the hall.

His glare was barely enough to intimidate a Clefairy, but despite the futile nature of it all, he continued to direct it at Daisy. "I hate you," he grumbled.

She patted his head nonchalantly. "Of course you do."

XxXxX

Author's Note: You see, this was supposed to be a one-shot. But I ended up having far too much writing this and so ended up with either a one-shot that has over-stepped it's boundaries, or a little fic to be divided into several chapters. I chose the latter. It's kinda cute that way.

I'm also exhausted. I should take a nap.