Sleepovers
A/N: I've never written a fanfiction before; I've tried, but never actually finished it. Anyway, this little idea popped into my head so I decided to promise myself I would finish it this time. And here's the result. This is probably insanely out of character, but it's only meant as a light-hearted fic, and I would like to imagine that Rui would begin to humanize Wes after spending a fair amount of time together. This also turned out A LOT longer than I thought so apologies if I bore anyone to death...
The moon was hanging amiably over Agate Village, providing a source of light for the humans and Pokémon alike that were still yet to complete their day. The trees that shaped the entire village swayed softly in the cool, night breeze, their leaves rustling gently, almost as if they were whispering goodnight to the residents of the village. A trio of Noctowl hooted loudly in the distance, creating a melody with the sound of rushing water from the town's great waterfall. The home of the town's elder, Eagun, rested in the largest tree in the settlement. At the front of that very home, there was a window with a slight crack in the curtains, allowing the moonlight to spill into the room the curtains shielded. Inside were two teenagers. One was Eagun's granddaughter, Rui, who had bright auburn hair that was usually up in two ponytails, but now rested loosely at her shoulders for bedtime. Beside her, in the adjoining bed, was her travel companion, Wes. Wes was an ex-criminal, who had recently, with Rui's assistance, managed to obliterate a criminal syndicate; Cipher. Wes was the anti-hero, with golden spiky hair and unusual golden eyes to match. Rui had initially depicted him as the lone wolf, thanks to his eye-colour and closed-off persona. Usually, Wes wore a dark blue trench coat, with a black short-sleeved t-shirt, black skinny jeans and intimidating leather boots. They now lay abandoned on the floor next to his bed, opting, as usual, to sleep in just his underwear. Rui on the other hand, wore purple shorts and a light blue vest top with a Growlithe on it as her night time attire.
Rui tossed and turned in the desperate hope sleep would envelope her. After a while, she gave up, realising that her efforts were in vain. She eyed the boy lying in the bed next to her, facing away from her, hoping he might still be awake also.
"Wes?" she whispered, tentatively. No response. She tried again, this time more loudly. Once again, she received no response. Her third attempt earned her a grunt from her companion.
"Oh good, you're awake," she said happily.
Wes groaned. "I wasn't a minute ago..."
"I can't sleep," Rui announced, ignoring his tone. Wes rolled his eyes. The fact he was still facing the wall concealed his annoyed gesture.
"What do you want me to do, Rui?" he asked, groggily. "Sing you a lullaby?"
Rui giggled. "Don't be silly. Although, that would be nice..."
"I was being sarcastic, Rui," Wes grumbled. Rui giggled again.
"It's okay, I wondered if you wanted to have a sleepover."
Wes growled, much-like a wolf, Rui noted. "I was trying to sleep. You woke me up."
"No, silly! A sleepover!" she said, as though it made her meaning more evident.
Wes rolled over to face to her, his brow furrowed. "What is a sleepover?"
"You've never slept over at a friend's house?!" Rui exclaimed. Wes narrowed his brow further.
"Well, aren't I doing it right now?"
Rui shook her head furiously, the passion in her voice evident. "No! Well, technically, yes, but you've not had all the fun of a sleepover! Staying up late, eating junk food, sharing secrets, playing truth or dare..."
Wes moaned once again. "Sounds like something a six-year-old girl would do."
"Guys do it too, even teenagers!" Rui protested. "Maybe slightly less girly; I don't really know what they get up too. They probably just sit up all night playing videogames and talking about boobs," she scoffed after her concluding statement.
"Sounds good to me..." Wes muttered, rolling over to face the wall once again, hoping to end the conversation and finally gain the sleep he yearned for.
Unfortunately for Wes, Rui was adamant that he was going to experience his first ever 'proper' sleepover and was not going to allow him the sleep he so desperately wanted. She'd excitedly rambled on about what preparations had to be made, whilst Wes just stared at her, still laid down but now facing her again, both bemused and somewhat apprehensive. She dragged him out of bed by his arm, out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. Wes let himself fall groggily into one of the dining chairs, resting his arm on the table, which was acting as a prop for his sleepy head. Meanwhile, Rui was raiding the fridge for potential sleepover snacks, but the continuous sighs and mumbles of discontent gave Wes the impression she wasn't being even remotely successful.
"Well, they have ice-cream, but apart from that there's not really anything that would be suitable..." Rui sighed.
"That's really okay Rui," Wes said, sleepily; his eyes had now closed.
Rui slammed the fridge door shut with such force that it startled Wes into consciousness. She folded her arms defiantly as she turned to face him.
"No it's not!" she said, "You need to have the proper experience! We'll go to the shop!"
Having been forced to the 24-hour Pokémart, which was at least a ten minute walk away, Wes had a sneaking suspicion that the evening was going to get progressively worse. Once they'd returned to the house, Rui began to gather everything they needed for the evening. Wes watched on, dreading what the night was going to entail; even the food Rui had bought seemed... somewhat disconcerting. The groceries mostly consisted of sweets that were colours Wes was sure food definitely shouldn't be; he'd never seen rainbow coloured food in his life and would have been perfectly happy for it to remain that way. Wes glanced at the Pokéballs on the bedside cabinet with a look of desperation. Would it be that harsh to get Espeon to give Rui a quick confusion attack in the hope she'd forget about all of this? Wes cursed his conscience as he dismissed the possibility, particularly when Rui turned to face him, a disturbingly excited smile upon her face...
Wes had been through a lot in his eighteen-year-long life, but he had concluded, without a doubt, this was the worst night of his entire existence. He'd been practically force fed so many of those oddly coloured sweets that he was sure his insides were now the colours of a rainbow and he felt incredibly nauseous. He began relaying the events of the night in his mind. Rui forced him to watch a chick-flick, which had caused him to want to literally claw his eyes out.
"Rui, I don't understand."
"What is there to not understand? It's quite straight-forward."
"No, I understand that Jane loves George but her sister Tess is marrying him so she's upset."
"Okay, so what don't you understand?"
"When is something going to happen? It's been forty-five minutes, and nothing's happened..."
"Wes, you just said the plot."
"That's it?! No-one dies? Nothing blows up? Oh Arceus..."
Although, that had been nothing in comparison to the events that occurred once the film finished. Wes was hidden under the quilt, crying, "I'm not coming out Rui, you're not getting me!"
Rui on the other hand, was stood beside his bed with one hand on her hip. In the other hand, she held a nail varnish brush.
"You wanted the sleepover experience, Wes, now let me paint your nails!"
"I didn't want this experience! Seriously, I thought hell on Earth was the Team Snagem hideout, but it turns out it's here; in the form of peculiarly coloured sweets and movies with no plot!"
At that statement, Rui couldn't help but burst into laughter. "It's not funny!" Wes protested, his voice muffled from the material of the duvet. This, however, only caused her to laugh more. She rarely saw Wes as a human being; he was normally so closed-off and cool. He'd battled evil countless times with honourable bravery, and yet, now, he was cowering at the hands of her and her make-up. Whilst Rui laughed hysterically on the floor (thankfully she'd managed to place the nail varnish on the side before she was rendered helpless from hysterics), Wes pulled the duvet over his head to examine his companion.
"Are you going to stop with the make-up now?" Wes asked, desperately. Rui sat up, still giggling.
"Yeah, okay, sorry," she said. "Cry-baby," she said, poking him affectionately. He scowled in response. "How about we play truth or dare?"
Wes eyed her, backing away slightly. "Depends. How do you play?"
Rui smiled, she thought his alienation from reality was so enthralling. "Well, you ask the other person whether they want to answer a question, which they have to so truthfully, or they can do a dare."
Wes smiled deviously; his mind was already calculating how to gain revenge on her for the nail varnish fiasco. "Sure."
Wes was now sat crossed legged on the floor opposite Rui. The game had just begun, and Wes had asked if she would be the game master first, secretly allowing himself more time to plot his retaliation.
"Truth or dare?" Rui asked.
"Truth," Wes said, after a few moments of contemplation.
Rui took a long time to decide upon a question. Whilst she attempted to construct one, Wes' eyes once again darted to his Pokéballs that were resting on the cabinet by the door. He suddenly wished he was one of his Eeveelutions, snuggled away in a Pokéball, sleeping peacefully, away from the monstrosity that was this evening.
"Have you ever kissed anyone?"
The question took Wes by surprise. Partially because his mind was elsewhere but also because he didn't expect Rui to bring up anything remotely intimate. Throughout their travels, Wes had realised how truly innocent she was.
"Yes," he said simply. The look of upset that crossed Rui's face intrigued him. She quickly ducked her face away from him and muttered that it was his turn to ask her. He didn't acknowledge it, however, instead he felt he had to solve the sadness he'd caused his first, and still only, human best friend. "It wasn't special," he continued.
Rui smiled weakly at him, "Wes, you don't have to give details..."
"I want to," Wes said, defiantly. "I don't really understand why kissing had such a big build-up in that film we watched; I can't say I found it pleasurable."
Rui said nothing; she simply stared at the ground and nodded meekly. Wes felt worse with every passing second; he couldn't comprehend how he'd managed to upset her, especially so quickly.
"You shouldn't be upset that you haven't kissed anyone, if that's why you're upset..." Wes had absolutely no idea if this was in any way productive; dealing with teenage girls was hardly something he was skilled at. "I've not been kissed in a romantic fashion; I've had drunk girls force themselves on me in seedy clubs in Pyrite. One time, one of them spiked my drink. I still have no idea what went on that night, which I think is a blessing in disguise; she was repulsive..."
Rui finally allowed herself to look at him once more, despite Wes' slight sarcastic chuckle at the end of his story, her sadness had now transformed in shock.
"Wes that's awful. I'm so sorry."
Wes shrugged. "It's the life I had back then. I count my blessings it never went any further, that I know of."
Silence fell between the two friends. Wes couldn't help but feel a little bit uncomfortable; he'd never really shared information about the dark aspects of his past with Rui; part of him was still disgustingly ashamed of himself for not departing sooner. He also felt his attempt to resolve Rui's sadness had been in vain, given that she still looked disheartened. Girls were bloody confusing.
"I'm sorry, Rui," Wes said, tentatively.
Rui forced a smile. "What have you got to be sorry for? I'm glad you share things with me," she paused. "Shall we carry on with the game?"
Wes nodded, but his mind was still buzzing, attempting to decipher what the cause of Rui's upset was. Then a possibility hit him.
'Could she... Like me?'
Wes let his intrigue get the better of him and his plan for revenge was forgotten. He had to find out if his suspicions were true and he had two methods of doing so. It all depended on how Rui answered his next question...
"Truth or dare?"
Rui had decided she'd had enough of sharing secrets, so promptly responded with, "Dare."
She panicked slightly as she saw a smirk arise on the Snagger's face, a glint of amusement in his eyes.
"Okay. I dare you to kiss me."
For a moment, Rui was sure her heart stopped and for a moment she was uncertain if he'd genuinely just asked her that. She looked at the ex-criminal in horror.
"W-why would you make me do that?"
Wes chuckled lightly, keeping his true intentions secret. "Because by the look you just gave me then, I can tell kissing me would be more terrifying for you than doing a measly dare like climbing the tree outside."
She bit her lip; he had her sussed. Rui had vertigo, yet she'd quite happily jump off the Realgem Tower rather than have to face the situation Wes had just put her in.
"Are you scared?" Wes asked, playfully, eyebrows raised.
"No," Rui replied, unconvincingly.
Wes began to take sympathy on the girl. He hadn't expected her to react this badly; her head was down, staring at her hands that were resting in her lap. She'd clutched her palms so tightly together that her knuckles had gone white. Shame enveloped him; he suddenly realised his intentions were selfish; if he wanted to confirm his suspicions, he should have done it in a more sensitive manner.
"Rui, you don't have to..." he murmured softly. "I'm sorry."
"No, I want to do it," she said, then blushed. "I mean, I want to do the dare. I said I would give you an authentic sleepover."
Wes placed his hand over her entwined ones. Her eyes looked up tentatively to meet his, his gold locked with her blue. She saw the remorse that coated his eyes.
"It's okay," she whispered, smiling softly, causing his guilt to fade slightly.
"Rui," he murmured. "If you want to do this, I'll help you... Just follow my lead."
The girl nodded gently, and Wes placed his hand on her neck. His touch sent shivers down Rui's spine, which was only repeated as his other hand fell to her waist. He met her eyes once more, pleading for confirmation. She nodded and slowly he began to gravitate toward her. Instinctively, Rui's eyes snapped shut like his, and she tensely waited for his lips to meet hers. Suddenly, she felt his breath against her mouth, and ever so gently and very slowly, he placed his lips against hers. The kiss was short, only lasting a few seconds, but so tender and caring. Wes pulled away, to his surprise, reluctantly, and her bashful expression met him.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" he said, chuckling lightly, mentally kicking himself for the heat that had arisen in his cheeks.
"No," Rui said, laughing nervously. "Um, Wes, if you don't mind... C-Can I do it this time? That was the dare, after all."
Again, Rui had surprised him, but he nodded. He waited patiently as she collected the confidence together. She took a deep breath then met his eyes shyly. A gentle smile grazed his lips, wordlessly conveying his belief in her. She felt bravery drench her. She placed her hands on the floor, allowed her eyes to flutter shut as she leaned toward him. He complied, shutting his eyes also, and despite himself, had to force himself not to capture her lips himself. After what seemed like hours, Rui pressed her lips against his for literally a second, and then pulled back, her eyes wide. Surprise hit her as she tried to lean back, and Wes' hand met the back of her neck, bringing their foreheads together. Both their breathing was heavy, and suddenly, all inhibitions were discarded. Overcome by lust, both teens launched themselves at each other, lips crashing in a desperate fight to convey emotions they couldn't articulate. In Wes' case, he hadn't even been aware what he felt for the girl until a few short minutes ago. But time was simply a number to him; now he knew he wanted her, he just wanted to hold her close. He frantically grabbed her waist, still kissing her, and pulled her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Wes gently ran his tongue across her lips, requesting permission to deepen the kiss. She happily allowed him to do so and after a few minutes passed, Rui arose from his lap, still attached to his lips, and dragged him over to her bed. He collapsed down on top of her, transmitting more and more passion and affection for her with every passing second. Eventually, the two teens pulled apart, gasping for breath. Their chests rose and fell in sync, their eyes locked. Rui timidly smiled at the man on top of her, her cheeks flushed. He smiled back also, gently stroking a stray hair from her face. Then, panic crossed Rui's features when Wes began chuckling to himself. "What?" she questioned.
Wes smirked, and simply said, "I like sleepovers."