A/N: Rated T for kissing. This is my first GaiaShipping story ever, so it kind of sucks, plus my writing skills are kind of rusty, but I hope you like it. And yeah, I imagined Gardenia listening to that. I regret nothing! xD
Gardenia sat on the edge of her bed, head hanging. She was so deep in thought, the music playing softly from her speakers had become an annoying buzz, and everything in her field of vision had blurred except a tiny green square in the pattern of her blanket. That's what she had been doing for the last thirty minutes. Staring.
After hearing the news that her friend Cheryl would be coming over to visit, Gardenia had panicked. It wasn't that she was scared of the girl, though. It was actually quite the opposite. Ever since meeting her in the Eterna Forest, where she had been looking for grass-type Pokémon to raise, she had developed a major crush on the green-haired girl. Maybe it was the way she was one with nature, or the fact that she was so caring and devoted to healing and helping Pokémon, but ever since that day, she was all Gardenia thought about.
Which was why she was so panicked-she didn't know what to wear. Usually, she just dressed in a care-free manner, not bothering to look good to impress people. Boys liked her anyway. But with Cheryl, all Gardenia wanted to do was impress her. And so, for the past half hour, she sat on her bed in her tank top and short-shorts, wondering what in hell she should do. Her wardrobe was basically all the same-green, good for working in the gardens, battle ready. Nothing good, nothing attractive. Finally she gave up, sighing as she looked up and reached over for her-
"You look really nervous."
Gardenia jumped back in surprise, not entirely sure if what she was seeing was real.
Cheryl was standing over her, an amused expression on her face. She was wearing the same clothes Gardenia had first saw her in-a green dress, hanging down just below her knees-and she looked beautiful. The fact that Cheryl was here, in her gym, ready to go-while she was in her nightclothes-overwhelmed her. She tried to find words, but nothing came to her. She looked down in embarrassment.
"Hey, now. You don't need to be nervous. It's just me." Cheryl sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" she seemed genuinely concerned, caring as always, and the words snapped Gardenia back to reality. She felt her cheeks warm as she looked at the green-haired girl, trying for a sarcastic smile, but only coming up with a half-grimace.
"Oh. I was just trying to decide what to wear," she said, putting an amused tone in her voice, avoiding the girl's eyes. "But I guess it doesn't really matter now. It's too late to go out, anyways." She brushed the hair away from her eyes, turning back to Cheryl.
"Yeah, I was thinking that as I walked here. I really want to catch up with you, though. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow?" she asked her shyly, her smile contagious-Gardenia couldn't help but smile back, even though she was still a little flustered.
"No, that's okay. I have a better idea. Maybe you could stay here and spend the night? I mean, we do have a lot of catching up to do. We're gonna need a lot of time for this." She tried to sound casual, but her heart was racing as she proposed this. She hoped the girl couldn't tell that she was blushing, and would blame it on the heat.
Cheryl removed her hand from Gardenia's shoulder, standing up. "Sure. That sounds great," she said in a distracted tone, and started walking around her room, taking everything in. Walking over to the opposite wall, she stopped in front of the speakers, saying, "You like Katy Perry?" she asked curiously, tilting her head. It was only then that Gardenia realized that her music was still playing. Some song about kissing girls was playing, and she blushed.
"Um, no. I mean, she's okay, but I just...I just listen to her sometimes, when I want to. When I'm in the mood, I guess." She shrugged it off, hoping that the girl couldn't tell that she was lying. There was no way that she would tell Cheryl that she was a huge fan of Katy Perry, especially regarding what song was playing. It would be embarrassing.
Cheryl cocked her head to the side, an unreadable expression on her face. "So, you're in the mood to kiss girls and like it?" she teased, looking out of the window next to them. "Unless you're just a really big Katy Perry fanatic."
Gardenia didn't know how to respond to this, blushing hotly. She obviously couldn't tell her that, yes, she was in the mood to kiss girls, namely her, or that she loved listening to girly pop songs. She sat there pondering this, trying to think of something witty to say, quick, but she didn't have time.
Cheryl's lips were on hers before she could even blink. The taste of berries, sweet and moist, flooded her senses, and her eyes widened as she realized that she was being kissed. A rush of something indescribable took control of Gardenia. She felt hot, confused, loving, and needy at the same time. She stood up to be level with Cheryl and kissed her back, framing the girl's face with her two hands, pressing her body against hers. Sparks seemed to flicker between the two, and soon their bodies were entangled, pressed against the opposite wall, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.
"You're all I've thought about...for months..." Cheryl murmured between breaths, unable to stop herself from smiling as she kissed Gardenia. "I didn't think you would love me back."
Gardenia pulled away, breathing hard. "Maybe you should be asking yourself a different question," she told her as she kissed the girl's hair softly, "why would you, the nicest person in the Pokémon world, fall for a girl like me? I'm obviously not very...appealing."
She could tell from the way that Cheryl spoke that she was smiling. "Because you are the most beautiful girl I've ever met, and I've seen you battle. You're the smartest, most brilliant person I've met. Even more than my grandfather. You don't just take the world as it is, you...you think, you actually observe what's going on and you change it." She paused, seeming to remember something. "You're always so nice to your Pokémon. When I saw you in the forest, you were so caring. Passionate. Pokémon were your friends, and you treated them with respect. You were so nice, and right away I had a crush on you." She let out a sigh of contentment as Gardenia started playing with her braid. "I-I mean...you're just so you. And I love you. That's all I've known for the past three months."
Gardenia smiled, looking the green-haired girl in the eyes. "Well, you're certainly welcome to stay here as long as you like. I mean, for more than one night, if...if you want." She hoped she hadn't gone too far. They had just confessed, after all, and it might not have been a good idea to go so fast.
Cheryl just blushed. "I'd love to." She told her quietly, gently pulling herself away from Gardenia. She walked over to her bag laying on the floor. "And...and I wouldn't mind..." she trailed off.
"Yeah?" Gardenia asked her, trying to gather her bearings, leaning against something to her right to steady herself, still dizzy and in awe from all the kissing. "What wouldn't you mind?" She asked her, watching Cheryl with a smile on her face.
"Uh, well-G-Gardenia, watch out!"
Too late. Gardenia hadn't realized that the object she was leaning on was her speaker, and just watched in detached surprise as it crashed to the ground, taking her with it. She brought her hands out at the last moment of the descent, stopping her face from hitting the floor just in time. Slowly, she stood up, shaken. Cheryl rushed towards her, concern written all over her face. "Garde...Garde, are you okay? Are you hurt?" She sounded panicked. She stood back almost foot away, in case she wanted some space, but looked as if she might take Gardenia and give her a medical check or something at any second.
"I-I'm fine. Just a little shaken, that's all." She looked at her speaker, now trashed. The music had stopped. She sighed. "This is why we can't have nice things." She bent over, determined to retrieve and possibly rebuild every part of it, when she felt something touch her and looked up. Cheryl was kneeling down next to her, blushing, holding one of Gardenia's hands. The green-haired girl slowly smiled at the gym leader, brightening her immediate area, making her feel a rush of something she still couldn't identify.
"Maybe we can have nice things," she told her, kissing her gently, "if we take the time to make them work." Gardenia smiled at this, staring up at the girl with a newfound expression in her eyes, before looking away, laughing quietly to herself.
"Maybe." She thought about Cheryl, how much she loved her, and the events that had just occurred. She was definitely going to take the time to make this work. Suddenly remembering something, she looked back up at Cheryl. "So, what was it?"
Cheryl looked confused. "What was what?"
"You said that you wouldn't mind something."
Recognition dawned on her face, and Gardenia thought she saw the girl blush. "Oh, uh, well-I was just saying...I mean, uh...I-I wouldn't mind...sleeping with you." She kind of choked out the last part, her face bright red. Gardenia blinked. "I...I mean, if you want to." She pointed at the corner of the room, and Gardenia saw what she was talking about.
There was only one bed.
"Oh."