ring
Maylene groaned and slumped back against the ropes of the wrestling ring as Crasher Wake forced himself back on his feet, but all her energy suddenly jolted back into her when she saw Candice waving at her from the entrance.
hero
There were always so many responsibilities and expectations gym leaders had to live up to, and since everyone had different expectations of what being a hero was, everyone was bound to be disappointed – but when they were alone together, they were just Candice and Maylene, and…and that was much easier.
memory
For a moment, Lucario remembered those days his master got to see that noisy, flailing, bouncy girl; he couldn't stand the girl, but she always made his master's aura so vibrant…he smiled wryly and tucked those memories close to his heart.
box
"I'm so teaching her how to cook," Candice grumbled to herself when she saw the state of Maylene's cupboard, shaking her head at the sight of the massive box of ramen.
run
"C'mon, we don't wanna get separated!" Candice said, tugging Maylene behind her as they charged through the crowds at the department store; Maylene flushed and clutched Candice's hand more tightly.
hurricane
"Come on, let's go!" Candice said in that sweet voice that was like a song, like a breeze, and then Maylene found herself dragged along in some insane hurricane of an adventure again.
wings
"W-well…it's not a Fighting-type, but if you really wanted to, I…I guess I could use it to visit you…" Maylene murmured, looking back to the report on the wild Articuno; Candice just smiled and nestled further into the couch.
cold
"Because if you go home like that, you're gonna catch cold, and no, I'm not going to take care of you," she said, and she could only smile when Maylene shyly accepted the sweater and put it on.
red
No wonder Maylene was late this time – there was a heavy gash along her leg, and even as thick red rivulets ran from her leg, and even as the girl mumbled apologies every other breath, Candice was finding it really, really, really damn difficult not to punch her for being such a moron.
drink
"God, I love you so much, Maylene~" Candice sighed as the half-drunk martial artist pulled her a little closer; outside the door, Flint just made a inebriated little groan, "Dammit, you two, hurry up and make out!"
midnight
Thin slivers of moonlight shone on the floor as Maylene cautiously put her toe down – too cold, she decided, quickly darting back under the covers with Candice.
temptation
Sometimes Maylene was just too cute – like now, for instance, with the young girl blushing and fidgeting and trying to stammer out a response – but Candice managed to quell the temptation to lift up her friend's chin for a kiss.
view
As the train emerged from the tunnel, Candice glanced down at the bright city lights of Veilstone against the black-blue sky; she squinted and leaned closer to the window, trying to see if she could find Maylene among somewhere among the bustling crowds.
music
The quiet croons of music from the radio filled the room, where Maylene flipped through the comic books as Candice read a novel – when they were here like this, everything was beautiful.
silk
Candice was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, but Maylene just looked too peaceful like that, slumped across her legs and the silk bed sheets; so she just ran her fingertips over the martial artist's face and watched her sleep.
cover
"I thought you didn't like the rain," Candice called from under the canopy of her umbrella; Maylene looked up and wiped away the hair that clung to her forehead, and then decided I guess it's not so bad when you're around.
promise
"You…you'll take care of her better than I did, won't you?" Maylene's father asked with exhausted eyes and a desperate smile; Candice looked at him in his eyes and nodded once.
dream
Candice briefly wondered what Maylene was dreaming about as she lied down beside her friend, and then she closed her eyes and slipped her fingers into the pink-haired girl's callused hand.
candle
Candlelit dinners were supposed to be so elegant, so romantic – but this one wasn't, not with the power out and the apartment being battered by a blizzard; on the plus side, it gave them both an easy excuse to stay under the blankets and covers together (and with Maylene around, they didn't have to worry about the food going bad, either – just the possibility of imminent starvation).
talent
She really can throw a Focus Punch, Maylene thought with a grimace as she touched the bruise on her arm.
silence
"It's too quiet in here!" Candice cried to the empty gym, chucking a juice box at the door that smacked Maylene's forehead as she came in.
journey
Candice gazed out at the blizzard pounding against the window, then chirped into the phone, "Hey, Maylene, what do you think about the two of us going on a journey together?"
fire
Maylene set her bared feet in front of the fire with a sigh, settling into the chair as Candice brought her a cup of hot coffee – the dark-haired girl made a little frown and murmured "I still don't get why you have to do those stupid exercises…"
strength
You have to focus, Candice kept reminding herself as Froslass barely dodged the blast of Lucario's Dragon Pulse, but when she saw the look on Maylene's face – that determination, that, that insurmountable strength that she admired so much – she was finding it very, very difficult.
mask
"Eh, it's not you," the noisy girl sighed, taking the Piplup mask off Lucario; he was two steps away from blasting the girl with an Aura Sphere, but when he saw how happy his master was…well, he could play along for a little while longer.
ice
"Yeah, and Fighting's super effective against Ice, so I'll bet she'll be the one to ask—" When the door to the café suddenly flung open, the conspiring gym leaders abruptly ended their conversation, with Crasher Wake turning to the door with a hearty bellow, "Hey, we were just talking 'bout you two!"
fall
Candice tumbled into a thick pile of red and orange leaves with a laugh, rolling onto her side as she gave a quick signal to Maylene, shouting "C'mon, you should try it, too!"
forgotten
"You forgot my birthday," Candice said once she got Maylene cornered; the other girl looked down at the cup in her hands, felt that unsettling feeling drop anchor in her stomach, then looked up and stammered out, "I…I got you some ramen?"
dance
It was so hot, and there were so many people there, and the lights were shining so brightly – but it wasn't so much those factors as it was Candice taking her hand and dragging her over to the dance floor that made Maylene burn into a blush.
body
"I…I'm not exactly a fan of ghosts, either," Maylene murmured to Gardenia, both of them eyeing Froslass warily; the ghost simply looked at them with a sly glint in her eyes as she thought about how ecstatic Candice would be if she presented that battle girl's frozen body to her…
sacred
She was always so quiet when they were in the temple, as though she was drowning in some deep thoughts – Maylene didn't completely understand why, but she waited with Candice anyway, looking at the odd carvings in the wall as she listened to the wind.
farewells
Candice always hated saying goodbye to Maylene because the moment she left, she would suddenly realize just how alone she was without her.
world
The wind was howling and gnawing on their faces, and they were halfway frozen, but they didn't really care now – "It—it's like you can see the world from here!" Maylene gasped with wonderment, looking down from the top of Mt. Coronet.
formal
Candice was beautiful, with her black hair pinned up in a bun and with her in a glittery black dress, and with those glittery eyes and that glistening smile over her wine glass – and, well, all Maylene could do was drain her shotglass for courage as she walked across the chessboard floors to meet her.
fever
"There, see? I told you so!" Candice grumbled as she set the medicine and hot chocolate down on the bedside table, and pretended not to hear Maylene's quiet, raspy apology.
laugh
Candice turned to Maylene to say something, but instead broke out into a fit of giggles, and then her father glanced up from his dinner and began grinning, too, and Maylene didn't completely understand why – Is there something on my face? – but she couldn't help but blush and smile (because today, things would be okay).
lies
"We're okay," she murmured into the phone, lowering her eyes at the sight of her father cradling his bleeding fist with broken sobs – but it wasn't enough to convince Candice.
forever
C'mon c'mon c'mon… Candice thought, hanging on to the handrails of the train, tapping her foot impatiently – train rides felt like they lasted forever, especially those times when Maylene was definitely not okay.
overwhelmed
And her father was gone again – He's probably out getting into another fight, she noted dully as she wrapped her arm up in a messy bandage, hands trembling all the while, and then she looked around the room and wondered what Candice would think if she saw how awfully messy it was now, how disappointed she would be if she saw that everything was ruined again, and now her throat was starting to get tight and her vision was getting blurry and the door was swinging open, and – and Candice was there, and suddenly Maylene knew that she was completely, utterly screwed, and she looked up and waited for something awful to happen—
whisper
"You moron," she whispered, quietly pressing a kiss to Maylene's head.
wait
Volkner glanced down at Maylene and opened his umbrella just as the sky began to crack open and rain, seating himself next to her on the bus stop – "Y'know, considering how stupidly energetic they are, we've been waiting for them a lot, haven't we…?"
talk
"Eh, don't worry about it, Volk," Flint said, glancing over at the two girls chatting at their table, lightly patting the sullen gym leader's shoulder, "If you ever want a relationship like that, I'll always be here for you!"
search
Candice stirred her drink with a straw as she watched Volkner bicker with his merciless teaser, and wondered aloud, "Do you think we'll ever find love like that, Maylene…?"
hope
Maylene unwrapped the scarf, then lightly ran a fingertip over a spot on the nape of her neck, which still seemed to tickle from a warm pair of lips – she smiled, and her heart seemed to lift up a little.
eclipse
Just like how the moon overtook the sun that morning, Candice defeated Maylene – the martial artist sheepishly rubbed her nose as the dark-haired girl leaned in and said, "So you said that if I won, we could do whatever I wanted…"
gravity
Sometimes Candice seemed to rush through life too quickly to enjoy her days – but Maylene was always there to pull her back down to earth, and…and she was thankful for that.
highway
It was nice being like this, with the neither of them coming or going, with just the two of them hurtling down the highway, jazz pulsing in the car like the rhythm of their hearts.
unknown
That was the thing about a journey – you never really knew what was going to come next; but considering how that was the way Candice seemed to tick…well, Maylene decided, maybe a crazy quest wouldn't be so bad after all.
lock
"Ah…C-Candice, do you think they locked us in this closet on purpose?"
breathe
She smiled lightly and breathed against the window, softly tracing a heart on the glass; and when she looked up she saw Maylene standing there, wearing the sweater and gently waving at her – and despite how cold it was out there, she flung open the window so that there wouldn't be anything between them.
a/n: Because Glistenshipping (that's what it's called, right?) is woefully underrepresented and more people need to ship it. That, and I'm a complete dork for gen 4. So there. :l
'Twas my first time writing romance, and...it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It feels more like a friendshippy fic, but it might just be because I'm a moron like that? Ah well.